Yoghurt

Natural yogurt

The yogurt, —also known as yogurt, yoghourt, yogourt, yoghurt b>, yogurth or yagurt - is a dairy product obtained by fermenting milk by means of bacteria of the genera Lactobacillus and Streptococcus. Several different strains are usually used to achieve a more complete fermentation, mainly Streptococcus thermophilus, Lactobacillus delbrueckii ssp. bulgaricus, L. casei and Bifidobacterium bifidus.

Although it can be obtained from any type of milk, currently cow's milk predominates as raw material. The fermentation of lactose into lactic acid gives yogurt its acidity and part of its flavor. This also helps people with lactose intolerance to consume it without suffering digestive disorders.

Often, chocolate, fruit, vanilla, and various flavorings are added.

Etymology

The word "yogurt" comes from the Turkish term yoğurt, which in turn derives from the Proto-Turkic term: *yogur, 'curdled milk'.

History

Yogurt packed

The origin of yogurt is located in Turkey, although there are also those who locate it in the Balkan Peninsula, Bulgaria or Central Asia. It is believed that its consumption predates the beginning of agriculture.

The nomadic peoples transported the fresh milk they obtained from the animals in sacks, generally made of goatskin. The heat and the contact of the milk with the goat skin encouraged the multiplication of the acid bacteria that fermented the milk. The milk became a semi-solid, coagulated mass. Once the lactic ferment contained in those bags was consumed, they were filled again with fresh milk that was transformed again into fermented milk thanks to the previous residues.

Yogurt became the staple food of nomadic peoples due to its ease of transportation and preservation. Its salutary virtues were already known in Antiquity. A few centuries later, its calming and intestinal regulating effect would be discovered. Méchnikov, who received the Nobel Prize in 1908, was the first scientist to intuit the effects of yogurt on the intestinal flora. He showed that yogurt contained bacteria capable of converting milk sugar -lactose- into lactic acid and that this acid made it impossible for harmful bacteria to develop in the intestines derived from the decomposition of food. He also discovered the huge amount of B vitamins in yogurt.

There is evidence of the production of dairy products in cultures that existed 4,500 years ago. The first yogurts were probably spontaneously fermented, perhaps due to the action of some bacteria inside the goatskin bags used as milk transport containers.

The bacteria Lactobacillus bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophilus, responsible for milk fermentation, were already used around 6000 or 7000 BCE C., by the Thracians who lived in present-day Bulgaria. It was they who used them to induce the fermentation of sheep's milk and thus obtain yogurt, cheese, etc. These products are the first probiotic foods in the world.

From Turkey it was introduced to the entire Balkan Peninsula. Renowned Russian scientist, founder of the science of immunology and Nobel laureate Ilya Mechnikov describes yogurt as an excellent anti-aging agent.

The bacteria that contains this, attacks, blocks and neutralizes toxins, purifying the body. The bacterium that causes lactic fermentation was discovered in 1905 by the Bulgarian doctor Stamen Grigorov, who published and presented his scientific work on yogurt at the Pasteur Institute in Paris. In his honor, the newly discovered bacterium was initially named Bacterium bulgaricum Grigorov , although it was later renamed Lactobacillus bulgaricus .

The bacterium, as the scientist stated, blocks the proliferation of others that are pathogenic, thus delaying the aging process of the human organism. The most surprising thing is that Lactobacillus bulgaricus develops the aforementioned qualities and characteristics only in the territory of Bulgaria. Transferred to other latitudes, the bacterium transforms and, although the yogurt obtained with that same bacterium has a taste similar to the original Bulgarian, its properties are not the same, even losing its ability to delay the aging process^{[citation required]}. Therefore, the purchase of the original Bulgarian leavening agent is necessary.^{[citation required]}

Yogurt remained a staple food in India, Central Asia, Southeast Asia, Central Europe, Eastern Europe, and Turkey for many years until the 1900s, when the Russian biologist Mechnikov expounded his theory that the widespread consumption of yogurt he was responsible for the high life expectancy of Bulgarian peasants. Considering lactobacilli essential for good health, Mechnikov worked to popularize yogurt throughout Europe. Other researchers also conducted studies that contributed to the spread of its use.

Isaac Carasso industrialized the production of yogurt. In 1919, Carasso, a native of Thessaloniki (then part of the Ottoman Empire), started a small yogurt business in Barcelona, Spain, naming it Groupe Danone ("little Daniel") after the name of his son. The brand later expanded to the United States under an Americanized version of the name: Dannon. Yogurt with added fruit jam was patented in 1933 by the Radlická Mlékárna dairy in Prague.

Yogurt was introduced to the United States in the first decade of the 20th century, influenced by the 1908 book & #34;The Prolongation of Life; Optimistic Studies" (The extension of life, optimistic studies) by Élie Metchnikoff. Yogurt was distributed in tablet form for people with digestive intolerances and for home cultivation. It was popularized by John Harvey Kellogg at Battle Creek Sanitarium, where it was used both orally and in enemas, and later by Armenian immigrants. Sarkis and Rose Colombosian, who started the "Colombo and Sons Creamery" in Andover, Massachusetts in 1929.

Colombo Yogurt was originally distributed in New England on a horse-drawn wagon inscribed with the Armenian word "madzoon," which was later changed to "yogurt," the Turkish language name. of the product, as Turkish was the lingua franca among immigrants from the various ethnicities of the Near East who were the main consumers at the time. Yogurt's popularity in the United States increased in the 1950s and 1960s, as scientists such as Hungarian-born bacteriologist Stephen A. Gaymont touted it as a health food. Plain yogurt continued to be too acidic for the American palate and in 1966 Colombo Yogurt sweetened the yogurt and added fruit preserves, creating a 'fruit on the bottom' style yogurt. This was a success, and the company's sales soon exceeded $1 million a year. By the end of the 20th century, yogurt had become a common American food, and Colombo Yogurt was sold in 1993 to General Mills, which discontinued the brand in 2010.

Composition

Yogurt Section at a supermarket in Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina.

The process of making yogurt dates back thousands of years, however until the 19th century very few were known phases of the production process. Production art was passed down from generation to generation; however, in recent decades, this process has been streamlined, mainly due to discoveries in various disciplines, such as physics and chemical engineering, biochemistry, and enzymology; and especially industrial technology.

The production of yogurt requires the introduction of specific 'friendly' bacteria into the milk under controlled temperature and environmental conditions. Plain or flavored yogurt with a firm texture requires a canning temperature of approximately 43 °C. and go through a fermentation process in hot chambers at 43 °C. to obtain the optimum degree of acidity; This process can take approximately four hours. Once obtained, it must be cooled down to 5 degrees to stop fermentation. In whipped yoghurts, those with a creamy texture, with or without fruit, the process is different, as the fermentation is carried out in tanks, prior to the packaging process, which is carried out cold, so it does not need subsequent fermentation. The bacteria use lactose or milk sugar as a source of energy, and release lactic acid as a waste product; This causes an increase in acidity which in turn causes the milk proteins to precipitate, forming a gel. The higher acidity (pH 4-5) also prevents the proliferation of other potentially pathogenic bacteria. The first bacteriological study on yogurt was carried out by Grigoroff, who detected the presence of three different microorganisms, "diplostreptococcus".

Generally, two or more different bacteria are included in a culture to achieve a more complete fermentation, mainly Streptococcus thermophilus subsp. salivarius, members of the genus Lactobacillus, such as Lactobacillus bulgaricus and Lactobacillus casei, and of the genus Bifidobacterium (previously called Lactobacillus bifidus). Thanks to Metchnikoff, yogurt became very popular due to the postulate that L. bulgaricus prolonged life. For many countries, in their regulations, yogurt as such can only contain Streptococcus thermophilus subsp. salivarius and Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus; If other bacteria are added, some laws do not allow the use of the name of yogurt.

If the yogurt is not heated to kill the bacteria after fermentation, it is sold under the name "live active culture" (or simply "live" in some countries), which is considered nutritionally superior by some. In Spain, yogurt producers were divided between those who wanted to reserve the name yogur for live yogurt and those who wanted to introduce pasteurized yogurt under that label.

The shelf life of yogurt when refrigerated is three weeks. In order to improve its conservation capacity, pasteurized or long-lasting yogurt is created, which has a conservation period of months and does not need refrigeration. Both parties sent scientific studies to the authorities pointing out the differences or similarities (according to the interests of each party) between the two varieties. Finally the French government allowed the label "pasteurized yogurt" to this class of yogurt instead of the old "dairy dessert".

Because bacteria ferment the lactose in milk during the yogurt-making process, individuals who are lactose-intolerant can enjoy yogurt without being affected. Nutritionally, yogurt is rich in protein from milk. It also contains the milk fat from which it was produced. They can be skimmed or with added cream as in the case of Greek yogurt. In the fermentation process, the microorganisms produce group B vitamins necessary for their metabolism, although they reduce the content of some already present in milk such as vitamin B12 and vitamin C. It contains essential minerals, of which calcium stands out, such as in any dairy product.