Yogurt, also known as yoghurt or yoghourt, is a healthy meal found in your grocery stores dairy isle. Yogurt is made by the fermentation of milk from natural bacteria.
You make yogurt by culturing cream or milk with active, live bacterial cultures; this is done by adding bacteria directly to the milk. store bought yogurt is ordinarily made with a culture of Streptococcus thermophilis and Lactobacillus acidophilus. Some makers have started using Lactobacillus bulgaricus instead of L. acidophilus.
Yogurt is created by introducing particular bacteria strains into milk, which is later fermented under carefully monitored temperatures and conditions (inside a bioreactor), especially in industrial processes. The bacteria assimilate natural milk sugars and expel lactic acid as a bi-product. Theacidity increase causes milk proteins to ball up into a solid mass called a curd, in the process of denaturation.
Where Did Yogurt Come From
Cultured milk may have been produced as long as 4,500 years ago. Early yogurts are thought to have been spontaneously fermented by wild bacteria that may possibly have lived on the goat skin bags used by nomads. Today, many different groups claim they invented yogurt, yet there is no clear evidence who first discovered it, and it may have been discovered independently several times.
Fruit jam was added to yogurt to protect yogurt from decay.
It is theorized that some of the first yogurt probably consisted of goats milk which fermented in the goatskin bags used by early nomads possibly of Turkish origin. Today, yogurt is mainly made with cows milk in the USA, but in other countries, it is also made with buffalo, camel, goat, and sheep milk.
In cultures of the west, there are many ways you can enjoy yogurt, most commonly as a cool dish with fruit mixed in. Yogurt is often used to make healthy shakes or eaten frozen just like ice cream. Yogurt is used when cooking, instead of milk, sour cream, and some types of cheeses. In the Middle East, yogurt is commonly served with meat, sauces, and vegetables. It is also mixed with other sauces or used as a tangy topping on top of a meal.
Health benefits of yogurt
The nutritional benefits of yogurt are beyond those of milk: people who are moderately lactose-intolerant will be able to enjoy yogurt without feeling sick, because the lactose in the milk precursor is changed to lactic acid by the bacterial culture. The lower amount of lactose goes around the persons need to process the milk sugar themselves.
There are many medicinal uses of yogurt, in particular for a variety of GI conditions, and in preventing diarrhea. One study suggests that eating yogurt containing L. acidophilus can cure yeast infections, or vulvovaginal candidiasis.
It improves the bodies natural defense, it contains a large amount of phosphorus and 88% water. People who are at risk of osteoporosis should eat at the very least one serving of yogurt per day.
Studies have shown that yogurt may protect against some types of cancer but more studies have to be done.
In addition to the above benefits, other benefits of live and active cultures in the yogurt are, they may help to increase the immune system. They encourage the right kind of bacteria to multiply in the gut. The bacteria in yogurt help to digest food and help stop stomach infections. They also help to cure vulvovaginal candidiasis.
Yogurt has been said to promote good gum health, maybe because of the probiotic effect of lactic acids that are in yogurt.
How to make yogurt at home
It is so easy to make yogurt at home, anyone can to it. You begin by boiling milk. You can heat the milk by direct heat using a number of different kitchen appliances, however, a double boiler allows the best way with the least chance of burning. Lower the temperature of the yogurt using a bath of cold water to 110F (43C) and then add a heaping spoonful of yogurt, or a yogurt starter with live cultures (streptococcus thermophilus and/or lactobacillus bulgaricus) , to part of the milk. Stir well, then combine it with the warm milk. Store the yogurt in a warm place for about 7 hours so the yogurt can set.
during this time, the active cultures take in the lactose in the milk, curdling it, and creating lactic acid. The tangy flavor of yogurt comes from the lactic acid.. The longer your yogurt sits, the tangier and thicker it will become. To keep your yogurt at this warm temperature, often an oven and cooking thermometer are used. When your yogurt is ready, refrigerate immediately. Be creative and add granola, honey, jam, fresh fruit, or anything else that you like.
For making yogurt, you can also use things like a thermos, microwave, or heating pads..
Yogurt making machines, like those from Salton, are so affordable and have made making yogurt at home so easy, that it is highly recommended that you consider using one of these if you plan on regularly making yogurt at home.
Nonfat-dry milk can be added as a thickening agent to the end product if one wishes to increase the nutritional benefits of the yogurt (you need to add this before the active yogurt or yeast culture is added to the milk).
What is the right kind of yogurt to buy
You must store yogurt in the refrigerator, becuase it is a fresh dairy product. Yogurts that have been treated by heating processes has a longer shelf life but it don’t give the nutritional benefits like the yogurt with live and active cultures because the heating process destroys the cultures. To recieve the most health benefit from yogurt, it must include a live and active cultures seal on the label.
When buying yogurt in your grocery store, you should always look for the label for live cultures. If the yogurt was pasteurized or heated after the cultures have been added, it is probable, the cultures will die. Yogurt made correctly will keep well in a refrigerator at 40 Fahrenheit (4 Celsius) for up to ten days. Longer than that, the cultures often become weak.
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This post was written by admin on February 21, 2009
