Author: Site Editor Publish Time: 07-22-2026 Origin: Site
The production process of industrial yogurt will be introduced in detail in this article
Industrialized yoghurt production is a food processing process that integrates raw material processing, standardization, homogenization, sterilization, fermentation, cooling, filling, and cold chain storage. Compared with household production, industrial production requires strict control of microbial environment, temperature, time, and hygiene standards to ensure the stability, safety, and consistency of yoghurt products.
The production process of industrial yogurt is a process to transform raw milk into stable, safe, and unique fermented dairy products. The core is precise control of microbial fermentation to achieve the desired taste, texture, and shelf life.
The following are the main 6 steps for industrial production of yogurt, applicable to stirred and coagulated yogurt.
This is the first pass of quality control. The factory will inspect raw milk for freshness, acidity, and antibiotic residue, as residual antibiotics will inhibit subsequent lactic acid bacteria fermentation and lead to production failure. At the same time, the fat content of milk is adjusted using standardized separators to meet the formulation requirements of whole fat, low-fat, or fat-free yogurt.
In this step, auxiliary materials such as sugar, milk powder (used to increase non-fat emulsion solids and improve texture), and stabilizer are added according to the product formula and fully mixed and dissolved in a high-speed stirring tank. The mixture is then passed through a homogenizer at a high pressure of 60-70 ° C to crush the fat globules in the milk into smaller particles. This can effectively prevent fat from floating (commonly known as "milk skin") and make the finished product taste more delicate and stable.
This is the key heat treatment link in industrial production. Generally, the sterilization process is maintained at a high temperature of 90-95 ℃ for about 5 minutes. The purpose is not only to kill the bacteria in raw milk, but also to denature whey protein in milk. This denaturation will interact with casein, so that the yogurt can form a stronger and more stable coagulant after fermentation, effectively reducing the precipitation of whey.
The sterilized milk needs to be cooled to a suitable fermentation temperature of 42 - 45 ° C and then fed with about 2% - 3% of the yoghurt starter. By international definition, the starter must contain two specific lactic acid bacteria, Streptococcus thermophilus and Lactobacillus bulgaricus. The inoculated milk will enter the fermentation tank and be kept at a constant temperature (about 42 ℃) for 3-6 hours. During this time, lactic acid bacteria proliferate and convert lactose into lactic acid; when the acidity reaches the ideal value (e.g., pH value drops to about 4.5), the milk solidifies into yogurt.g.
Stirred yogurt: after fermentation, the solidified yogurt curd shall be broken by physical stirring in the stirring tank to make it become a flowing viscous liquid. At the same time, the Yogurtmilk must be quickly cooled to 10-20 ℃ to immediately stop fermentation and prevent too high acidity from affecting the flavor and quality.
Frozen Yogurt: This is the reverse of this step; fermentation is done in the final packaging container after filling and sealing, so it does not need to break the curd, but it also needs to be cooled quickly.g.
When cooled and stirred (if necessary), the yogurt is aseptically filled into cups or bottles. Filled yoghurt is not immediately marketed and needs to be sent to a cold store at 2-5 ° C for later maturing, typically 12-24 hours. This phase can further develop and mellow the yogurt flavor, and its physical structure will become more stable at low temperature. In the whole process of cold chain transportation and sales, the cold storage state must be maintained to inhibit the excessive acid production of lactic acid bacteria and ensure shelf life quality.
If you require the production of yogurt, please contact us immediately, and our professional technical engineers will customize the equipment scheme of the yogurt processing line for you and provide the quotation.
