Yogurt is a fermented milk product originating in the Middle East and the Balkans and traditionally popular from Italy to India. It is believed that yogurt originated in Mesopotamia thousands of years ago.
The word yogurt is Turkish in origin . Yogurt is made by introducing specific bacteria into milk under controlled temperature and environment conditions especially in industrial production. The bacterial ingest natural milk sugars and release lactic acid as a waste product. The increased acidity causes milk proteins to tangle into a solid mass cord and denature.
Yogurt with added fruit marmalade was invented to better protection against decay.
The nutritional and chemical composition of yogurt
Yogurt is nutritionally balanced food containing almost all the nutrients present in milk but in a more assimilated form. Poor quality milk, unhygienic associated with the process involved and used of “wire type” of starter culture give rise to poor grade yogurt having six to eleven hours shelf life only. Yogurt is now widely consumed both by infant and adult populations. The whole yogurt with ingredient can be considered as being “a good source of calcium, sodium, potassium, and zinc band magnesium as food”. This does not mean that yogurt contains enough mineral for human consumption and not perfect food in terms of its rich in calcium, for strong bone and other needs. It also has a high-fat content to sticking to low fat/diet varieties are recommended. The low-fat version has just as much calcium, protein, and B-vitamins. The typical composition of commercial fruited yogurt after complete processing is as follows, fat at 0.1-3.5%, lactose at 3-4.5%, milk solids, non-fat at 11-18%, stabilizers at 0.2-0.4% and fruit at 10-20% composition of yogurt.
Health benefits of yogurt.
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Yoghourt is perceived as a kind of health food which is high in protein, low in fat and rich in vitamins. It is good for those who are conscious of their body weight. Yogurt contains beneficial bacteria which are typically natural inhabitants of guts. Many of those helpful bacteria are of human origin and are obtained from yogurt containing probiotics cultures.
Prevention of intestinal infections
Probiotic bacteria can inhibit the growth of common intestinal pathogens including staphylococcus, salmonella, Yersinia, and clostridia. Probiotic bacteria have very effective antimicrobial mechanisms such as competitive colonization, production of organic acids and other antibacterial agents.
Prevention of cancer
Probiotic bacterial inhibits tumor formation and proliferation of enzymes secreted by some unhealthy bacteria, enhance the formation of carcinogens. Probiotics reduce the level of undesirable enzymes reducing the risk of intestinal cancer.
Improvement in lactose digestion
Lactose intolerance is due to insufficient activity of lactose in the gut and causes various degrees of abdominal discomfort. Probiotic bacteria produce enzymes which will help to digest lactose. Thus, if the yogurt contains active bacteria cultures, the lactose present is essentially digested by the yogurt.
Improvement of the immune system
Laboratory trials have shown that probiotic bacteria stimulate the activism of the immune system by increasing the number of cells responsible for breaking down inert particles from the body. Yogurt may have immune stimulatory and other immuno-modulatory activities. Yogurt is beneficial for gastrointestinal health, as well as for the promotion of longevity.
