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Fermented milk from Worldwide

Probiotic and therapeutic fermented milks (family)ヤクルト

This family covers milks soured by one chosen strain or a small blend, such as Lactobacillus acidophilus, bifidobacteria or the Shirota strain, rather than by yoghurt or kefir cultures alone. The milk is heated hard so that the chosen strain has no competition, then fermented and often sweetened and diluted into a drink. Codex and national rules set minimum counts of live bacteria.

Fully documentedFermented milk24 h

Recipe

Amounts from a sourceNo single recipe; amounts here are from the FAO description of an Ecuadorian acidophilus- bifidus milk and from Yakult's published process.
Milk or skim-milk powder in water[fao-tmp][yakult-au]
Pure culture of the chosen strain(s)2 % of the milk (FAO example)L. acidophilus with Bifidobacterium longum in the FAO example; L. paracasei Shirota for Yakult[fao-tmp][yakult-au]
Sugar syrup, flavouring and sterile waterOptionalFor drinks such as Yakult[yakult-au]
Starterpure culture of the chosen strain or strains

Total time across the recorded steps: 24 h

Start
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85 °C

What changes: The milk is heated hard so the chosen strain will have no competition

Step 1 of 5
Heat the milk hard
Time
10 min
Reported
Temperature
85 °C
Reported
Salt
None given
Acidity
Not documented
Which microbes the steps name, step by step
L. acidophilus
L. paracasei

Output: heat-treated milk with almost no competing bacteria.

Flavour
Not documented
Texture
Not documented
Colour
Yakult's high heat gives its natural colour (Maillard reaction)

Microbes at work in this step

Not documented for this step.

Method

Measured measured in a studySet fixed by a specification or tested recipeReported one source reports itTypical a general value, not sourced for this fermentUnconfirmed not yet checked against a source

At a glance

This family covers milks soured by one chosen strain or a small blend, such as Lactobacillus acidophilus, bifidobacteria or the Shirota strain, rather than by yoghurt or kefir cultures alone. The milk is heated hard so that the chosen strain has no competition, then fermented and often sweetened and diluted into a drink. Codex and national rules set minimum counts of live bacteria. Made in 5 steps over 24 h. The longest step, ferment, takes 24 h (FAO 1990). Lactobacillus acidophilus and Bifidobacterium do most of the fermenting.

Key numbers
Main step24 hReported[fao-tmp]Ferment
Temperature85 °CReported[fao-tmp][yakult-au]Heat the milk hard

What makes this one different

These milks are defined by one chosen strain and a minimum count of it, not by a traditional mixed culture. Kefir and koumiss rely on whole communities of bacteria and yeasts, and yoghurt on two thermophilic species.

Related ferments

Variants

  • Acidophilus milkMilk soured by L. acidophilus alone (Codex).
  • Acidophilus-bifidus milksL. acidophilus with bifidobacteria; in Denmark labelled acidophilus-bifido.
  • Yakult (Japan)Sweet, diluted drink made with L. paracasei Shirota.

Safety

The FAO example heats the milk to 85 °C for 10 minutes before the culture goes in. Codex requires at least 10^7 cfu/g of the starter bacteria in fermented milk up to the date of minimum durability, and does not apply that count to products heat-treated after fermentation.

History and sources

Every number is labelled with how it is known. How this atlas is made

Yakult's strain is named after the company's founder, Dr Minoru Shirota, who discovered it (Yakult Australia).

  1. [codex-243] Codex Alimentarius, Standard for Fermented Milks, CXS 243-2003spec
  2. [dk-bek195] Bekendtgørelse om mælkeprodukter m.v., BEK nr. 195 af 27. februar 2023 (Danish order on milk products), § 25 stk. 3 and Bilag 3spec
  3. [fao-tmp] FAO 1990, The technology of traditional milk products in developing countries, II. Acidified milks, 3.3 Kefir (Ecuador, L. acidophilus and B. longum)gov
  4. [yakult-au] Yakult Australia, Made fresh for you (factory process brochure, 2024)web
  5. [tetrapak] Tetra Pak, Dairy Processing Handbook, chapter Fermented milk products (probiotic adjuncts)book