FDBusiness.com

On warm summer days, many regions experience a sharp rise in the sale of cultured dairy products like drinking yoghurt. In order to help dairies boost their sales, Hydrosol has long been offering stabilising systems for trendy yoghurt shakes. But now the research scientists have succeeded in developing combinations of active ingredients with which manufacturers can produce yoghurt shakes from reconstituted milk – a great advantage, especially in hot countries where fresh milk is scarce. The stabilising system Stabimuls RMWW has greatly enhanced the properties of yoghurt made from reconstituted milk. The reconstituted product can be processed in the same way as fresh milk.

End products with different percentages of yoghurt

Several challenges have to be met when developing yoghurt shakes. Firstly, the pH of yoghurt is lower than that of classic milk shakes; secondly, the viscosity is already higher. “The difficulty lies in developing a hydrocolloid compound that results in a stable foam in an acid environment”, product developer Sebastian Barsch explains. “On the one hand, the compound has to achieve the purpose of a stabiliser, and on the other hand the yoghurt shake must not gel. Moreover, the stabilising system must ensure an optimum, light mouth feel.” This feat has been accomplished with the Stabisol MSM series. The synergistic effects of different hydrocolloids enable the functional systems to create a pleasantly foaming yoghurt shake – even with end products containing different percentages of yoghurt. The content can vary between 40 and 80 percent, and this offers an attractive additional benefit from the point of view of economy. The lower yoghurt content does not affect the quality of the product. Stabisol MSM gives any yoghurt shake a creamy mouth feel and produces a stable foam that comes about after only brief shaking and ensures a special, characteristic taste experience.

Simple to use

Nevertheless, the stabilising system is simple to use – an important requirement. First, a reconstituted milk product is made up from dried milk and water with the aid of Stabimuls RMWW. Bacterial cultures then turn this into yoghurt, which is processed into a yoghurt shake with the stabilising systems from the Stabisol MSM series. To do this the functional system is blended with hot water, which serves to activate the stabiliser. The mixture is then added to the yoghurt. This step is followed by a swelling time which ensures that the stabiliser mixture combines with the yoghurt to form a protective colloid for the protein. With the aid of Stabisol MSM, dairies can create new, top-selling products from reconstituted milk on their existing plant – and that in several different flavours. For the yoghurt shake can easily be mixed with flavourings, fruit preparations or fruit juice concentrates.