ICARDA Caravan, Issue No. 22

Focus

More Yogurt,
Please!

Muhi El-Dine Hilali, Luis Iñiguez, and Monika Zaklouta

Sour, weak and crumbling yogurt is not attractive to many consumers. When producers take this type of product to the market, they fail to fetch a profit. A recent study by ICARDA scientists identified simple ways for small-scale producers to improve the processing of milk into yogurt and increase their income.

An ICARDA scientist demonstrates the use of commercial starters for improved yogurt production.

ogurt, it is believed, originated in the Near East, where nomads first produced it. Consumption is highest in Mediterranean countries, West and Central Asia and the Caucasus. In Syria, production of yogurt has been rising steadily, reflecting increased demand. Whereas about 59,000 tons of yogurt was produced in the country in 1999, production rose to more than 90,000 tons in 2003.

Consumers have different tastes. Some prefer yogurt in the form of a highly viscous liquid, while others want it as a softer gel. Typical yogurt-based products in the Middle East include the set type (Laban, Khather), drinking type (Ayran)—mainly consumed in summer-and the concentrated type (Labneh).

The rise in demand brings potential benefits to producers, especially small farmers who depend on processing dairy products to diversify their incomes. However, the increased production has meant that producers must continue to improve the quality of the product to satisfy the expectations of their customers. Small farmers are already facing the challenge of increasing competition in the market, because their yogurt is often of poor quality due to improper processing practices.

ICARDA researchers have been working with extensionists and communities in Abu-Jabar and Bugaz villages in northern Syria, where farmers depend on sheep milk processing for 60% of their incomes, to improve the quality of their products and enable them to benefit from the widening but competitive market. Participatory workshops were held to assess the peculiarities of local knowledge and the constraints to production as perceived by the farmers. The workshops were held both for men and women, as inclusion of women was critical considering that they are the ones who process milk into derivatives.

How yogurt is made
Yogurt is prepared by lactic acid fermentation. Milk is inoculated with a starter culture which converts part of the lactose to lactic acid, carbon dioxide, acetic acid, diacetyl, acetaldehyde and several other substances that confer the product's particular characteristics. The consistency, flavor and aroma vary with the source of milk from different species and locations, probably reflecting the type of diets that animals consume.

Traditional milking procedures often cause high levels of contamination due to poor hygiene. After milking, the milk is filtered and processed, and if the quantity is small it is stored in a cool place—in areas without cooling facilities. The milk obtained the night before is mixed with that obtained in the morning to process it for making yogurt. It is boiled in a pot for at least five minutes and then transferred into three-liter buckets to form a small foam layer on the top of the filled bucket (surface). Then the milk is left to cool. The temperature is checked by thumb. As soon as the milk has the "proper" temperature, it is inoculated by yogurt (starter) obtained the day before, at the dose of approximately 100 g per bucket diluted in an amount of the prepared milk. The inoculation is done from the side of the bucket in order to preserve the surface.

The buckets are incubated by covering with blankets for about four hours, depending on weather conditions. After this, the buckets are uncovered and cooled, and the yogurt is ready for the market. This process produces set-type yogurt with a thick surface mainly with or without burned flavor.

Improving production
Farmers reported that they could not get good prices for their yogurt on the market because it was sour, with a weak texture, and crumbling especially in transit through bumpy roads. Researchers discussed with farmers the possible causes of these constraints. It was agreed that improper hygiene was a major cause of the problem. Training sessions were held in both communities during which the research team worked with farmers to explain basic hygienic milk management, improved yogurt processing and culture management. Thermometers were introduced to eliminate product contamination with thumbs and help determine temperatures for starter inoculation.

To avoid the collapse of yogurt during transportation, a participatory experiment was conducted to compare three industrial starters that produce firm yogurt with the starter used traditionally by farmers. The three included the very mild flavor and high viscosity, mild flavor and medium viscosity, and strong flavor and medium-to-low viscosity. Yogurt was processed with the three starters and that of the farmers as a control, with the use of thermometers. The different types of yogurt were evaluated by the farmers and sent to the market for additional evaluation.

Farmers' children preferred yogurt with very mild and mild flavor, whereas their parents preferred their own yogurt and that with strong flavor. The processed yogurt types were evaluated for viscosity and firmness. The increase in viscosity was 60 to 72% higher than the control. The firmness of the yogurt was measured with a texture analyzer, using a 20 mm cylinder probe to penetrate the yogurt for 25 mm. The results showed that yogurt made with the industrial starters was 20-30% firmer than local yogurt and thus could be transported without collapsing. The new yogurt made 5 additional Syrian Pounds per kilogram than the yogurt traditionally prepared by the farmers. This is the cost of transporting a bucket of 3 kg of yogurt from the farm to the market. This motivated farmers to accept the new starters that allow them to produce a better quality product for sale.

With a better product for the competitive market, farmers in Abu-Jabar and Bugaz villages in northern Syria now hope that the demand for their yogurt will increase in the market.

Mr Muhi El-Dine Hilali (m.hilali@cgiar.org) is a Milk Technologist; Dr Luis Iniguez is a Senior Small-Ruminant Scientist; and Ms Monika Zaklouta is Animal Research Laboratory Manager at ICARDA.

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