Process for the continuous preparation of yogurt and other fermented

Abstract

Yogurt and other fermented milk products are prepared in a continuous process in which a continuous stream of milk is added to a fermenting mixture of milk and a starter in a prefermenting tank. The pH of the mixture in the prefermenting tank is maintained above the value at which stirring of the mixture will cause syneresis to occur in the final product. A portion of the prefermented mixture is passed into a coagulating tank in which further fermentation and coagulation can take place. In the coagulating tank, the mixture, when its pH surpasses the acidity at which stirring will no longer cause syneresis, is subjected to shearing forces and thereafter filled into containers to produce the final product.