ABSTRACT

The preparation of sour milk products has been known in all parts of the world as a means of preserving milk against spoilage. Traditional sour milk foods were obtained by spontaneous acidi…cation with lactic acid bacteria (LAB) naturally present in milk, which during their growth reduce the pH and denature milk proteins, causing appearance and texture changes in the product. In certain cases, yeasts and molds, which occur along with LAB, give a special feature to the sour milk product. Due to the speci…c characteristics of milk and LAB and the conditions of fermentation, various types of regionally speci…c fermented milk have been developed throughout the world.