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=Strained ("Greek") Yogurt:                                                                                                                        =

Questions to Pursue
- What is the difference between regular and strained yogurt?

- Why is strained yogurt referred to as "Greek" yogurt?

- Are there different types of strained yogurt?

- What is the most common method of making Greek yogurt?

- Is it "healthier" than normal yogurt, and why?

- What kind of added ingredients to strained yogurt are most common?

- What are the types of bacteria used in fermentation? - What is the role of probiotics and sugars in yogurt?

- What are the ideal storage conditions of Greek yogurt (temperature, packaging, etc)?

- In the case of improper storage, what kind of micro-organisms are most likely to grow in strained yogurt?

- What are the factors influence consumer's preference in strained yogurt?

Summary of Our Research
Fermented dairy foods have long been preached to bring about numerous health benefits across many cultures. Indicative of most dairy products, strained yogurt is a good source of protein, calcium, iodine, and vitamin B12. Strained yogurt includes additional steps to conventional yogurt, where fermented milk is strained after coagulation to remove ample liquid whey and lactose, yielding a higher protein product. Strained yogurt is required to have at least 5.6% protein content, relative to the 2.7% for unstrained yogurt. In fact, it is believed that the proteolytic activity of the bacterial cultures enables some pre-digestion of milk proteins, resulting in yogurt having more free amino acids for full digestion than milk. Additionally, individuals with lactose intolerance may be able to eat some yogurt because of its lower concentration of lactose due to the break down of lactose into lactic acid through fermentation.

Promoting the growth and maintenance of bones, strained yogurt has been shown to play an essential role in the health and well-being of adolescents and the elderly. Yogurt is a rich source of dietary minerals, and has nearly 50% more calcium, magnesium, potassium, phosphorus, and zinc than milk. Yogurt has a more balanced range of micronutrients and an increasing-demand of probiotic cultures when compared to milk. One negative aspect of strained yogurt, is that there is greater vitamin loss through the straining process than the typical yogurt. Particularly the water soluble vitamins: vitamin C, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid, biotin, folic acid, and vitamin B12 as well as vitamin A in its beta-carotene form can be lost through the straining of liquid whey from yogurt.

A key characteristic of yogurt is that of the probiotic cultures that it contains, differing from all other dairy products. There is roughly one microbiome cell for every human cell, and for reference a 70 kg person would most likely have about 30 trillion human cells and 38 trillion microbiome cells. There could be more foreign cells inside a person than their actual active cells. The human gut is primarily dominated by Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes, including Bifidobacteria, Lactobacillus, Streptococcous, and Clostridia. Thus it is no surprise that yogurt, which contains high amounts of Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus, have been linked to several health benefits. In fact, frequent consumption of yogurt intake has been shown to improve risk factors for cardiovascular disease, lower diabetes risk, promote human immune system functions, and lower the risk for dysbiosis and chronic kidney disease. With such a wide range of benefits, yogurt can be crucial to the aging population

From the high contents of protein, minimized amounts of sugar and wide range of micronutrients, strained yogurt has long been a staple in diets across hospitals. In fact, the aging population can gain significant nutritional benefit from regular yogurt consumption. Vitamin D deficiency is very common in the elderly due to poor nutrition and a sedentary lifestyle often spent indoors with little exercise. This, together with an equally prevalent deficiency in calcium and low protein intake, can lead to gradual deterioration of bones and furthermore osteoporosis, muscle weakening, falls, and fractures. Yogurt is a pivotal product in the diet of aging populations and has also been shown to be the cornerstone dairy product for obese individuals.

Epidemiological studies indicate that dairy products, and in particular yogurt, may have the potential to reduce the risk of obesity. Particularly strained yogurt, which has a higher protein lower sugar content than unstrained yogurt is promoted to aid in weight loss. With a growing demand for less-sugar, higher protein and probiotic cultures, strained yogurt continues to be in demand in many cultures as a healthy component of diets.