A little honey makes yoghurt nutritious

Ms Pauline Njeru stirs milk in the process to make yoghurt at the Aspen Orchards factory. The addition of honey to the yoghurt improves the lactic acid bacteria viability, extends the shelf-life of the product, improves viability of bifido-bacteria (they normally live in the intestines) and finally increases the quality of the finished product. PHOTO | CHARLES WANYORO 

In Summary

• Honey when combined with milk provides an excellent nutritious product and it is, thus, recommended for use as a main source of vitamins and minerals.
• The addition of honey to the yoghurt improves the lactic acid bacteria viability, extends the shelf-life of the product, improves viability of bifido-bacteria (they normally live in the intestines) and finally increases the quality of the finished product.

By ESTHER NJOROGE

Yoghurt is one of the most nutritious milk products with a myriad of health benefits that include helping to eliminate lactose intolerance (case where the digestive system is unable to digest lactose),
reducing susceptibility to stomach cancer and prevention of genital and urinary tract infections.

Yoghurt is further a good source of calcium, which is an essential nutrient in the prevention of osteoporosis and colon cancer.

Most people make the product using milk, food colour and cultures, however, you can also add honey to make yoghurt nutritious.

Honey has a high content of fructose, vitamins and minerals making it a nutritious food additive. It is considered as an intermediate moisture food with a low microbial load, hence has a longer shelf-life. It has a good medicinal and antimicrobial properties, thus, it serves as a natural food preservative, besides being a sweetener.

Honey when combined with milk provides an excellent nutritious product and it is, thus, recommended for use as a main source of vitamins and minerals. The addition of honey to the yoghurt improves the lactic acid bacteria viability, extends the shelf-life of the product, improves viability of bifido-bacteria (they normally live in the intestines) and finally increases the quality of the finished product.

The production of the stirred yoghurt will require quality milk being pasteurised (boiled) at 90oC for 15 minutes.

LONGER SHELF-LIFE

At home, the boiling is done indirectly, that is put the can holding the milk in another container that has the boiling water. The temperature denatures the inhibitory enzymes and can be ascertained using an alcohol thermometer.

The milk is cooled in a water bath to 43oC, add a few teaspoons of plain store-bought yoghurt if active starter culture is not readily available. The container should be covered to minimise the possibility of contamination and incubate the milk at 43oC for three to six hours undisturbed to achieve right consistency.

Ensure that water for incubation is maintained at 45oC throughout the six hours. The yoghurt will be set when there will be no flow in the container.

One then removes the container from the incubation water slowly not to disturb the product. The yoghurt is kept in a cool room overnight for a better consistency, then stirring is done with the addition of honey, which was heated at 68oC and cooled at room temperature.

The honey should be 5 percent the quantity of yoghurt. The agitation should be done carefully to avoid too much breaking of the coagulum.

During the production, it is very important that hygiene is observed to ensure that the product is safe for consumption and has a long shelf-life. The health benefits of the home-made yoghurt enriched with honey are more since the product combines nutrients from yoghurt and those from honey.

The strains of the two probiotics (live bacteria and yeasts that are good for the digestive system) regulate the digestion strengthening the immune system. Yoghurt enriched with honey is loaded with vitamins and minerals that may help flush some excessive sodium from the body, thus, preventing high blood pressure.

The product supports digestion and absorption of nutrients in the digestive tract, which is an essential factor for blood sugar regulation while the Lactobacillus Acidophilus organisms in the product helps in the reduction of bad cholesterol.