Short communication: Effect of stirring operations on changes in physical and rheological properties of nonfat yogurts during storage.

The rheological and physical properties of stirred yogurt depend on several parameters, including the mechanical stress caused by stirring, smoothing, and cooling conditions (duration, intensity, or temperature). However, the literature reports little information about the effects of mechanical stress from all of the stirring operations on changes in yogurt properties during storage. The aim of this study was to determine, by means of a technical scale unit, the combined effects of stirring in the yogurt vat, smoothing, and cooling on changes in the rheological properties of nonfat yogurt during storage at 4°C. The yogurt was standardized to 14% total solids, 0% fat, and 4% protein, and was stirred with a technical scale unit using 2 stirring durations (5 min or 10 min), 2 types of cooling systems (plate or tubular heat exchanger), and 2 smoothing temperatures (38°C for yogurts smoothed before cooling or 20°C for yogurts smoothed after cooling). All yogurts were stored for 22 d at 4°C, and we determined the combined effect of the stirring operations on changes in syneresis, apparent viscosity, firmness, consistency, and flow time. During storage, post-acidification was the same for all stirred yogurts and involved restructuring of the protein network, which resulted in an increase in all properties except syneresis, which decreased. The combined stirring operations did not modify changes in syneresis during yogurt storage but did affect flow time, viscosity, consistency, and firmness. Changes in flow time depended on smoothing temperature, and viscosity and consistency depended on the cooling system used. Firmness was the property most affected by all combined stirring operations during storage. Therefore, the technical scale unit was effective for quantifying the combined effects of stirring, smoothing, and cooling on changes in yogurt properties during storage. This study also confirmed that the restructuring of stirred yogurt depended on the mechanical stress that occurred during the stirring process.

Individual and sequential effects of stirring, smoothing, and cooling on the rheological properties of nonfat yogurts stirred with a technical scale unit.

Few studies have considered the impact of unit operations during stirred yogurt manufacture because their operational sequence is difficult to replicate at the laboratory scale. The aim of this study was to investigate the individual and sequential effects of stirring in the yogurt vat, smoothing, and cooling on the rheological properties of yogurts, using a technical scale unit simulating some industrial conditions. The yogurts were prepared from a milk mixture that was standardized to contain 14% total solids, 0% fat, and 4% protein, and then homogenized, heated (94.5°C, 5 min), and inoculated at 41°C with the same thermophilic lactic starter. The operating parameters under investigation were 2 stirring durations in the yogurt vat (5 or 10 min), 2 cooling systems (plate or tubular heat exchanger), and 2 smoothing temperatures (38°C for smoothing before cooling; 20°C for smoothing after cooling). Sampling valves were installed at critical points on the technical scale unit so that the effect of each operation on the properties of stirred yogurt could be quantified individually. Syneresis, apparent viscosity, firmness, and consistency were analyzed after 1 d of storage at 4°C. In general, as the yogurts moved through the technical scale unit, the properties of the yogurts (evaluated after 1 d) changed: viscosity increased but syneresis, firmness, and consistency decreased. The individual effects of the operations showed that smoothing and cooling, compared with stirring duration, made the greatest contribution in terms of modifying yogurt properties. The stirring parameters (5 or 10 min) had similar effects on the yogurts. The use of a plate heat exchanger promoted a decrease in syneresis, whereas a tubular heat exchanger had a greater effect in terms of increasing firmness and consistency. The type of cooling system had no effect on stirred yogurt viscosity. Smoothing at 38°C had a greater effect on the increase in firmness, whereas smoothing at 20°C contributed more to a decrease in syneresis and increases in viscosity and consistency. This study confirms that each unit operation has a defined effect on the rheological properties of a nonfat stirred yogurt, which also depends on the operation sequence.