Fermented milk products or fermented dairy products, also known as cultured dairy foods, cultured dairy products, or cultured milk products, are dairy foods that have been made by fermenting milk with lactic acid bacteria such as Lactobacillus, Lactococcus, and Leuconostoc. The process of culturing increases the shelf life of the product, while enhancing its taste and improving digestibility by the fermentation breakdown of the milk sugar, lactose.
There is evidence that fermented milk products have been produced since around 10,000 BCE. Numerous Lactobacilli strains have been grown in laboratories allowing for diverse cultured milk products with different flavors and characteristics. Most of the bacteria needed to make these products thrive under specific conditions, giving a favorable environment for production of fermented foods, such as cheese, yogurt, kefir, and buttermilk.
Production and storage Although milk is high in nutrients, fat, and sugars, it can spoil quickly. In general, fermentation by yeasts and bacteria metabolizes the lactose in dairy products into acidic breakdown products, such as lactic acid, acting to preserve the product. These cultures inhibit potentially harmful microbes that may cause food spoilage.
With a longer and more complete fermentation process, a reduced amount of lactose remains. Less-fermented products, such as yogurts or soft cheeses, contain more lactose when compared to matured hard cheeses.
High levels of lactose in food are linked to poor digestion in people of Africa and Far East Asia where dairy farming is uncommon, and in people who have lactose intolerance. This condition occurs from the loss of lactase production an enzyme present in infant mammals to digest milk.
Products Many different types of cultured milk products can be found around the world, including milk, cheese, yogurt, kefir, sour cream, buttermilk, and more.
Soured milk
Country/region of origin Product(s) acidophilus milk buttermilk cheese Armenia matzoon Arab world leben, kishk, rayeb Bosnia and Herzegovina kiselo mlijeko and kefir Brazil coalhada Brittany laezh-ribod Bulgaria kiselo mlyako, katak, ayryan and kefir Burundi urubu Central Asia chal/shubat, chalap, kumis, qatyq, qurt, suzma, ayran Czech Republic kefír or acidofilní mléko Denmark kærnemælk, tykmælk, and ymer Dominican Republic BorugaEthiopia ergo Estonia soured milk and kefir Finland soured milk and viili Germany Sauermilch or Dickmilch (soured milk or thickened milk), Quark Georgia matsoni Greece xinogalo or xinogala (ξινόγαλα), ariani (αριάνι), kefiri (κεφίρι) Hungary aludttej, joghurt, kefir, tejföl Iceland skyr and súrmjólk India dahi, lassi, chaas or Moru (Indian ButterMilk), mattha, mishti doi and shrikhand Indonesia dadiah, from buffalo milk Iran doogh, kashk, ghara Kurdistan Region Mastaw Middle East leben Japan (more info(ja)) Calpis, YakultKenya Kule Naoto, Maziwa Lala, Mursik, Amabere amaruranu Mala Latvia rūgušpiens, kefīrs, paniņas, lakto Lithuania rūgpienis, kefyras Namibia Omaere, Omatuka North Macedonia kiselo mleko Mexico jocoque Mongolia airag, byaslag, tarag, khuruud Netherlands karnemelk (buttermilk), drinkyoghurt (usually fruit-flavoured fermented dairy beverages) Nicaragua leche agria (soured milk) Norway surmjølk or kulturmelk, and tjukkmjølk Pakistan dahi and lassi Poland soured milk (including "acidofilne" milk), kefir, buttermilk, twaróg Romania lapte bătut, lapte acru, kefir and sana Russia, Ukraine, Belarus kefir, prostokvasha, ryazhenka, varenets, tvorog, acidophiline, bifidok Rwanda kivuguto Scotland blaand Serbia kiselo mleko and yogurt Slovakia kefír or acidofilné mlieko Slovenia kislo mleko South Africa amasi (maas in Afrikaans)Sudan rob Sweden filmjölk, långfil and A-fil (fil is the short form of filmjölk)Tanzania Maziwa Mgando, Maziwa Mtindi Turkic countries ayran, qatiq, kefir, yoğurt, kımız United States clabber Zambia Mabisi Zimbabwe lacto
Soured cream
Country/region of origin Product(s) cheese British Isles, Germany and The Netherlands sour cream Central Asia kaymak Central & Eastern Europe; and Russia smetana Croatia mileram/kiselo vrhnje Estonia hapukoor Finland kermaviili France crème fraîche Iceland sýrður rjómi Hungary tejföl Latvia skābais krējums Lithuania grietinė Mexico crema/cream espesa Norway rømme Poland kwaśna śmietana Romania smântână Serbia kisela pavlaka Slovakia smotana Sweden gräddfil Tanzania Samli
Comparison chart
Product Alternative names Typical milkfat content Typical shelf life at 4 °C Fermentation agent Description Cheese 1-75% varies a variety of bacteria or mold Any number of solid fermented milk products. Crème fraîche creme fraiche 30-40% 10 days naturally occurring lactic acid bacteria in cream Mesophilic fermented cream, originally from France; higher-fat variant of sour cream Cultured sour cream sour cream 14–40% 4 weeks Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis* Mesophilic fermented pasteurized cream with an acidity of at least 0.5%. Rennet extract may be added to make a thicker product. Lower fat variant of crème fraîche Filmjölk fil 0.1-4.5% 10–14 days Lactococcus lactis* and Leuconostoc Mesophilic fermented milk, originally from Scandinavia Yogurt yoghurt, yogourt, yoghourt 0.5–4% 35–40 days Lactobacillus bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophilus Thermophilic fermented milk, cultured with Lactobacillus bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophilus Kefir kephir, kewra, talai, mudu kekiya, milkkefir, búlgaros 0-4% 10–14 days Kefir grains, a mixture of bacteria and yeasts A fermented beverage, originally from the Caucasus region, made with kefir grains; can be made with any sugary liquid, such as milk from mammals, soy milk, or fruit juices Kumis koumiss, kumiss, kymys, kymyz, airag, chigee 4%? 10–14 days Lactobacilli and yeasts A carbonated fermented milk beverage traditionally made from horse milk Viili filbunke 0.1-3.5% 14 days Lactococcus lactis subsp. cremoris, Lactococcus lactis* biovar. diacetylactis, Leuconostoc mesenteroides subsp. cremoris and Geotrichum candidum Mesophilic fermented milk that may or may not contain fungus on the surface; originally from Sweden; a Finnish specialty Cultured buttermilk 1–2% 10 days Lactococcus lactis* (subsp. lactis*, subsp. cremoris, biovar. diacetylactis) and Leuconostoc mesenteroides subsp. cremoris Mesophilic fermented pasteurized milk Acidophilus milk acidophilus cultured milk 0.5-2% 2 weeks Lactobacillus acidophilus Thermophilic fermented milk, often lowfat (2%, 1.5%) or nonfat (0.5%), cultured with Lactobacillus acidophilus * Streptococcus lactis has been renamed to Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis
See also
List of dairy products List of yogurt-based dishes and beverages
References