Do all yogurts have live active cultures?
Most homemade yogurt recipes/protocols call for yogurt products that have "Live Active Cultures" printed on its box.
I would like to ask if regular, snack yogurt will suffice for making homemade yogurt?
Also, are the snack yogurt products pasteurized/heat treated AFTER fermentation, thereby lowering the concentration of yogurt-related microorganisms?
Best Answer
There are different yogurt products on the market and many are heat-treated for stability.
If you make yogurt with active bacteria, they will continue to live and digest the lactose in the milk you started with. This also means the flavour profile of the yoghurt will change over time - most significantly during the first hours or days, but the process won't really stop. This is something yogurt manufacturers have to deal with as well. An easy solution is to kill the bacteria with heat, but of course that means you won't be able to use that yogurt to make more yogurt - there are no live yogurt bacteria present any more.
Laws vary between countries, but for example in Germany, manufacturers are allowed to heat the yogurt to kill the bacteria (but must write "heat treated"1 on the label). They may or may not choose to do so. On the other hand, keeping the bacteria alive and active allows for marketing the yogurt as especially healthy. Organic manufacturers are generally forbidden to heat their product.
If you want to try your hand at making yogurt, I strongly suggest you stay away from any snack or convenience products that have a long shelf life and additives, even if they don't have any hint about heat treatment on the label. Especially if the product doesn't need refrigeration - then it's certainly pasteurized or similar. Your best bet would be a pot of non-flavoured organic yogurt (choose a brand/product you like to get the bacteria type for your batch) or, if you want a specific kind and be really sure, a special starter culture, available in some "health food" stores or online.
1 Obviously they have to use a German term, which is "wärmebehandelt".
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Quick Answer about "Do all yogurts have live active cultures?"
All yoghurt contains live bacterial cultures, which ferment milk to make yoghurt, but only some types of yoghurt have added probiotics (bacteria that have a proven health benefit).Does all yogurt have live and active probiotics?
While all yogurts have live and active cultures, not all have probiotic strains that provide specific health benefits such as supporting gut health and contributing to the maintenance of a balanced gut microbiota.Which yogurt contains live and active cultures?
Chobani is a Greek-style yogurt brand. This yogurt contains live and active cultures, including L. acidophilus and Streptococcus thermophilus. Not only is this yogurt a great source of probiotics, but it is also gluten-free, kosher-certified, and contains no genetically modified organisms (GMO).Does regular yogurt have active cultures?
All yogurt contains active cultures, although some commercial brands may heat process their yogurt and destroy some of the organisms. Look for the Live and Active Culture seals on yogurt for reassurance.Does store bought yogurt have live cultures?
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requires that these products be labeled \u201cheat-treated after culturing.\u201d To determine whether the yogurt you buy contains living bacteria check the labels for the words \u201cactive yogurt cultures,\u201d \u201cliving yogurt cultures,\u201d or \u201ccontains active cultures.\u201d Don't be fooled by the words \u201c ...Understanding Probiotics
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