Is yogurt a probiotic?

Yogurt is a beverage containing lactic acid bacteria, which can promote gastrointestinal motility and is therefore good for gastrointestinal digestion. Yogurt contains probiotics, but they are not beneficial bacteria. Therefore, drinking yogurt on a regular basis can increase the intestinal flora, which can improve digestion and absorption, and is very good for regulating the stomach. As for the nutritional content of yogurt, we can make yogurt ourselves in our lives.

Does yogurt contain probiotics?

Probiotics are a general term for live microorganisms that have beneficial effects on the host by improving the balance of the host's intestinal flora. The probiotics often added to dairy products are mainly Lactobacillus acidophilus (code-named A) and Bifidobacterium (code-named B, which includes multiple varieties), as well as some strains of Lactobacillus casei, and some other strains such as LGG. These strains have been screened over a long period of time and scientifically studied, and have been proven to have strong health-promoting effects and the potential to colonize in the body. As long as these strains are added, manufacturers must find a way to let you know and highlight their possible benefits, such as improving digestion and absorption, reducing the risk of intestinal infections, regulating intestinal flora, immune regulatory effects, and so on.

To make yogurt, two types of bacteria are essential. These are "Streptococcus thermophilus" (English code is S) and "Lactobacillus bulgaricus" (English code is L). Streptococcus thermophilus is a species of the genus Streptococcus while Lactobacillus bulgaricus is a species of the genus Lactobacillus. These two types of lactic acid bacteria have a "symbiotic effect". They help each other, which can promote the acid production rate, allow the yogurt to coagulate normally, and produce a better flavor. These two bacteria are mixed and cultured to make a starter, which is then added to milk. Incubated at 40-42 degrees for several hours, the liquid milk can be made into solidified yogurt.

What is in yogurt?

Yogurt is a dairy product made from fresh milk, with a certain proportion of sucrose added, sterilized and cooled at high temperature, and then cultivated with pure lactic acid bacteria. It has a sweet and sour taste and is rich in nutrients. Its nutritional value is better than fresh milk and various milk powders. Therefore, yogurt is also known as sour milk.

During the fermentation process, certain strains of bacteria hydrolyze about 20% of the sugar and protein in milk into small molecules (such as galactose and lactic acid, small peptide chains and amino acids, etc.). The fat content in milk is generally 3%-5%. After fermentation, the fatty acids in milk can increase by 2 times compared to raw milk. These changes make yogurt easier to digest and absorb, and improve the utilization of various nutrients. Yogurt is made by fermenting pure milk. In addition to retaining all the nutrients of fresh milk, lactic acid bacteria can also produce a variety of vitamins necessary for human nutrition during the fermentation process, such as VB1, VB2, VB6, VB12, etc.

Especially for people with lactose malabsorption, eating yogurt will not cause bloating, gas or diarrhea. Fresh milk is rich in calcium. After fermentation, calcium and other minerals do not change, but the lactic acid produced after fermentation can effectively improve the utilization rate of calcium and phosphorus in the human body, so the calcium and phosphorus in yogurt are more easily absorbed by the human body.

Yogurt is also a good source of calcium. Although the nutritional content of yogurt depends on the source and composition of the raw milk, the composition of yogurt is higher than that of raw milk. On the one hand, this is because the quality requirements of the raw materials are high, and on the other hand, a small amount of milk powder is added in the production of some yogurts. So generally speaking, drinking a cup of 150 grams of yogurt can meet 1/3 of the daily calcium requirement for children under 10 years old and 1/5 of the calcium requirement for adults.