Culture club

Whether you make yoghurt at home with your own starter or buy a commercial brand, the health benefits remain roughly the same.

- JENNIFER BOWDEN

QUESTION:

I make yoghurt from the commercial powdered varieties but wonder if the nutritional value matches that of yoghurt made from scratch at home?

ANSWER:

Yoghurt is one of the most popular fermented foods in the world, thanks to its taste, versatility and nutritional value. Since ancient times, the benefits of fermented foods have also been praised - with fermented milk recommended centuries ago for an upset stomach. But, is there a big difference in the nutritional benefits of a commercial powdered yoghurt compared with a yoghurt made at home from a live culture?

Yoghurt is a nutrient-dense food, providing a good source of calcium, phosphorus, potassium, vitamin A, vitamin B2 and vitamin B12. Yoghurt is also a beneficial source of high biological-value protein containing all the essential amino acids. All of which makes it a nutritional powerhouse.

The Ministry of Health recommends adults consume two or more servings of milk and milk products, such as yoghurt, each day. One serving equates to a small pottle of yoghurt (120-150g), a glass of milk (250ml) or two slices of cheese (40g).

Allegedly, yoghurt was accidentally discovered thousands of years ago when shepherds in the Middle East carried milk in sacks made from intestinal guts. The milk curdled as it came into contact with the intestinal secretions on the gut lining, effectively preserving it and enabling the shepherds to store it for longer.

Nowadays, most powdered commercial yoghurt sachets and fresh yoghurt are made from effectively the same ingredients: milk and lactic acid-producing bacteria. Lactic acid bacteria convert the lactose milk sugars in the milk into lactic acid, which then curdles the milk, forming yoghurt.