The journey of drinking yogurt

Where did it come from?

Yogurt has a rich history going back to early days of dairy farming. It cannot be traced back to a single region and is likely to have originated around the same time around Central and South Asia, the Middle East, and the Balkans. Drinking yogurt is no different. It was traditionally made in homes across the world to beat the heat and aid in digestion. Yogurt made a debut in the commercial space only in the early 20th century, aided by the research of Dr. Elie Metchnikoff.

Where is it now?

Today, drinking yogurt is a versatile product line found on supermarkets shelves worldwide, both in refrigerated and shelf-stable formats. The category includes a wide range of yogurt-based drinks with varied flavors and tastes for global appeal and are often fortified with vitamins and probiotics for health-conscious consumers. And then there are numerous regional variations, which are becoming popular beyond their traditional geographies. Take the likes of lassi from India or ayran from the Middle East.

What is this ambient yogurt?

Until as recently as the beginning of this century, yogurt had to be consumed either fresh or refrigerated. But the emergence of shelf-stable or ambient yogurt beverages turned this established truth around. First introduced in China, ambient yogurt has risen in ranks quickly and is now a staple across the world, especially in markets where cold chain dependency can be an issue. Ambient yogurt is heat-treated after fermentation, which means the live bacteria used for fermentation are killed through the heating process – this is needed to make the yogurt shelf-stable without the need for refrigeration. So, technically ambient yogurt does not come with the naturally high bacteria count as fresh yogurts do, but a groundbreaking technology from AnaBio and SIG is now ready to transform this product with the introduction of shelf-stable probiotics.  We will delve deeper into this innovative technology later in the series. 

“When ambient yogurt was introduced in China, there was a lot of excitement. The elderly loved having ambient temperature drinks and the younger generation loved the variety of flavors so much so that it created a stir even on social media.”

Michelle Liu, Head of Marketing APN

At SIG, we not only help dairy producers with the right packaging format from our wide range of solutions but can also help them differentiate the product inside the pack with our knowhow and technology. Talk to us to explore how we can help your drinking yogurt products stand out.

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