Fermented dairy beverage production process

**Fermented Milk Beverage Production Process**

**Overview:**

Fermented milk beverages are popular for their unique flavor, refreshing taste, and nutritional benefits. Ensuring stability, refined taste, and extended shelf life is critical in their production. Below is a detailed guide to the production process.

### **1. Preparation of Fermented Milk**

**Raw Materials:**

- Whole milk powder/fresh milk: 12.50% or 100.00%

- Direct-inoculation culture: 0.02%

**Steps:**

1. **Milk Powder Treatment:**

- Dissolve weighed milk powder in 200 mL of warm water (45–50°C) and let it sit for 10 minutes.

2. **Fresh Milk Pretreatment:**

- Heat fresh milk to 70°C for 20 minutes, then filter through a 120-mesh sieve.

3. **Homogenization:**

- Combine treated milk with 65°C purified water to reach 1000 mL. Homogenize at 25 MPa/5 MPa at 70°C.

4. **Sterilization:**

- Pasteurize homogenized milk at 86–88°C for 15 minutes.

5. **Fermentation:**

- Cool milk to 43–45°C in a cold water bath, inoculate, and ferment at 43°C for 4–5 hours.

- Rapidly cool to 25°C post-fermentation and maintain at 70–80°C.

### **2. Preparation of Fermented Milk Beverage**

**Raw Materials:**

- Fermented milk: 35.00%

- Lactic acid: 0.10%

- White sugar: 4.00%

- Potassium sorbate: 0.03%

- Stabilizer RA: 40.70%

- Original fermented milk essence: 0.06%

- Tianse sugar TR 500: 0.10%

- Lanthan gum: 0.003%

- Lemon acid: 0.15%

**Steps:**

1. **Fermented Milk Processing:**

- Stir fermented milk for 10 minutes using a high-speed blender or homogenize at 15–18 MPa pressure.

2. **Dissolution:**

- Dissolve sugar, potassium sorbate, sorbitol, and stabilizer in 300 mL of 70–80°C purified water.

- Cool to below 30°C after shearing for 15–20 minutes.

3. **Acidification:**

- Mix fermented milk with milk liquid.

- Dissolve citric and lactic acids in 300 mL of 35°C purified water. Gradually add to the mixture, adjusting pH to 3.8–4.2.

4. **Homogenization:**

- Adjust volume to 1000 mL with 40°C purified water. Homogenize at 25 MPa/5–10 MPa at 60–65°C.

5. **Sterilization:**

- Fill homogenized solution and pasteurize at 86–88°C for 15 minutes.

6. **Cooling and Finishing:**

- Cool to below 40°C, then label, package, and store.

### **Technical Notes:**

1. Use softened water with conductivity ≤10 µS/cm at 25°C.

2. Maintain product pH between 3.8 and 4.2 for stability.

3. Avoid unnecessary additives like emulsifiers and thickeners to preserve product quality.

This structured approach ensures a stable, flavorful, and high-quality fermented milk beverage.