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When asked what yoghurt is, most people especially Ghanaians, describe a milky substance that is pink in colour. This could be because they are more exposed to pink coloured yoghurts. Though this might seem like the right definition, the questions is; are yoghurts really pink?
Cultured milk products like yoghurts are believed to have originated from the Middle East around 1300BC. The term yoghurt originated from the Turkish word “yog˘urmak” which means to thicken or curdle. It has different names depending on where it is found. It is called “dahi” by the Indians, “katyk” by the Armenians, “cuajada” by the Spanish and “zabadi” by the Egyptians.
Yogurt is a fermented milk product obtained from milk using microorganisms like Streptococcus thermophilus and Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus as starter cultures. Yoghurt has many health benefits. It is a good source of proteins, calcium and contains vitamins B2 and B12. In addition, the presence of dietary fat in yoghurt serves as an energy source for the gut microbiota and acts as a medium for the transportation of fat soluble vitamins. People with lactose intolerance find yoghurt much easier to digest than milk due to the breakdown of lactose by the special bacteria known as starter cultures during fermentation.
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Yoghurt is well known around the world and Ghana is no exception. Despite its popularity, there is a misconception when it comes to what yoghurt actually is. In a study to determine the perception of yoghurt among university students and working class in Ghana, it was discovered that over 60% of this population chose pink colour as an appearance indicator when they were asked to define quality yoghurt but are yoghurts really pink?
Yoghurts naturally take the colour of the milk or source of lactose used in its production. This colour is mostly milky-white. The pink colour mostly associated with yoghurt is actually to complement strawberry flavour, the most popular type in Ghana. There are many flavours used in yoghurt production. The colour is defined by the flavour and/or the food colour added. For example, a banana flavoured yoghurt would have a yellow colour and vanilla would have a whitish colour of plain yoghurt. There are some unusual colours associated with yoghurt. For example, there are blue and green coloured yoghurts. These are made by adding spirulina or blueberries and chlorophyll to yoghurt respectively. These variants are however not popular on the Ghanaian market.
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The catch is, the colour of yoghurt is dependent on the added food colour and influenced by the flavour of interest. Hence, you may want to be daring and experiment with other food colours the next time to make your homemade yogurt.
The UG SENLAB is open to yoghurt producers who want to experiment with different food flavours and colours. Visit the product development page on our website to find out more.