Innovative yoghurts: Novel processing technologies for improving acid milk gel texture

• Consumers demand appealing low-fat yoghurt without texture enhancers.
• Novel processing technologies can potentially meet this demand.
• The mechanistic effects and industrial potential of four such technologies are reviewed.

Consumers are demanding low-fat yoghurts without hydrocolloid stabilisers, but they are unwilling to compromise on texture for the sake of a ‘clean label’. Producing high quality low-fat yoghurt without stabilisers is challenging, and there is a need for new processing technologies to address consumer demand. Here we examine four technologies that can potentially improve the texture of yoghurt: high-pressure processing (HPP), high-pressure homogenisation (HPH), ultrasonic processing (USP) and protein crosslinking with the enzyme transglutaminase (TG). The benefits of HPH and USP depend on fat content, whilst HPP and TG work best in combination with other processes, and have strong potential for improving protein ingredients.