Microbial Contamination of Yoghurt-An Overview

Yoghurt has been considered to be one of the most consumed effective probiotics throughout the world. Considerable number of live microbes given through food which enhances human health are said to be probiotics. These beneficial microbes often improvise lactose digestion and inhibits lactose intolerance. Yoghurt consumption is necessary since the beneficial microbes Lactobacillus bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophilus helps in the process of digestion. They are considered to be the best probiotics for human consumption. But due to errors in manufacturing processes like production, packaging, handling, raw material sources, improper sanitary conditions, poor hygiene of employees and unsterilized equipment the quality of yoghurt is slightly reduced since microbial contamination occurs at any point. Microbial contamination of yoghurt can be reduced only through proper sanitary measures and excellent good manufacturing process. The product should meet all the requirements of HACCP as per regulatory guidelines.