PROCESS FOR PRODUCTION OF FERMENTED MILK AND FERMENTED MILK

摘要

[PROBLEMS] To provide a process for producing a fermented milk having a s atisfactory level of hardness and smooth texture. [MEANS FOR SOLVING PROBLEM S] It is found that a fermented milk having a satisfactory level of hardness as well as extremely smooth texture can be produced by deoxidizing (deaerat ing) a yogurt mix, subjecting the deoxidized (deaerated) product to an UHT p rocessing, and then fermenting the resulting product. Specifically disclosed is a process for producing a fermented milk, which comprises: a first deoxi dation step for reducing the oxygen content in a yogurt mix; an ultra high t emperature pasteurization step for heating the yogurt mix which has undergon e the first deoxidation step at a temperature of 110~C or higher for 1 secon d or longer to pasteurize the yogurt mix; and a fermentation step for fermen ting the yogurt mix after the ultra high temperature pasteurization step.