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Mapping of critical manufacturing points for stirred yogurts and validation of a simple and fast method to characterize their structure using image analysis

Sylvie Turgeon and Audrey Gilbert Université Laval

Processing

Project summary

From January 2021 to January 2022, 403,131 tons of yogurt were produced in Canada, with just over 76% produced in the province of Québec (Statistics Canada, 2025). The pace of new product development is very high in the industry, and manufacturers must rapidly adapt formulations to meet consumer expectations. However, the production of stirred yogurt is a complex process influenced by numerous formulation and processing parameters.

A fast and low-cost microscopic image analysis method was recently developed in an experimental context. This method is used to describe the structure of stirred yogurts and has been correlated with several properties of stirred yogurts. This project made it possible to validate the potential of this method as a quality monitoring tool using a range of commercial yogurts. Furthermore, a transfer tool presents, in a simple and schematic way, the key factors for the quality of stirred yogurts, including formulation and manufacturing process steps.

The results obtained from this project include:

A demonstration of the effectiveness of microscopic image analysis as a predictive tool for certain properties of stirred yogurts;
The creation of documentation enabling implementation of the technique and image analysis;
The creation of a document summarizing the mapping of critical points during the manufacturing of stirred yogurts.

These tools are available to stirred yogurt producers to support their quality monitoring, innovation, and product development efforts.

Dissemination of results

This maturation project was developed following research conducted at Université Laval. To learn more about the results that led to the following documentation, consult the web page of this previous project.

Guide presenting the mapping of critical points during the manufacturing of stirred yogurts for industry use (upon request – contact Sylvie Turgeon).
Tutorials and video capsules describing the image analysis technique (upon request – contact Sylvie Turgeon)

Scientific articles and documentation

Forthcoming article: Evaluation of microscopic image analyses and low-frequency NMR as potential new tools to predict and assess physical quality of stirred commercial yogurts.

Project presentations

Turgeon, S.L., Gilbert, A. Microscopic image analyses and low-frequency NMR are potential tools to predict and assess physical quality of stirred commercial yogurts. 13th NIZO Dairy Conference, The Netherlands, Octobre 2023.
Gilbert, A., Turgeon, S.L. Evaluation of the ability of microscopic image analyses and low-frequency time-domain NMR to predict and assess stirred commercial yogurts quality. International Symposium on Food Rheology and Structure (ISFRS), Wageningen, The Netherlands, November 2023.
Gilbert, A., Turgeon, S.L. Evaluation of microscopic image analyses and low-frequency time-domain NMR as potential new tools to predict and assess stirred commercial yogurts qualities. 7th IDF Symposium on Science and Technology of Fermented Milk (Online Live), November 2022.
Turgeon, S.L., Gilbert, A. Evaluation of microstructure and water mobility techniques as potential new tools to predict the quality of stirred yogurt. 89th ACFAS Conference, 207 – Innovations in Dairy Science in the Digital Era, Québec, Canada, May 2022.
Turgeon, S.L., Gilbert, A. Validation of a simple and rapid method to characterize the structure of stirred yogurts. Forum Techno Novalait, Québec, Canada, July 2021.