Currently, Intech Group provides automated yogurt production line solutions, meeting a variety of scales from small businesses to industrial factories. In this article, let's explore the yogurt production line process in detail.

Production process in yogurt production line

Modern yogurt production lines are designed to ensure a closed, automated process and ensure food hygiene and safety. This process includes the following main stages:

Step 1: Water treatment

Water is filtered and sterilized to ensure sterility, meeting food standards.

Step 2: Receiving fresh milk or mixing powder

Fresh milk is received directly or mixed from powdered milk with precise ratios, ensuring input quality.

Step 3: Prepare raw materials

Ingredients such as sugar, flavorings, stabilizers... are weighed and mixed according to the formula.

Step 4: Sterilization

The milk mixture is pasteurized to kill harmful bacteria, while retaining essential nutrients.

Step 5: Fermentation

After cooling, the mixture is put into a fermentation tank, yogurt culture is added, and kept at the ideal temperature for beneficial bacteria to grow.

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Step 6: Filling & Packaging
Yogurt is filled into jars or bottles with a predetermined capacity, then sealed with a lid or aluminum foil.

Step 7: CIP Cleaning

The automatic CIP cleaning system ensures that all equipment in the line is always clean, avoiding cross-contamination.

Step 8: Chiller System

Maintains cold temperature to preserve yogurt after fermentation.

Step 9: Compressor and Boiler

Provides heat and pressure for necessary steps in the process.

Step 10: Incubation Room and Cooling Room

Ensures ideal conditions for fermentation and product preservation.

Step 11: Raw materials & accessories

Including jars, lids, labels, aluminum foil... for packaging and finishing products.

Fermentation process in yogurt production line

In yogurt production line, the fermentation stage will determine the quality, flavor and structure of the finished product. This process begins with the preparation of lactic acid bacteria strains including two main strains, Streptococcus thermophilus and Lactobacillus bulgaricus. This microorganism strain is multiplied from standard strains under sterile conditions, creating strain levels (level I, level II, level III) depending on the production scale.

After preparation, the yeast is inoculated into pasteurized milk at a ratio of 3–5% and stirred well in the incubation tank. The temperature in the incubation tank is kept stable at 43–44°C, which is the ideal condition for bacteria to grow. The fermentation process lasts about 3–5 hours. During this time, lactic acid bacteria decompose lactose, creating lactic acid, reducing the pH of the environment to 4.7–4.8. When reaching this pH, the milk coagulates to form the characteristic structure of yogurt.

In addition to lactic acid, microorganisms also produce compounds such as CO₂ gas, diacetyl, and volatile acids that contribute to the characteristic flavor of the product. After fermentation is complete, the yogurt will be quickly cooled to stop the acidification process, avoiding affecting the quality.

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Machinery used in yogurt production lines

In the modern food industry, yogurt production lines are a closed process, requiring the coordination of many specialized machines to create finished products that meet hygiene and flavor standards.

1. Heated mixing and emulsifying tank

This equipment is responsible for evenly mixing raw materials such as milk, sugar and additives. Thanks to the heating system, the tank helps the ingredients dissolve quickly, limits foaming and helps the milk liquid to have a smooth, highly uniform texture.

2. Homogenizer

The homogenizer helps break down the structure of fat and protein particles in milk into small, fine sizes, increasing the stability and smoothness of yogurt. This equipment uses a piston pump to create high pressure up to 200 bar, helping to limit the separation or sedimentation in the final product.

3. Pasteurization tank

With the function of destroying harmful microorganisms by heating from 72 - 75°C for about 15 - 20 seconds, this device helps ensure food safety without affecting the quality, color or natural flavor of milk.

4. Yogurt incubation tank

The temperature is maintained at a stable level of about 43 - 44°C, the fermentation time is from 6 - 8 hours depending on the recipe. The incubation tank needs to ensure an anaerobic environment for the probiotics to develop effectively, helping to create a characteristic flavor and smooth texture for yogurt.

5. Cooling tower

The cooling tower helps cool the hot water generated during the operation of other equipment, ensuring that the temperature in the system does not exceed the threshold that affects the quality of yogurt.

6. Yogurt Filling Machine

Once the fermentation process is complete, the liquid yogurt is fed into the filling machine to be divided into individual units. Depending on the finished product form (drinkable yogurt or ice cream), the machine will be adjusted to fill appropriately before the product is cooled to 2 – 5°C

7. Conveyor belts

Conveyors such as plastic conveyor belts, chain conveyor belts, and wire mesh conveyor belts are used to move raw materials and finished products between stages in the yogurt production line, helping to optimize the production process, reduce labor, and save time.

8. Packaging machine

Depending on market demand, yogurt can be packaged into triangular bags, belly bags, plastic boxes, or glass jars. Modern packaging machines are integrated with filling machines to create a closed process, ensuring hygiene and aesthetics of the product.

What products can the yogurt production line be applied to?

Not only limited to making drinking yogurt, the modern yogurt production line can also be flexible to produce many other types of products such as: yogurt bags, purple sticky rice yogurt, traditional yogurt, even pearl yogurt or high-end yogurt lines with special flavors.

Using the same equipment system to produce a variety of products helps businesses save significantly on initial investment costs. At the same time, the machinery lines in the yogurt production line can be easily adjusted according to each specific formula and technological process, bringing high efficiency and optimizing operating capacity.

Intech Group - A reputable and quality yogurt production line supplier

With many years of experience in the field of automation and machine manufacturing, Intech Group is a reliable unit providing modern yogurt production lines, suitable for the diverse needs of food businesses.

Intech not only provides high-quality equipment but also has a team of young, enthusiastic engineers, ready to advise on optimal solutions for each production model. In addition, Intech's dedicated warranty and after-sales policies help customers feel secure in the continuous and stable operation of the machinery system.

Refer to the automation line applied in other industries:

Automated warehouse solution for the chemical industry

Automated product sorting line

Automated system for tire factory