The Making of Yoghurt, Conventional Biotechnology Product

Have you ever heard the meaning of Biotechnology? This word often appears
in science lessons. According to Indonesia International Institute for Life-Sciences
(i3L), biotechnology is the study of the principles of utilization or application of living
things (bacteria, fungi, etc.) through modern techniques to transform raw materials
through biological transformations into useful products. Biotechnology is divided
into 2, Conventional Biotechnology and Modern Biotechnology.
Conventional biotechnology is referred as the technique that makes use of
living organism for specific purposes as bread/cheese making, whereas modern
biotechnology deals with the technique that makes use of cellular molecules like
DNA, monoclonal antibodies, biologics, etc. Characteristics of conventional
biotechnology are the utilization process uses living things directly and technology
(equipment and techniques) that used is simple, whereas the modern biotechnology
only use part of the microorganism (DNA or enzymes) and utilization of
microorganisms accompanied by modern technology.
This quarter, I was asked to make one of the conventional biotechnology
products, namely yogurt. According to Yoghurt in Nutrition, yogurt is a milk product
obtained by fermentation of milk specific microorganisms, which shall be viable,
active and abundant in the product. To make yoghurt, you need some ingredients
such as a pan, a spatulas, stove, a small airtight container, large airtight container, a
dark colored cloth, 200ml full cream UHT milk, a bottle of Yakult (Lactobacillus
bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermoplillus). First, pour 200ml of UHT full cream milk
into the pan. Then, turn on the stove over low heat and stir the milk continuously.
After smoke appears, turn off the stove and let the milk warm up. Then, add 1 bottle
of Yakult and stir with a spatula. After it is well mixed, put it in a small airtight
container and close tightly. Put the small container into a larger container and cover
it with a dark cloth, then close the larger container tightly. Save the container for 24
hours. And after being stored for 24 hours, the yogurt is ready!
Here are the pictures I took when I make my yoghurt:
-Heating process

-Incubation process
-After 24 hours

In the experiment of making yogurt, starter bacteria were used, namely

Lactobacillus Bulgaricus and Streptococcus Thermoplillus. The first process is
pasteurization, namely heating. Pasteurization aims to kill polluting organisms or
pathogenic bacteria and remove O2, thereby promoting the growth of lactic acid
bacteria, breaking down some substances, and spurring chemical changes that
produce factors for Lactobacilli, such as sulfhydryl compounds, precipitation of
albumin, and globulins which then act as caseins so it will increase the protein
content. This treatment will increase the dryness and consistency of the yogurt.
The presence of lactic acid gives yogurt its sour taste. The result of the milk
fermentation changes the texture of the milk to become thick. This is because the
milk protein coagulates in an acidic environment, forming clots.
The cooling process aims to provide optimum conditions for starter bacteria,
cooling is carried out to a temperature of 50 o-55oC, then after the temperature is
reached, 2-3% of starter bacteria are added from the amount of milk. Then the next
step is to incubate the milk by putting it in 2 different containers and put it in the
dark room. After that, leave it at 30°C with RH of 80-90. This incubation stage was
carried out for 24 hours. After 24 hours,the resulting yogurt is bone white, has a
distinctive yogurt aroma, has a sour taste, good consistency and has a longer shelf
life than pure milk.
Biotechnology is very useful for our lives, one of them is for the food sector.
Biotechnology can be useful for making food free from disease. Food technology
makes food healthier, kills bacteria and other microbes in food and prevents these
microbes from growing; Make food more nutritious. The food we eat can be made
healthier by fortifying or adding nutrients. Fortification is very helpful in overcoming
malnutrition in the community; Make food more durable and long lasting by
preventing bacteria from growing, food technology also makes food last longer,
because decomposing microbes cannot reproduce; Make food easier to enjoy. Food
technology makes food and beverages that previously required long and complicated
preparations easier to enjoy; Reduce wasted food. At the time of harvest a lot of
perishable food, because the amount is so large that it cannot be consumed quickly.
With food technology, the harvest can be processed and packaged so that it can be
durable and can be used at another time. It also provides additional income for
farmers.
With biotechnology, we can make foods such as cassava, yogurt and bread. In
the manufacture of tape, Saccharomyces bacteria are used which play a role in
converting flour into alcohol and carbon dioxide. Yogurt is a fermented milk product
made by adding lactic acid bacteria cultures to milk. The added lactic acid bacterial
culture can be a single or mixed bacterial culture. Yeast for bread is made from
Saccharomyces cereviceae which can convert sugar into carbon dioxide gas for the
development of bread dough. These products are usually made using conventional
biotechnology. Today, biotechnology is not only used in the food industry but has
covered various fields, such as genetic engineering, handling pollution, creating
energy sources, and so on.
As it is written in Romans 11:36 which reads, “For from him and through him
and for him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen.”, everything on earth
belongs to God. Every plant, animal and human belongs to Him. It is God who
created everything from scratch, so as His creatures we must take care of and make
the best use of His created nature. We have been given the trust from God to
manage His created nature, so let us manage it well for the glory of His name

Sources:
1. Gupta, Varsha dkk. 2016. “An Introduction to Biotechnology”,
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7119977/, accessed on
February 8, 2022
2. I3L. 2018. “Definition of Biotechnology, Product Characteristics and It Types”,
https://i3l.ac.id/definition-of-biotechnology-product-characteristics-and-it-
types/, accessed on February 14, 2022
3. Yoghurt in Nutritions. 2021. “What is Yogurt? Process, history and frequently
asked questions”, https://www.yogurtinnutrition.com/what-yogurt/,
accessed on February 18, 2022