Lab Report Biology Foundation in Science

Name: Fatimatuzzahra’ binti Hardiyono

No. Matric: FIS09210001
Lecture’s Name: Madam Roskiyani binti Mistamiruddin
Lab Experiment: The Anaerobic Fermentation Process
Lab Date: 3 August 2022 Sem: Semester 3 Intake: September 2021

Introduction:

Yogurt is made by the fermentation of lactose (milk sugar) by bacterial enzymes. This process is
anaerobic, meaning that it occurs in the absence of oxygen. Lactose is a compound sugar, made
up of the two simple sugars glucose and galactose. During the making of yogurt, the lactose is
broken down by the lactase enzyme (provided by bacteria) into these two components, as shown
in Table 1. Further processing of glucose and galactose results in the end products of la ctic acid
and acetaldehyde. The production of lactic acid and acetaldehyde lowers the pH of the milk,
causing it to have a sour, tart taste. The lower pH also affects the casein (milk protein), causing it
to coagulate and precipitate, forming the solid curd that makes up yogurt. The leftover watery
liquid is whey.

Students can perform this experiment in groups of 2-4, depending on the classroom space and
equipment availability. Approximately half the class will make yogurt with just liquid milk
(Control group). The other half will add 50 g of powdered milk to the liquid milk (Experimental
group). The Control and Experimental groups will have to compare their yogurt results when
filling out the Observations Sheet.
 Table 1. Examples of Common
Microorganisms
in Milk Type of Microorganism
Streptococci (acid producer)
Coliforms (acid producer)
Proteolytic (acts on protein)
Lipolytic (acts on milk fat)
Objective:
To produce yogurt by adding specific bacteria to prepared milk and to identify the fermentation
process.
Material and Apparatus:
500 mL glass beaker
Thermometer
Bunsen burner.
Stir stick
12 oz paper/plastic cups
Clean plastic spoons
Milk (% fat does not matter)
Sources End Products
Dairy utensils, plants Lactic acid, acetic acid,
ethanol, and carbon dioxide
(not tasty)
Manure, polluted Lactic acid, other
water, soil,
and plants
Soil, water, utensils Degrades casein; may be
proceeded by coagulation of
milk (smells & tastes bad)
Soil, water, utensils Hydrolyzes milk fat to
glycerol and fatty acids
(rancid odor and taste)
Plastic wrap
Elastic bands
32°C incubator
Ice buckets (optional)
Powdered milk
Plain yogurt with active cultures
Incubator
Procedure:

1. 8 oz. (1 cup) of milk was obtained from the instructor. The milk was placed in a clean
glass beaker. Experimental groups also obtained 50 g of powdered milk and mix this into
the beaker with the milk. A thermometer was placed into the beaker but did not touch the
bottom of the beaker.
2. A Bunsen burner was used to heat the milk slowly until it reaches 95°C, the milk was
stirred often to prevent the milk from burning onto the bottom of the beaker.
3. The milk was taken off the Bunsen burner and set it aside to cool. The milk was covered
with plastic wrap to prevent contamination from the air. The thermometer was not
removed from the beaker. Running cold water touched down the sides of the beaker until
the temperature gets below 60°C. After that, the beaker was placed in an ice bath.
4. The milk was cooled to 32°C. The cooled milk was poured into a clean paper/plastic cup.
5. One heaping spoonful of “store bought” yogurt was added to the 8 oz. milk. This
provided a “starter culture” of bacteria. The milk and yogurt were stirred thoroughly.
6. The cup was tightly covered with plastic wrap, and labeled as Control and Experimental.
The cup was placed into a 32°C incubator.
7. The ingredients that are in the “store bought” yogurt was written down so the information
will be put in the Data/Observations Section.
8. The yogurt was fermented for one day at 37°C.
Observation:

Control Experimental

This is the observation of both yogurts after one week.

Discussion and Conclusion:

From the observation above, the texture of the control yogurt was more whey compared to the
experimental yogurt. This is because the experimental yogurt was added with powdered milk.
Powdered milk will boost the solid’s content (mostly protein) in the milk base, which makes the
yogurt texture become thicker and partly compensates for the lack of fat. But this result was not
too accurate because both of these yogurts were put inside the incubator for more than 24 hours
which make both of these yogurt smell sour (which indicates that both of these yogurts were
spoiled). If we put the yogurt in the incubator for a long period of time, it will make the bacteria
that make up a Yogurt Starter Culture consume and thrive on the lactose in milk. The longer the
fermentation the more the bacteria have time to eat - the more they eat, the less lactose there is in
the yogurt. Yogurt is a living food, full of active good bacteria that have a vital job to do so we
cannot let it ferment for too long, the ideal fermentation time was 24 hours in order to produce a
yogurt with minimal sugar. Furthermore, if we ferment the yogurt for more than 30 hours, it will
starve the bacteria and spoil the yogurt.

Questions:

1. Why you can’t place the thermometer at the bottom of the beaker?
This is to avoid errors. If we put the thermometer on the bottom of the beaker, we will get
the temperature of the direct fire from the Bunsen burner instead of the actual
temperature of the milk itself.

2. Why does the yogurt need to be placed at 37°C?

This is because 37 degrees (Celsius) was the ideal temperature for the yogurt to add
bacterial cultures to the milk to ferment. When stored properly, it will increase the shelf-
life of yogurt from seven to 14 days.

Reference:

1. Hodgens, B. (n.d.). Everything You Need To Know About Yogurt Starter Culture.
Luvele. Retrieved August 11, 2022, from https://www.luvele.com/blogs/recipe-
blog/everything-you-need-to-know-about-yogurt-starter-culture
2. K. (2022, March 8). Can you incubate yogurt too long? Eating Expired. Retrieved August
11, 2022, from https://eatingexpired.com/can-you-incubate-yogurt-too-long/