As the temperature drops, yogurt taken from the refrigerator can be a bit too cold to drink. So, can it be heated and consumed like milk?
First of all, yogurt should not be heated before drinking. This is because the activity of lactic acid bacteria needs to be maintained. Yogurt must be stored in a low-temperature environment, generally around 2-8°C, and the storage period is usually within one month. If you heat the yogurt, the high temperature will cause the lactic acid bacteria in it to lose their activity. This will produce lactic acid, increasing the acidity of the intestines, and can inhibit the growth of spoilage bacteria and reduce the production of toxins by spoilage bacteria in the intestines. If heated by boiling, the large number of active lactic acid bacteria it contains will be killed, its physical properties will also change, causing separation and precipitation, and its taste and texture will be altered, leading to a reduction in its nutritional value and health benefits.
In fact, yogurt can be consumed warm. By gently heating the yogurt, the lactic acid bacteria in it will not be killed; instead, their activity will be enhanced, and its unique health benefits will be greater. Therefore, yogurt can be consumed after being warmed.
However, there should be limits and conditions for warming yogurt. The inoculation of yogurt is done by immediately cooling the pasteurized milk to around 45°C. When using a mixed starter culture of *Lactobacillus delbrueckii* subsp. *bulgaricus* and *Streptococcus thermophilus*, the temperature is maintained at 41°C–42°C for a cultivation time of 2.5–4.0 hours (with a 2%–4% inoculation rate), and the fermentation is stopped when the coagulated state is reached. The finished, coagulated yogurt is immediately transferred to a cold storage at 0°C–4°C to rapidly inhibit the growth of lactic acid bacteria, preventing continued fermentation and a rise in acidity. Therefore, the yogurt we get is refrigerated, which is why it's too cold to drink directly. At this point, you can place the yogurt in its container into warm water at around 45°C to warm it slowly. As you warm it, gently shake the container. Once the bag feels comfortably warm, it is ready to drink.