ASSESSING THE ANTIMICROBIAL SUSCEPTIBILITY PATTERN OF MICROORGANISMS PRESENT IN YOGHURT

Yoghurt is a fermented dairy product obtained from the lactic acid fermentation of milk. It is one of the most popular fermented milk products in the world and produced commercially at home. (Willey et al., 2008). In its commercial production, non fat or low fat milk is pasteurized cooled to 43°c and are inoculated with known cultures of microorganisms referred to as starter cultures. The starter cultures may be a pure culture of a particular species of Lactobacillus or a mixed culture of Streptococcus thermophilus and Lactobacillus bulgaricus in a 1: 1 ratio. The coccus which is theStreptococcus thermophilus grows faster than the Rod which is the Lactobacillus bulgaricus and is primarily responsible for acid production while the rod adds flavor and aroma. The growth of these Microorganisms causes the transformation of milk’s sugar, lactose into lactic acid. This process gives yoghurt it’s texture. The associative growth of the two organisms results in acid production at a rate greater than that produced by them individually.