The Differentiation and Quantification of Bacterial Colonies Cultured on Plant Based Yogurt and Animal Based Yogurt

The variety of dairy products available on the market have now changed with the advent of alternative plant derived milks. Many believe that these plant based milks may be a healthier and a more sustainable option in contrast to dairy products. The production of both respective types of yogurts requires fermentation which is a process that is carried out by bacteria, hence the presence of live cultures. Fermentation of dairy products is a result of lactose sugars being metabolized by bacteria, probiotics, of which the final metabolic product is lactic acid. Due to the popularity of alternative yogurt, it is essential to explore the differences in probiotic contents of yogurt products. This study’s purpose was to find the differences in probiotic content between cow milk yogurt and oat milk yogurt. Using the serial dilution technique to count the bacterial contents of the products, the experiment consisted of calculating the colony forming units (CFU) in the original yogurt samples. After three experiment trials each, the data showed that average CFU/mL values for cow milk was substantially higher, 94,000,000, than that of the average ο at milk values, 13,333 CFU/ mL. The results supported the hypothesis for this experiment, that cow milk yogurt contained a higher CFU compared to oat milk yogurt. Future work could delve deeper into the different morphologies and species of bacteria present in animal and plant derived yogurts.