Characterization of the rheological properties of yoghurt—A review

A knowledge of rheological properties is of importance in processing, handling, process design, product development and quality control. This paper reviews two aspects of the rheological properties of three different types of yoghurt: set-type, stirred and drinking. The gel properties of set-type yoghurts and flow properties for all three types are presented. A large variety of empirical rheological tests is used. Consequently, generalization and comparison between the yoghurts described are rarely possible. Rheological models taking into account shear rate, shearing time and temperature effects are presented for the flow properties.