Yogurt is made when bacteria ferment the milk. You can make yogurt using different kinds of milk. The most common and most popular is cow’s milk. Other’s use sheep milk or non-dairy milk. Goat’s milk is also used in making yogurt.
Goat’s milk may not be as popular as cow’s milk in the US, but more than half of the total population of the world drink goat’s milk, and choosing goat’s milk yogurt over cow’s milk yogurt is based on the advantages of goat’s milk over cow’s milk. Goat’s milk is better compared to cow’s milk in terms of calories, protein, fat, carbohydrates, lactose, and calcium content. Goat’s milk is also better compared to many types of plant-based milk like soy, almond, coconut, hemp, and rice, in terms of protein, fat, and calcium.
Goat's Milk Yogurt Trivia
- Andre Ortolf of Augsburg, Germany, holds the Guinness World Records for most yogurt eaten in one minute, eating 1.685 kilograms of yogurt on March 25, 2017.
- The Saanen nanny goat can produce 3.8 liters (1 gallon) of milk in one day.
Goat's Milk Yogurt Buying Guide
If this is your first time buying goat’s milk yogurt or if this is the first time you are trying a new brand, do not buy a lot. If you don’t like it (goat’s milk yogurt or a particular brand), it’ll just be a cup or two ending up in the trash bin.
Read the label and choose the goat milk yogurt that has the fewest ingredients. This means the product has little to no additives and added artificial ingredients. The basic ingredients you’ll find in a goat’s milk yogurt are goat milk and bacterial culture. It is understandable if commercially produced have additives because these are important to have consistent taste and to preserve the product and extend shelf life.
If you want to avoid goat milk yogurts with sugar or if you want to know which has the least sugar, check the label and look for these sugar ingredients: sucrose, high fructose corn syrup, fruit juice, cane sugar, and agave nectar.
Another question when buying is whether organic is better. There is still no conclusive evidence that organic is better or superior in quality. It remains a consumer preference and there is nothing wrong with whether you buy organic or not.
The most important thing when buying is to check the packaging. Make sure there is no damage or anything that suggests the content inside has been compromised and rendered unsafe to consume.
Opting for yogurt made from goat’s milk is a great decision, considering the benefits of goat’s milk compared to other kinds of milk used in making yogurt.
Goat's Milk Yogurt Production & Farming in Texas
Texas is an agricultural state. There are many farms and ranches here that raise livestock including goats. They sell raw goat’s milk as well as other goat’s milk products like cheese and goat’s milk yogurt. If you are in Texas, there are several businesses that make goat’s milk yogurt. For those living in or near Los Fresnos, inquire of visit Thompson Dairy Farms.
Thompson Dairy Farms’ goat’s milk yogurt is also sold at Grow Local South Texas making it available to the residents leaving in or near Corpus Christi. For those living in or near Manor who are looking for goat’s milk yogurt, try Bee Tree Farms and Dairy. There’s also Swede Farm Dairy in Waller. They sell goat milk products including goat cheese and goat’s milk yogurt.
Besides commercial production of goat’s milk yogurt by established dairy companies, you can also find local, small business, artisanal dairy businesses that produce small batches of goat’s milk yogurt made from fresh goat milk from goats in family-owned farms.
Pesticides, Additives, and Chemicals:
Some additives that could be in goat’s milk yogurt include the following:
- Calcium citrate (E333) – This food additive is used for its ability to affect flavor and help preserve food.
- Natural flavors – These are used to design the flavor of the product according to desired taste.
- Organic cane sugar – This is used as a sweetener.
- Organic Locust Bean Gum – This is used as a food thickener.
- Organic vanilla extract – This is used to design the flavor of the product according to desired taste.
- Pectin or food additive number E440 – used as thickener, emulsifier, and stabilizer in food.
- Sodium citrate – This food additive is used for its ability to affect flavor and help preserve food.
- Tapioca starch – This is used to improve the taste and texture of goat’s milk yogurt.
Geography
Old-fashioned Greek yogurt is made using goat’s milk. There is also goat milk yogurt from Bulgaria, Ireland, India, Spain, Israel, the US, and many other countries.
The top producers of goat milk in the US are Wisconsin, California, Iowa, Pennsylvania, and New York. Commercial production of goat’s milk yogurt is found all over the world. In the US, many goat’s milk yogurt products are made by companies based in California; Redwood Hill Farm Goat Milk Yogurt, Trader Joe’s Goat Milk Yogurt, and Laura Chenel Probiotic Goat Milk Yogurt. Coach Farm Goat Milk Yogurt is made by a New York-based company, while LaClare Family Creamery is from Wisconsin.
Packaging:
The packaging for fresh yogurt is thermoformed TiO2 pigmented high impact polystyrene (PS-HI). For the lid, it is either an aluminum foil/plastic laminate or a paper/plastic laminate. The ideal packaging for pasteurized, spoonable goat’s milk yogurt that will help give the product longevity in shelf life is a barrier laminated material. It is important for yogurt packaging to ensure a low water vapor transmission rate (WVTR) so that the goat milk yogurt does not lose too much water while in stock or storage. The ideal goat milk yogurt packaging should have a good O2 barrier to protect the product from oxidation. It should also have a good light barrier to delay fading of light-sensitive colors and at the same time avoid light-induced oxidation. Goat milk yogurt made for drinking should be in PE-HD bottles with either aluminum foil laminate heat-seal closures or with PE-LD caps. PET bottles can also be used. Other packaging options include opaque or semi-opaque composite materials made with plastic/Alu-foil/paperboard with water vapor, O2, and light barrier properties.
Enjoying Goat's Milk Yogurt
Goat milk yogurt is a great alternative if you do not like cow’s milk and yogurt made from cow’s milk. But if you are lactose intolerant, goat’s milk dairy is not ideal for you. Try non-dairy yogurt. The probiotics in goat’s milk yogurt help the body’s immune, digestive, and gastrointestinal systems. Goat milk yogurt contains calories, carbohydrates, protein, potassium, phosphorus, riboflavin, pantothenic acid, magnesium, calcium, and iron.
Here are some of the benefits of consuming goat milk products like goat milk yogurt – it can help us build strong bones, and we get to benefit from its anti-inflammatory properties too. Consuming goat milk yogurt can also benefit our skin and improve our nutrient uptake efficiency. It can help boost our metabolism and as a result aid in weight loss. Goat milk yogurt is also good for our heart. It can also help growing children in their growth and development.
Storage:
You can store goat’s milk yogurt in the refrigerator, just make sure the temperature will not go any higher than 40 ºF. You can store it here for up to 14 days. Any longer than that and you are risking consuming goat milk yogurt that is spoiled or has started spoiling.
Freezing is another option. Store it in the freezer at a temperature of 0 ºF. You have one to two months before your frozen goat milk yogurt starts to go bad or become unsuitable for consumption.
When storing goat’s milk yogurt, be mindful of when you put it in storage (or remember the expiration date). Other members of the family or those who have access to the refrigerator may consume goat’s milk yogurt that has been stored there for a long time and is not ideal for consumption anymore, resulting in food poisoning or foodborne illness.
If you want to know if the goat’s milk yogurt has already gone bad, check if it is watery (more than usual). Check if there is curdling or any sign of mold. Smell it. These are all clear indicators of safe-to-eat (or unsafe) goat’s milk yogurt.
Make red, white, and blue breakfast goat’s milk yogurt parfait
Breakfast is a fun time to eat. A good breakfast gets you in the mood and prepares you for the day ahead. Since we do not want to wake up earlier than usual just to prepare breakfast that requires hours of preparation and cooking time, we prefer breakfast that is easy to make, and most of the time, that’s what breakfast food is! Take for example this red, white, and blue goat’s milk yogurt breakfast parfait – all you have to do is to make sure you have all the ingredients in the refrigerator or pantry before you go to bed the night before. In the morning, all you have to do is decorate your glass to your liking. Ready to get started?
Yield: This recipe makes 1 glass of goat’s milk yogurt parfait
Ingredients:
- 1 cup goat-milk yogurt
- 1/4 cup fresh raspberries
- 1/4 cup fresh blueberries
- 1/4 cup shredded coconut
Method
Step 1. Make the first layer. Put some goat’s milk yogurt on the glass, bowl, or mason jar.
Step 2. Put some fruits in. Do not put everything all at once. Leave some for the second and third layers.
Step 3. Repeat until the glass, bowl, or mason jar is almost full.
Step 4. Top it off with shredded coconut
