‘Bio’, ‘non-bio’, ‘live’, ‘cultured’ … ever wondered what’s really going on in that yogurt you’re eating? All yoghurt is made from milk using bacteria. The milk is heated up and a sample of bacteria is added to the milk while it’s cooling. The bacteria live off the lactose (a type of sugar) in the milk and they convert it into a substance called ‘lactic acid’. And it’s this lactic acid that makes the yoghurt set. Most of the yoghurts you see in the shops are made using Lactobacillus delbrueckii bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophilus. These bacteria are used because they grow very quickly and turn milk into yoghurt in just a few hours. A non "bio" yoghurt, is made using bacteria that are killed off by the acid environment of your stomach as soon as they get there. This might seem like a good idea if you don’t like the idea of having bugs inside you - but in fact the bacteria used to make yoghurt are very good for you. With bio-yoghurts, the bacteria used in the production process aren’t killed by the acid in our stomachs. The bacteria avoid being digested themselves and stick to your gut wall and they help your digestion of other foods. They also boost your immune system by reducing the amount of bad bacteria in your gut, which your immune system normally has to kill to protect you. Unfortunately, the bacteria used to make bio-yoghurts, Lactobacillus acidophilus, don’t grow very quickly. It takes a day or two to produce a significant amount of yoghurt. And that’s why bio-yoghurt is normally much more expensive than normal yoghurt. Go back