Influence of Post-Heating Treatment on the Sensory and Textural Properties of Stirred Fermented Milk

The purpose of this study was to investigate the post-heating induced changes in the textural and sensory characteristics of stirred fermented milk. The textural and rheological properties of post-heating fermented milk (55–85 °C, 25 s) with respect to viscoelastic behaviors, viscosity, textural parameters, etc., were monitored, and the friction behaviors and sensory attributes were assessed. Treatments below 65 °C/25 s increased the textural properties of fermented milk such as gel strength, firmness, and viscosity, due to the moderate aggregation and increased linkages of microgels. In this case, despite the size and amount their aggregates increased (~15–~21 μm), they exhibited similar frictional behaviors and sensory attributes. However, treatments above 65 °C/25 s degraded textural properties due to excessive aggregation (~46–~63 μm), accompanied by unacceptable grainy attributes, which could be characterized by their good correlations with tribological coefficients and particle size parameters. These findings could provide an understanding of the quality formation of post-heating fermented milk and a perspective to improve the textural defects of ambient fermented milk products.