Scientists Recreated a Yogurt Recipe With a Rather Unusual Ingredient — Then, They Tasted It
Scientists often come up with discoveries that might initially sound strange, but are extremely fascinating. These unusual findings don’t just spark curiosity; they also push the boundaries of science and show how little creativity can transform the way we see certain things. For instance, a group of scientists astonished everyone by creating a new kind of yogurt made with an unexpected ingredient: ants. In an attempt to bring back an old Balkan tradition, these adventurous researchers went a step further by not just recreating the unusual recipe but also tasting it themselves. Old traditions like this can give new ideas for food sustainability.
The findings of the experiment were revealed in a study titled, ‘Making yogurt with the ant holobiont uncovers bacteria, acids, and enzymes for food fermentation.’ It was published in the journal iScience. Most yogurt that we get in stores today is produced in big factories under strict food safety guidelines, very different from the simple, homemade methods people used for generations in the past. As reported by Popular Science, Leonie Jahn, one of the authors of the study and a microbiologist, spoke about this and said, “Today’s yogurts are typically made with just two bacterial strains. If you look at traditional yogurt, you have much bigger biodiversity, varying based on location, households, and season. That brings more flavors, textures, and personality.”
For instance, co-author Sevgi Mutlu Sirakova’s family recalled an old tradition from Bulgaria where people made yogurt using red wood ants. After knowing this, the team of researchers visited the village to try it out themselves. They collected the ants from a colony just near the village and put four ants into a jar of warm milk. The jar was then sealed and left overnight inside an ant mound. By the next morning, the milk had begun to thicken and developed a tangy flavor.
Microecologist Veronica Sinotte spoke about this and said, “That’s an early stage of yogurt, and it tasted that way as well.” Regarding the taste, the team said the yogurt had a mild tang, a hint of herbal flavor, and a subtle touch of grass-fed fat, as reported by IFLScience. This was reportedly possible because the red wood ants host a type of bacteria that makes lactic and acetic acids, helping the milk thicken and giving yogurt its tangy taste. They also produce formic acid, which helps in creating the right environment for yogurt microbes, while enzymes from both ants and bacteria break down the milk proteins.
Meanwhile, this yogurt-making process only proves to be safe with live ants. It is because, in the case of using frozen and dehydrated ants, scientists had to be very careful with the parasites. Curious after this discovery, the scientists even worked with chefs at a two-Michelin-star restaurant to create ant yogurt dishes like an 'ant-wich,' cheese, and yogurt-based cocktails. Jahn praised the recent discovery and said, “Giving scientific evidence that these traditions have a deep meaning and purpose, even though they might seem strange or more like a myth, I think that’s really beautiful.”
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