Matzoon and lactose chemistry

chemistryfood-safetymilk

Could you make matzoon from lactose free milk?
Or, are sour bacteria eating it away to unproblematic amount in terms of lactose intolerance?

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matzoon

Best Answer

Most lactose free milk does not have the lactose removed, rather it is made by adding the enzyme lactase to milk. Lactase breaks down the lactose into simple sugars. Some milk undergoes an ultrafiltration process. In this case the lactose can be substantially reduced, but never completely eliminated. I have to assume that it is more difficult to culture ultrafiltrated products, as there would fewer nutrients for the bacteria to thrive on.

There are lots of recipes online for making yogurt from "lactose free" milk. There are also specific "lactose-free" starter cultures being sold on line as well.

I had never heard of matzoon, but it appears to be a yogurt-like preparation. I would have to assume it would be possible to produce with "lactose free" milk.