METHOD FOR MAKING LIQUID OR SEMI-LIQUID FERMENTED MILK PRODUCTS

1 . A method for making a liquid and semi-liquid product of the fermented milk type, comprising the following steps:

a) placing a milk-based mixture in a container;

b) subjecting the basic mixture to a heating thermal treatment;

c) adding lactic bacterial strains to said basic mixture according to a concentration of at least 10̂8 CFU/ml of basic mixture, and subjecting said basic mixture to which lactic bacterial strains were added to a thermal treatment for a predetermined time;

d) stirring said mixture to which lactic bacterial strains were added in order to break a coagulated mass which formed in said mixture to which lactic bacterial strains were added, thereby making said liquid and semi-liquid product of the fermented milk type in the container, said lactic bacterial strains comprise a mixture of Lactobacillus bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophilus to obtain yogurt-style fermented milk.

2 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein said liquid and semi-liquid product of the fermented milk type is yogurt.

3 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein said step of adding to said basic mixture lactic bacterial strains according to a concentration of at least 10̂8 CFU/ml of basic mixture comprises adding to said basic mixture lactic bacterial strains according to a concentration greater than 10̂9 CFU/ml of basic mixture.

4 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein step c) of adding lactic bacterial strains to said basic mixture comprises the following steps:

extracting a portion of said basic mixture from the container;

adding the lactic bacterial strains to the portion of basic mixture extracted:

stirring the portion of mixture to which lactic bacterial strains were added;

putting said portion of mixture to which lactic bacterial strains were added back into the container.

5 . The method according to claim 1 , comprising a further step of adding sugar.

6 . The method according to claim 5 , wherein a quantity of sugar is added to the basic mixture, as a percentage being less than 70% by weight of the mixture.

7 . The method according to claim 6 , wherein the fermented milk is subjected to a subsequent step of cooling simultaneously with stirring, for carrying out stirring and freezing of the fermented milk.

8 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein said step b) of subjecting said basic mixture to a heating thermal treatment comprises a step of heating said basic mixture to a temperature value of between 38° C. and 45° C.

9 . The method according to claim 8 , comprising, after said step b) of subjecting the basic mixture to a heating thermal treatment, a step of keeping said basic mixture stationary for a predetermined time at a temperature value reached during said step b) of subjecting said basic mixture to a heating thermal treatment.

10 . The method according to claim 9 , wherein said predetermined time is a time of between 5 and 15 minutes.

11 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein said step c) of adding lactic bacterial strains to said basic mixture and subjecting said basic mixture to which lactic bacterial strains were added to thermal treatment comprises a step e) of keeping said basic mixture at a temperature value of between 38° C. and 45° C. for a predetermined time.

12 . The method according to claim 11 , wherein said step e) of keeping said basic mixture at a temperature value of between 38° C. and 45° C. comprises the following sub-steps in the following time order:

e1) a first sub-step in which the milk-based mixture to which lactic bacterial strains were added is subjected to stirring;

e2) a second sub-step in which the milk-based mixture to which lactic bacterial strains were added is kept stationary, that is to say without stirring.

13 . The method according to claim 12 , wherein the first sub-step e1), in which the milk-based mixture to which lactic bacterial strains were added is subjected to stirring lasts for less than 10 minutes.

14 . The method according to claim 12 , wherein the second sub-step e2, in which the milk-based mixture to which lactic bacterial strains were added is kept stationary, that is to say, without stirring, comprises intermittent activation of a thermal treatment system.