Yogurt is a fermented milk product produced by bacterial fermentation of milk. With reference to the Oxford English Dictionary; It is a thick white liquid food; mostly made by adding bacterial to milk and often flavored with fruit. As explained by Fan Milk Nigeria Plc “Yogurt is a favorite breakfast, lunch or snack food made by the friendly natural bacterial fermentation of milk. It is basically a form of curdled milk but with less fat”.
Yogurt is a widely enjoyed dairy product that is essentially an altered form of milk containing waste product from fermentation. The lactic acid that is produced from the fermentation of lactose contributes to the sour taste of yogurt by decreasing PH and allows for the characteristic texture by acting on the proteins (Zourar, Accolas & Desirazeaud 1992). Yogurt has been continually studied for its health benefits particularly from the additions of probiotics. Current research has been investigating how to improve yogurt both in terms of its potential as a healthy food and as an appetizing product that appeals to the general population. The role of lactic acid bacterial (BAL)are widely appl,ied in various fluid including agriculture especially the field of food.
1.1 BACKGROUNG TO THE STUDY
Yogurt production could be considered as a particular case batch or semi-continuous production process. The research community has study this type of production process during the last twenty (20) years. One of the main features of batch processes is that a large number of product are produced from a few initial product recipes. The same holds for yogurt production. Final yogurt production may differ in at least one of the following features:
Packaging rates may significantly tarry from one product to another.
The word yogurt comes from Turkey and refers to a tart, thick milk. Yogurt does not have one single origin, however, it is generally agreed among historians that yogurt and other fermented milk products were discovered accidentally as a result of milk being stored by primitive methods in warm climates.
Most historical accounts attribute yogurt to the Neolithic peoples of central Asia around 6000 B.C.Herdsmen began the practice of milking their animals and the natural enzymes in the carrying containers (animal stomachs) curdled the milk essentially making yogurt not only did the milk then keep longer, it is thought that people preferred the taste so continued the practice, which then evolved over centuries into commercial yogurt making.
Recorded history states that Genghis khan, the founder of the MONGOL Empire, and his armies lived on yogurt. It wasn’t long before word of the perceived health benefits of yoghurt traveled through to other peoples, and the consumption spread throughout the east.
The first industrialized production of yogurt is attributed to Isaac Carusso in 1919 in the Barcelona-his company “Danone” was named for his son “little Daniel”. Turkish immigrants brought yogurt to north America in the 1700s but it really didn’t catch on until the 1904s when Daniel Carassso, the son of Danone founder Isaac, and Juan Metzger took over a small yogurt factory in the Bronx, New York the company is now called Dannon in the united states.
Yogurt with fruit on the bottom was first introduced in 1947 by Dannon. The popularity of yogurt soared in the 50s and 60s with the boom of the health food culture and is now available in many varieties to suit every taste and lifestyle.
1.2 HISTORY OF FANMILK NIGERIA PLC
Fan Milk Nigeria Plc was founded in 1960 by a Danish merchant and industrialist Erik Emborg with a recombination plant at Ibadan, a distribution center in Lagos with less than thirty (30) employees.
The plant produced fresh milk from imported milk powder. Initially, the product range was white milk, chocolate milk, cottage cheese and set yogurt. The main outlet was bicycle vendors supplied with cold product from a growing number of smaller depot.
In the 1970, Fan Milk introduced yogurt drink, ice lollies, ice cream and new tetra pak packaging technology. The new product became very popular in the market and generated the financial strength to set up further depot and in 1981; a second recombination plant in Kano came up.
At the outset, the foreign partner owned 96% of fan Milk Plc. When the government introduced the Nigeria Enterprises Promotion Decree in the late 1970s, Fan Milk plc increased its capital and invited more Nigerian to invest which created a 60% Nigerian participation in the company.
During the 1980s and 1990s, import restriction, economic difficulties, devaluation and shortages of fuel weakened Fan Milk plc. In 1988, the foreign partners and the industrialization fund for developing countries (Denmark) agreed to an infusion of capital which led the company restructure finances, refurbish cold rooms, increase the number of depot and introduce a product, tampico, a fruit drink which became an instant success in the market.
The expansion and the rehabilitation programme return Fan Milk Plc to profitability. Fan Milk has sister companies in Ghana, Senegal, Togo, Benin, Burkina Faso and Cote d’ voire. The head quarters of the foreign partners, Fan Milk International is situated in Aalborg, Denmark
1.3 STATEMENT OF PROBLEMS
There are various problems attributed to the production of yogurt. The problems that may be encountered during and after the production are as follows:
1.4 PURPOSE/AIMS AND OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY
The objectives of the research study will be:
1.5 RESEARCH QUESTIONS
There are many questions that need to be asked as regards the feasibility report. These are likely questions:
1.6 STATEMENT OF HYPOTHESIS
This research tends to achieve it aims by considering the following hypothesis:
1.7 SCOPE OF THE STUDY
The scope of this research project is critically to appraise the consequence of yogurt production in small scale business. It will cover rational for it induction and the Impact of yogurt production in small scale business. Attempt would be made to collect data from 80 cadre staff of Fan Milk Nigeria Plc through interview and questionnaire data collection method which could be analyzed and interpreted.
1.8 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
The research work would be carried out in order:
1.9 LIMITATION OF THE STUDY
In this project work, the following are the hindrances experienced during the research work:
Time constraint: the time given to conduct the research was short, thereby limiting the researcher in exploring or expanding the research study.