Dadih: Traditional Yoghurt

Milk is an animal product that has benefits for living things including microorganisms, therefore milk is a product that is easily damaged if not processed immediately after harvesting. One method to extend the shelf life of milk is fermentation, the finished product of which is often known as yogurt. This method plays a role in lowering the pH of milk in conditions that are not favored by microbes. In Indonesia, there is a traditional yogurt product from West Sumatra, namely “dadih” or “dadiah” in the Minangkabau language. Dadih is made from buffalo milk whose fermentation process takes place in bamboo. Fermentation is a process of anaerobic catabolism decomposition.

Buffalo milk has a higher total solids content of around 17.2% compared to cow’s milk, which has a total solids content of only around 12.7%. The high total solids content in buffalo milk is 7.4% fat and 3.2% casein. The role of fat content is to provide a softer texture and flavor to the dadih. The fermentation process that occurs in dadih is spontaneous, meaning that microorganisms are not added in its manufacture, but the fermentation process is supported by lactic acid bacteria such as Lactobacillus which are naturally present in milk. The growth of lactic acid bacteria is supported by the original enzyme of buffalo milk which forms amino acids and peptides and lowers the pH value of milk to 4.75 -5.40. 

The process of making dadih is still traditional. Following are the steps for making dadih.

1. Buffalo milk is milked sterilely
2. Milk that has been milked is immediately filtered to prevent contamination
3. Milk is poured into a bamboo container and covered with banana leaves then tied
4. Leave for 24-48 hours at room temperature (28-30 ° C) for the fermentation process

The use of bamboo in the fermentation process is due to the hygroscopic nature of bamboo. Hygroscopic is the ability to absorb water molecules so that whey is not separated from the product. In addition, the bitter taste of bamboo prevents contamination with insects such as ants. The type of bamboo that is often used by the indigenous Minang people in making dadih is Gombong bamboo (Gigantochloa verticillata). The use of banana leaves is to create facultative anaerobic conditions because lactic acid bacteria are bacteria that can grow without the need for oxygen. The difference between dadih and cow’s milk yogurt is that the dadih fermentation process is longer, up to 2 days, while only yogurt is around 4 hours. The length of the fermentation process is due to the temperature in making dadih occurring at a mesophilic temperature (28-30°C), whereas yogurt occurs at a thermophilic temperature (45°C). 

Minang people usually consume dadih for breakfast as an ingredient in sumsum porridge, or a typical Minang snack that uses rice crackers, brown sugar, and grated coconut. In addition, dadih is also known to be beneficial for health because of the lactic acid bacteria that can lower cholesterol and increase endurance. Dadih has the potential to be a functional food that has a source of probiotics because of its high digestibility and nutritional value. 

Reference: 

Arnold, M., Rajagukguk, Y. V., & Gramza-Michałowska, A. (2021). Characterization of dadih: Traditional fermented buffalo milk of minangkabau. Beverages, 7(3), 60. https://doi.org/10.3390/beverages7030060

Hayati, M., & Nuryanto, H. (2024). Subtitusi dadih sebagai pengganti yoghurt dalam pembuatan yoghurt sorbet. Jurnal Manner, 3(2), 148–155. https://doi.org/10.59193/jmn.v3i2.279

Puspawati, N. N., Sugitha, I. M., & Arihantana, N. M. I. H. (2023). Pengembangan dadih sebagai pangan fungsional hasil fermentasi berbagai kultur starter lactobacillus indigenus. Jurnal Ilmu Dan Teknologi Pangan, 12(2), 423–435.