Artisanal fermentation practices and nutritional profiles of Yosha and Philu, traditional fermented yak milk products of Bhutan
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18294016Keywords:
cheese, fermentation, traditional product, yak milk, nutrition, ethnic dairy productsAbstract
Yosha and Philu are two unique tradition fermented yak milk product produced by the highland communities of Bhutan. The current study aimed to document the traditional method of production and determine the nutrition profile. To record the traditional method of production, both qualitative an quantitative research approaches were employed, which included field observations, interviews with local producers, and photographic documentation of each processing stage and compositional anaylsis for nutrition profile. Two production methods were identified for Yosha: natural fermentation process with back-slopping method, and the other employs whey from the previous batch for coagulation during heating before packing the curd into animal skin for ripening. Philu, a cream-like fermented product, is traditionally produced using birch or willow twigs. During the six-month ripening period, the composition of Yosha changed significantly (p < 0.05), with marked increases in total solids (32.6 ± 4.6% to 75.9 ± 6.1%), protein (28.2 ± 1.1% to 42.9 ± 8.5%), ash (3.4% to 13.8%), pH (5.6 ± 0.2 to 7.5 ± 0.6), and titratable acidity (0.2 ± 0.1% to 6.8%). The fat content showed a moderate increase from 2.0 ± 0.8% to 3.5 ± 2.2%. In contrast, Philu demonstrated high moisture content (80.05 ±4.7%) and moderate ash (3.09±1.3%), pH (6.41±0.3), protein (11.12±2.3%), fat (5.36 ±1.4 %) content. These findings demonstrated the role of fermentation and ripening in influencing the nutritional profile of Yosha and Philu.It also highlighted the cultural and artisanal value of these products. Further studies is needed to understand the microbial and flavour profile.
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The datasets used and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Anooja Nair, Pasang Gyelmo, Pasang Lhamo, Vijay Raika (Author)
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