Jalna Greek style yoghurt review
Here we will give a hands-on, taste-tested review of Jalna Greek style natural yoghurt. We’ll look into the benefits, ingredients, nutrition and flavour of this natural yoghurt.
Jalna make a lot of different types of yoghurt and some sound quite similar, so it’s important to note this review is for their standard pot set Greek style natural yoghurt.
This yoghurt is widely available in Australian supermarkets, including Coles and Woolworths.
What is ‘pot set’ yoghurt?
Pot set yogurt is cultured (ie fermented) and set directly in the container it will be sold in. Other yoghurts which aren’t pot set are cultured in a larger vat and then stirred to create a more smooth texture.
In general, pot set yoghurts tend to be less homogenous and less creamy. They also have a more irregular texture and it feels like the yoghurt is made up of tiny lumps.
So you could say that pot set yoghurts are more traditional, however I think the texture is often not as good as other yoghurts.
Ingredients of Jalna Greek style yoghurt
This yoghurt is indeed very natural and only includes milk, cream and live cultures.
So this is an authentic and clean product without additives like thickeners, sweeteners or flavourings.
Full marks so far!
Benefits of Jalna Greek style yoghurt
This yoghurt comes with various health benefits. For context, we’ll compare a few key factors against Procal Greek yoghurt, Tamar Valley yoghurt and Farmers Union Greek style yoghurt - which are similar, natural yoghurts.
Probiotics
Jalna has three strains of probiotics (ie live, beneficial microbes) which puts it in the middle of close competitors. The strains it includes are Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus casei and Bifidobacterium lactis.
In terms of competitors, Procal and Farmers Union have two strains of live cultures and Chobani contains five strains. And Tamar Valley gives no information on the strains of bacteria present.
In contrast to other brands which often give no information on the amount of bacteria present (ie colony forming units), Jalna specifies that it has over 1 billion CFU units per 100g.
Read more about the benefits of probiotic foods.
Postbiotics
Postbiotics are essentially things probiotics produce during fermentation. These include healthy short-chain fatty acids which nourish our gut lining and may help reduce symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome.
Other health measures
Fat: Jalna has quite high fat levels at 9.5% - which is similar to Farmers Union and Tamar Valley.
Protein: Its protein content is on the low side at 3.3% - which is less than half of Procal and Chobani! It is also lower than Tamer Valley and Farmers Union.
Calcium: Jalna also has lower calcium than Farmers Union, Tamar Valley and Procal.
Sodium: In better news, it has less sodium than all those brands.
Appearance
As you can see, it appears very similar to ice cream when you first dish it out. Although it can split apart more than shown in the picture above leaving a clearish liquid in the bottom and what looks like little bits of powder on the edge of the bowl.
Texture
The texture is thick but not as creamy as you might expect. It’s hard to explain, but it sort of falls apart in your mouth like it is made up of tiny clumps of yoghurt, rather than it being of one luxurious consistency like Tamar Valley. This lumpy texture is common in pot set yoghurts though.
Flavour
Similar to Procal, it has savoury, cottage cheese characteristics - which is not a bad thing!
The aroma is quite cheesy - with mature cheddar vibes.
The taste has a low sourness with subtle cottage cheese aspects.
Overall, the taste is good but with a slightly underwhelming texture, especially considering its fairly high fat content.
Cost of Jalna Greek style yoghurt
The normal retail price for a 1kg tub from Coles or Woolworths is around $8 - which places it on the more expensive end.
Summary
4.25 stars out of 5.
A clean, authentic, natural yoghurt with a good, savoury taste but underwhelming texture.
Pros
nice, savoury taste
very simple, traditional ingredients with no additives
three strains of probiotics
Cons
high in fat
texture not as creamy as others
low in protein and calcium compare to others
more expensive than others
Health benefits of yoghurt
Aside from the specific benefits listed above, especially related to probiotics and postbiotics, yoghurt has some other important health benefits.
Vitamins and minerals
Yoghurt is a source of various vitamins and minerals including:
calcium - which helps digestion and supports bone and teeth health
magnesium - which supports bone health, muscle function and energy production
phosphorus - which is important for bone and teeth health and energy metabolism
potassium - which supports heart, muscle, nerve and kidney health
vitamins B2 and B12 - which support immunity, energy production and cell and nerve function
vitamin A - supports vision, immune function, cell growth and healthy skin
Satiety and weight management
The high protein and low carbohydrate content in yogurt, especially Greek style yogurt, helps you feel fuller for longer which can help control your appetite. Greek yoghurt is often recommended by dietitians for this reason.
Reduced lactose
Compared to unfermented dairy products such as milk, yoghurt has lower levels of lactose as this is partially consumed by bacteria during the fermentation process. This makes it more digestible for people who have some degree of lactose intolerance.
Your reviewer
This article was reviewed by Travis, the founder of this website, long-time gut enthusiast and passionate kombucha maker!
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