[1] At the time of manufacture, there were 10 million or more live and active cultures (photo © Pinkberry).

[2] Cherry Garcia Frozen Yogurt (photo © Ben & Jerry).

[3] Kemps get high grades for the texture of its frozen yogurt (photo © Kemps),

[4]Look for the seal on boxes and containers. Image courtesy National Yogurt Association.

[5] Yasso yogurt pops are a Nibble favorite (photo © Yasso).

[6] Can Mixmi deliver the probiotics/active cultures that other brands can’t? See the comment under photo #7 (photos #6 and #7 © Mixmi).

“What happens to the beneficial bacteria in frozen yogurt,” a reader writes. “Does freezing kill them?”

Yes and no. Live culture frozen yogurt maintains the cultures’ benefits because the flash-freezing technique used in the production of frozen yogurt, unlike slow freezing in a freezer, only makes the organisms dormant.

It does not kill them—or at least not all of them, all at once. However, even if a brand is certified as the number of bacteria in frozen yogurt is usually lower than that in the fresh yogurt from which it was made.

Before we continue, elsewhere on The Nibble you’ll find:

> The history of frozen yogurt.

> The history of yogurt.

> The different types of yogurt.

> The different types of frozen desserts: a photo glossary.

> The year’s 50+ ice cream and frozen dessert holidays.
 
 
Yogurt is made by culturing milk with bacterial cultures. The words “live and active cultures” refer to the living organisms, Lactobacillus bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophilus*, which convert pasteurized milk into yogurt during fermentation. (Note that the milk is pasteurized before culturing in order to remove any harmful bacteria.)

This fermentation process is what creates yogurt, with its unique taste, texture, and healthful attributes. The yogurt cultures—all the strains of bacteria added to the product—make up about 1% of the ingredients.

Not all frozen yogurt has live and active cultures. Just as some manufacturers use different combinations of cultures, frozen yogurts are created with different processes. Some are heat-treated after culturing, which extends the shelf life of fresh yogurt but kills the cultures.

Why should you care about the live organisms? There is preliminary scientific evidence suggesting that live cultures in regular and frozen yogurt can boost your immune system, prevent osteoporosis, and prevent gastrointestinal infections, ultimately helping your digestive system as a whole.

However, unless you can somehow get that frozen yogurt shortly after its manufacture, the cultures may no longer be live.
 
 
WHAT ABOUT PROBIOTICS?
 
In frozen yogurt, active cultures (like L. bulgaricus and S. thermophilus) are the bacteria used to ferment milk into yogurt.

 
Different yogurt brands, refrigerated and frozen alike, add probiotics, which aid with digestion. Red Mango is one frozen yogurt brand that adds probiotics.

> Here’s more on probiotics.
 
 
What About Active Cultures?

The levels that remain in frozen yogurt depend upon the numbers that were in the fresh yogurt from which it was made, and on the hardiness of the specific cultures that were used. Thus, Some frozen yogurts are better sources of live cultures and/or probiotics than others.

In order to receive the National Yogurt Association’s Live & Active Cultures seal (image #4)—a voluntary labeling program—frozen yogurt is required to contain at least 10 million cultures per gram at time of manufacture (for fresh yogurt, it is 100 million per gram). The amount was agreed upon by research scientists who participated in studies of the health benefits of live cultures in yogurt products.

If you like a brand that doesn’t have the seal but want to know what’s inside, look on the brand’s website. If you don’t see it, use the Contact Us form to ask what types of bacteria their product contains and how many live and active cultures are in the finished product.

But there’s more to consider:
 

[7] Mixmi Froyo claims it contains six live and active cultures and delivers “over one BILLION probiotics per serving” but does not clearly publish a consumer-facing “guaranteed at end of shelf life at time of consumption” CFU count (e.g., “≥ X CFU through best-by date”). They do emphasize testing and “live & active cultures,” but that’s not the same as a formal guarantee of the live count at consumption.
 
 

 

[8] Yasso often ranks at the top of supermarket frozen yogurt brands (photo © Yasso).
 
______________

*Other cultures may be added as well, but these are always the first two.
 

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Today it grows throughout southeast Asia, notably in southern Japan, India, Pakistan, north Thailand and Vietnam. More recently, the tasty fruit has been planted in California, Florida and Hawaii, ensuring U.S. fans a more reliable supply. Depending on location, the harvest runs from May through September.

We’ve been coming across it in farmers markets: the skin of different varieties ranges from rosy red to pale dusty rose to golden tan and pale olive green. The paper-thin skin is peeled away to revel the milky white fruit inside. Here’s everything you’d ever want to know about lychee from Purdue School of Agriculture, including how to dry them in the skin.

The fruit is also transliterated as litchi. Perhaps the more useful information, though, is how to pronounce lychee.

The typical lychee is about one inch in diameter. The outer covering is a pink-red, roughly-textured rind that is inedible but easily peeled with one’s fingers. The flesh inside is white, translucent and sweet, rich in vitamin C, with a texture somewhat similar to that of a grape. Children liken lychees to “eyeballs,” and you can see why in this photo.

The fresh fruit has a floral aroma; one account says that the perfume is lost in the process of canning. However, canning adds sugar for a higher level of sweetness, and the organoleptic difference between fresh and canned lychee is not as drastic as, say, with peaches. The canned fruit has more integrity, like canned pineapple.

BUYING & STORING LYCHEES

Lychees are extremely perishable. Store in a perforated plastic bag in the fridge for up to a week.

Or, freeze them whole, with the skin on. When they are defrosted, they’ll be fine. You can even eat them frozen: instant lychee sorbet. (You may have to run the frozen lychees under warm water for a few seconds to soften the skin.)
 
In China, lychees are enjoyed out-of-hand. In the West, peeled and pitted, they are used in:

 
For an exotic presentation, serve unpeeled lychees in dessert bowls over crushed ice (provide a bowl for the pits).
 
LYCHEE RECIPES

 
There are dozens of recipes at LycheesOnline.com.
 
LOVE THE FLAVOR OF LYCHEE?

We find that St. Germain Elderflower Liqueur tastes like lychee (or perhaps it’s that elderflowers taste like lychee). We find it far superior to Soho lychee liqueur.

Head out to find fresh lychees. Enjoy them today, and freeze some for later.

You can make this recipe with frozen or canned corn, but the idea here is to head to the farm stand and buy fresh corn. Save the canned and frozen options for the rest of the year.

Corn is a whole grain, and edamame, fresh green soybeans, are high in protein and fiber. You can find them in the frozen section of supermarkets. Buy them shelled to save time.

Prep time is 20 minutes, cook time is 5 minutes. You can substitute beans, peas or diced avocado for the edamame.
 
 
RECIPE: EDAMAME & CORN SALAD

Ingredients For 10 2/3 Cup Servings

 
Preparation

1. BRING 2 quarts water to boil in medium saucepan on high heat. Add edamame; cook 4 minutes or until edamame are bright green and tender. Drain and rinse under cold water.

2. MAKE the vinaigrette. Mix all ingredients in large bowl until well blended.

3. ADD the edamame, corn, red bell pepper, green onions and parsley; toss well to coat. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour to blend flavors. Toss before serving.
 
Variations

Enjoy this recipe as a side dish. We also used it to top burgers and franks. The second time we made it, we added a bit of crushed red pepper heat.

You can use it as the base of a luncheon salad by adding cubed proteins (chicken, grilled tofu, ham, etc.) We cut up a leftover pork chop.
 
  

But, this olive oil and basil cake (also made by the restaurant in an olive oil and rosemary version) was love at first bite. The extra virgin olive oil—not canola or corn oil—donated wonderful flavor. And while cake isn’t exactly a good-for-you food, heart-healthy olive oil instead of cholesterol-laden butter was an excuse to have another piece. (Note, however, that this particular recipe does include some butter.)

Use a fruity EVOO, not a peppery or grassy one. Fruity means that it tastes olive-y (see the different flavors of olive oil).

You can make the tangerine marmalade to top the cake, enjoy the cake plain, or serve with berries and a dab of mascarpone or crème fraîche. By all means, add a chiffonade of fresh basil.

The nine-inch cake serves eight.

This recipe, by Sarah Copeland, is from The Newlywed Cookbook.

RECIPE: OLIVE OIL CAKE WITH LEMON, ORANGE OR TANGERINE

Ingredients

It’s not hard to make this delicious olive oil cake (photo © Chronicle Books).

 
For The Tangerine Marmalade

 
For The Garnish

1. PREHEAT the oven to 325°F/165°C/gas 3. Lightly butter a 9-inch/23-cm springform pan with a removable bottom.

2. COMBINE the eggs and sugar in a large bowl. Beat with an electric mixer on high speed until the eggs are thick and pale yellow, about 3 minutes. Drizzle in the olive oil and melted butter and continue to beat. Fold in the citrus zest and juice.

3. WHISK together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a separate bowl. Add the dry ingredients gradually to the egg mixture and stir until evenly combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula to make sure there are no dry bits at the bottom.

4. POUR the batter into the prepared pan. Bake until the top is lightly brown, and a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean, 40 to 45 minutes, rotating once during baking to make sure it cooks evenly. Cool the cake on a wire rack for about 10 minutes. When cool enough to handle, remove the pan sides and cool the cake completely on the rack.

6. COOK the fruit over medium-high heat until the liquid comes to a boil. Decrease the heat slightly and simmer until the tangerine peel is soft, about 20 minutes. Don’t stir: It will destroy the pretty round shape of the citrus.

7. ADD the sugar and continue cooking until the sugar is dissolved. Cook until thickened and the juice has gelled slightly and is syrupy, about 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and let it cool to room temperature.

8. ARRANGE the candied citrus slices over the top of the cake, overlapping to make beautiful jeweled tiles of fruit. Drizzle some of the citrus syrup over the slices and allow it to drip down the sides of the cake. Slice and serve with crème fraîche or whipped cream/double cream.

What to look for in farmers’ markets and specialty produce stores: striped tiger figs. Or, buy them from Melissas.com.

The Tiger Fig (also called Tiger Stripe fig and Candy Stripe fig) is prized as one of the most flavorful varieties in the marketplace. It is a light yellow, small to medium, pear-shaped fig with unique dark green stripes and crimson red interior fruit. It was bred in 1668, probably from a mutation.

When fully ripe the fruit has a high sugar content and rich, jam-like texture and consistency. This taste yields a hint of strawberry or raspberry jam.

You can eat it out of hand, dry it or make preserves. But something this special looking deserves to be showcased as a dessert or cheese course.

 
Have a green thumb? Live in the right climate (zones 5-9)? Plant your own tiger fig trees.
 
 
RECIPE: FRESH FIG COMPOTE

If the figs are very sweet, you may need only a scant amount of sweetener. You can use the compote as a bread spread and a condiment with sweet or savory foods.

Ingredients For 2/3 Cup

 
Preparation

1. REMOVE the stems from cleaned figs and cut into quarters. Place figs, sweetener, water and cinnamon in a small saucepan over low heat.

2. COOK for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and stir in butter.

3. PULSE, using an immersion blender or food processor, until desired consistency is reached. Store in an airtight container in the fridge.
 
 
FIG FACTS

Figs do not ripen off the tree, so buy those that are soft to the touch. The skin around stem should have begun to twist and wrinkle.

Along with olives and grapes, figs are believed to be among the first fruits cultivated by man. Native to Western Asia (the Middle East and the Near East), Ficus carica has been cultivated for more than 5,000 years.

[1] Sweet tiger fig (photo © Melissa’s.

[2] A frisée salad topped with fresh figs (photo courtesy SXC).

[3] Fresh fig crostini. Here’s the recipe (photo © Fig & Olive | Facebook).

Figs, including the turkey fig, are grown in southern California. Turkey leads the world in fig production.