GIFSQ Tools · Module 07 — Dairy, Milk, Cheese & Fermented Products · Tool 130 of 500
Measure whey separation (syneresis) in yogurt from the whey expelled from a weighed sample, and judge the gel.
Try sample values — fills the form with the worked example below.
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Syneresis (%)
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Whey retained (%)
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Whey expelled (g)
Equation: Syneresis (%) = whey expelled (g) ÷ sample (g) × 100. Whey retained (%) = 100 − syneresis (%).
Method: Whey drainage test for set yogurt: a weighed sample is held under standard conditions and the expelled whey is weighed. There is no single ISO method for yogurt syneresis, so the conditions (time, temperature, container) must be fixed in your own procedure and kept constant.
Assumptions: the sample is undisturbed during drainage; all free whey is collected and weighed; the sample is representative of the batch.
Limitations: results depend strongly on drainage time, temperature and handling, so values are only comparable within one fixed procedure; the test does not explain why a gel is weak.
Rounding: percentages and masses to 2 decimal places; intermediates unrounded.
This is a calculation aid, not a laboratory report — confirm against your accredited method before citing a value.
Method: Whey drainage test for set yogurt: a weighed sample is held under standard conditions and the expelled whey is weighed. There is no single ISO method for yogurt syneresis, so the conditions (time, temperature, container) must be fixed in your own procedure and kept constant.
Assumptions: the sample is undisturbed during drainage; all free whey is collected and weighed; the sample is representative of the batch.
Limitations: results depend strongly on drainage time, temperature and handling, so values are only comparable within one fixed procedure; the test does not explain why a gel is weak.
Rounding: percentages and masses to 2 decimal places; intermediates unrounded.
This is a calculation aid, not a laboratory report — confirm against your accredited method before citing a value.
Worked example: 100 g of yogurt expels 4.2 g of whey. Syneresis = 4.2 ÷ 100 × 100 = 4.20%; whey retained = 95.80% — a good gel.
Enter values above to see results.
Set yogurt syneresis below 5% is generally good; above 10% is high and usually visible as free whey on the surface. Tool 130 of 500 — GIFSQ
