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Fermentation Atlas

Fermented milk from Levant

Labnehلبنة

Labneh is laban, the Levantine yoghurt, salted and hung in a cloth bag until it is a thick, spreadable paste of 22–25 % dry matter. It is sour and slightly salty and keeps 10–15 days cold. Dried further and rolled into balls, it keeps under olive oil for up to a year. Made in 5 steps over 10 days – 16 days. The longest step, pack and keep cold, takes 10–15 days (FAO 1990) and runs at 4 °C (FAO 1990). Salt is 0–1.5 % (Bhaskaracharya R.K 2024). Streptococcus thermophilus and Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus do most of the fermenting.

Key numbers
Main step10–15 daysReported[fao-tmp]Pack and keep cold
Temperature4 °CReported[fao-tmp]Pack and keep cold
Salt0–1.5 %Reported[bhaskaracharya2024]Salt and hang in a cloth bag
Fully documentedFermented milk10 days – 16 daysMore fermented milkMore from EgyptMore from Iraq

Recipe

Amounts from a sourceTraditional practice with no fixed batch size. FAO gives the laban method and keeping times; the salt figure is the literature value summarised by Bhaskaracharya et al. 2024.
Laban (yoghurt) from cow, sheep or goat milk[fao-tmp]
About 1.5 % of the labanSalt · Retail labneh lists 0–1.2 % salt; traditionally the cloth is also salted lightly[bhaskaracharya2024][fao-tmp]
Starterbackslop

Total time across the recorded steps: 10 days – 16 days

Start
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80–90 °C

What changes: The milk is held hot to kill its own bacteria

Step 1 of 5
Heat the milk
Time
30 min
Reported
Temperature
80–90 °C
Reported
Salt
None given
Acidity
Not documented
Which microbes the steps name, step by step
S. thermophilus
L. delbrueckii
Yeasts
Flavour
Not documented
Texture
Not documented
Colour
Not documented

Microbes at work in this step

heat kills the milk's own bacteria

Method

Measured measured in a studySet fixed by a specification or tested recipeReported one source reports itTypical a general value, not sourced for this fermentUnconfirmed not yet checked against a source

What makes this one different

Labneh is yoghurt strained further than Greek yoghurt, to 22–25 % dry matter, and it is salted. Dried for 2–3 days and kept under olive oil, it keeps up to a year; shaped into balls, this is labneh mkabbas.

Related ferments

Variants

  • Labneh in oil (labneh mkabbas)Dried 2–3 days and kept under olive oil, where it keeps up to a year; often shaped into balls first.
  • Industrial labnehWhey removed by centrifuge after fermenting, or the milk concentrated by ultrafiltration first; both give a less acid labneh because fermentation is short.
  • Jameed (Jordan)Salted strained laban shaped into balls and sun-dried hard; dissolved for mansaf.

Safety

Salt and acidity protect labneh, but it is a fresh product. BC food-safety guidance for strained yoghurt says to strain under refrigeration, to keep the product at 4 °C or colder, and to discard batches that do not reach pH 4.6. FAO gives fresh labneh 10–15 days at 4 °C.

Hazards the sources name: Coliform bacteria, which spoil stored labneh.

History and sources

Every number is labelled with how it is known. How this atlas is made

FAO describes labneh as a staple breakfast food all over the Near East. Codex lists it among the traditional concentrated fermented milks.

  1. [fao-tmp] FAO 1990, The technology of traditional milk products in developing countries, FAO Animal Production and Health Paper 85, section II Acidified milks (Laban and Labneh)archive
  2. [cxs243] Codex Alimentarius, Standard for Fermented Milks CXS 243-2003 (revised 2008, 2010)spec
  3. [bhaskaracharya2024] Bhaskaracharya R.K., Alnuaimi F.S.R., Aldarmaki S.R.J., Abdulazeez A., Ayyash M. 2024, Labneh, a retail market analysis and selected product characterization, Foods 13(21):3461paper
  4. [illinois] University of Illinois Extension 2024, Making Yogurt at Home (yoghurt cheese)gov
  5. [bc-yogurt] FOODSAFE BC with the BC Ministry of Health, BCCDC and Fraser Health, Guidelines for the Production of Dairy Products in Food Establishments, Yogurt sample documentation, September 2022gov