Lactic Acid Bacteria in Curd Production — NEET Biology
✅ Asked in NEET 2018You would be surprised to know that we use microbes or products derived from them everyday. A common example is the production of curd from milk. Micro-organisms such as Lactobacillus and others commonly called lactic acid bacteria (LAB) grow in milk and convert it to curd. During growth, the LAB produce acids that coagulate and partially digest the milk proteins. A small amount of curd added to the fresh milk as inoculum or starter contain millions of LAB, which at suitable temperatures multiply, thus converting milk to curd, which also improves its nutritional quality by increasing vitamin B₁₂. In our stomach too, the LAB play very beneficial role in checking disease-causing microbes.
NTA tests whether students understand that LAB (Lactobacillus) not only converts milk to curd but also increases its nutritional value, particularly vitamin B₁₂. The common mistake is thinking curd's only benefit is easy digestion or taste—students overlook the vitamin synthesis aspect. Remember: LAB produce lactic acid to coagulate proteins AND synthesize B₁₂ during fermentation, which humans cannot produce themselves. This concept is crucial for NEET because it connects microbiology to nutrition and human health, testing both the fermentation process and probiotic benefits.
Conversion of milk to curd improves its nutritional value by increasing the amount of: (NEET 2018)
Through deep analysis of NEET and NTA, 88 of 90 questions from the NEET 2026 paper were matched straight from the MedicNEET Biology question bank.
88/90MedicNEET's Biology question bank is built from the same NCERT lines NTA picks repeatedly. Not random MCQs — questions crafted exactly like NTA crafts them.