Method of producing a fermented milk product with improved control of post acidification

A method of producing a fermented milk product with a stable pH, comprising:

• (a) initiating milk fermentation by adding to milk a starter culture comprising lactose -deficient lactic acid bacteria capable of metabolizing one or more fermentable carbohydrates other than lactose, wherein the lactose-deficient lactic acid bacteria comprise lactose-deficient Streptococcus thermophilus that has completely lost the ability to use lactose as a source for cell growth or maintaining cell viability, and lactose-deficient Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus, and wherein the milk comprises one or more fermentable carbohydrates other than lactose metabolized by the lactose-deficient lactic acid bacteria, and
• (b) fermenting the milk at a temperature between 22° C. and 45° C., wherein termination of the milk fermentation and the pH value of the fermented milk product at the termination of milk fermentation are controlled by the concentration of the one or more fermentable carbohydrates other than lactose present in the milk, and the milk fermentation terminates when the concentration decreases to a level that can no longer be metabolized by the lactose-deficient lactic acid bacteria to produce a significant amount of lactic acid, wherein the decrease is at least partly caused by the lactic acid bacteria metabolizing the one or more fermentable carbohydrates,
• thereby obtaining a fermented milk product with a stable pH.