Abstract: The history of food industrialization in developing countries has long been unexamined by existing research. Based on historical materials such as annals, memoirs, archives, and oral histories, this article traces the introduction into China of the “good” bacteria known today as lactic acid bacteria (LAB), as well as the corresponding scientific transformation of the yogurt industry. The article finds that, rather than the Republican-era intellectuals’ translation and introduction of Élie Metchnikoff’s theory of the life-extending benefits of fermented milk, it was the practice of “mass science” during the state-farm period and Danish development aid after Reform and Opening-up that together shaped China’s yogurt industry. The underdeveloped level of logistics (including the cold chain) and the lagging development of nutritional science in China were also crucial in this process.

Key Words: Yogurt; Lactic acid bacteria (LAB); State farm; Denmark; Development aid

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https://jdn.ucas.ac.cn/public/uploads/files/6a718fbed3bda.pdf