A process for producing a fermented milk, in which fermentation is accelerated without the need to use a fermentation accelerator, etc. and a novel fermented milk produced by the process that while having denseness and mellowness not exhibited by conventional products, possesses a hard texture not destroyed during the stage of distribution. As a result of study, it has been found that the fermentation efficiency can be enhanced by reducing the oxygen dissolved in fermented milk raw material mix at the initiation of fermentation through replacement thereof by an inert gas. Further, it has been found that fermenting in that state at ordinary temperature leads to a process for producing a fermented milk in which the fermentation time is shortened to thereby realize a productivity increase, and that fermenting at temperature lowered than the ordinary leads to a process for producing a fermented milk in which in ordinary fermentation time, there can be obtained a novel fermented milk that has dense and mellow flavor superior to those of fermented milks with mellow taste produced through conventional low temperature prolonged period fermentation and also has a hard texture not destroyed during the stage of distribution and leads to such a fermented milk produced by the process. The process and fermented milk have been completed on the basis of these findings.Procédé servant à produire un lait fermenté, dans lequel la fermentation est accélérée sans avoir besoin dutiliser un accélérateur de fermentation, etc. et nouveau lait fermenté produit par le procédé qui, tout en ayant la densité et le velouté qui ne sont pas présentés par les produits classiques, possède une texture ferme qui nest pas détruite au cours de la phase de distribution. En conséquence de recherches, on a trouvé que lefficacité de la fermentation peut être accrue en réduisant loxygène dissout dans le mélange de matières premières pour lait fermenté au début de la fermentation grâce au remplacement de celu
