At least nine different plants are used to make milk alternatives, including almond, cashew, coconut, flax, hemp, macadamia nut, oat, rice and soy. And the category is exploding.
"It isn't easy being green," Kermit the Frog famously said. And from a dairy product perspective, it's not easy being any color that fails to resonate with today's consumers.
Even though a cow's diet includes a lot of high-fiber feedstuffs, fluid milk contains no fiber. Yet fiber is an excellent ingredient to boost the nutrition of a wide range of dairy products and dairy alternatives. Let's explore the benefits of adding fiber to foods in the frozen and refrigerated dairy cases.
Many dairy and nondairy proteins have undergone makeovers that improve some flavor, formulation and textural issues, as well as meet consumers’ nutritional demands.
Consumer demand for protein has been driving global new product development since long before the COVID-19 pandemic, and with an increased focus on healthy eating, it likely will continue to gain strength in the future.
Major enhancements to its PRObev heat-stable whey protein isolate earned Milk Specialties Global the 2020 Breakthrough Award for Dairy Ingredient Innovation.
Innovations to consumer-ready dairy products such as yogurt, ice cream and cheese get plenty of attention. Innovations to dairy ingredients? Not so much.