PLANT BASED DAIRY ALTERNATIVES
Dairy alternatives,
a growth market
Plant-based alternatives to cottage and white cheese
in expanded product line
More and more people around
the world are substituting
plant-based alternatives for
animal products, and the market for plantbased
foods reflects this, with doubledigit
growth rates. According to Innova
Market Insights, by far the strongest category
is milk and dairy products. Hydrosol
recognised the trend early on and has developed
many concepts for plant-based
alternatives. Katharina Schäfer, Product
Manager Dairy & Deli at Hydrosol, says,
“The dairy category features very wide
product variety. Addressing this in the
form of plant-based alternatives is one
of our central goals. In our newly created
Plant-Based Competence Center we and
our sister companies in the Stern-Wywiol
Gruppe bundle all of our knowledge in a
creative pool.” There, product managers,
nutritionists, food technologists and
marketing specialists work together to develop
creative concepts specifically for the
trends on international markets.
For many years Hydrosol has been
supplying a variety of plant-based alternatives
to milk, yogurt and cheese, as well
as special products like foaming solutions
for baristas. The portfolio is constantly being
expanded. Among the recent additions
are alternatives to cream cheese and white
cheese in brine. “One of our latest highlights
is a plant-based alternative to white cheese
that has no E-numbers,” says Katharina
Schäfer. “With our stabilising system from
the Stabisol series it’s possible to make a
creamy product that stands up to any comparison
with the animal product in flavour
and texture.” The plant-based product can
be marinated in oil or flavoured with herbs
just like regular white cheese.
In a newly created Plant-Based Competence Center, Stern-Wywiol bundles all
of its knowledge in a creative pool (photo: Hydrosol)
New in the fermented category are
special alternatives to cottage cheese.
“Our stabilising system permits recipes
based on almond or oat protein,
meaning that they are soy-free,” reports
Schäfer. Hydrosol also meets the freefrom
trend with its plant-based alternative
to quark. The clean label system
from the Stabisol series contains no Enumbers,
and can also be used to produce
a plant-based alternative to sour
cream. Both products are made with the
help of almond drink or almond paste,
and so are likewise soy-free.
“If you look at the market research results
of Innova Market Insights, it becomes
clear how much potential cheese alternatives
have,” comments Schäfer. “Cheese is
popular with consumers in general, and is
a correspondingly important product category
in the plant-based alternative market,
with many new launches. In addition
to classic slices, pizza toppings and mozzarella
alternatives are already on grocery
store shelves. With plant-based versions
of cream cheese and white cheese, manufacturers
can add new trend products
to their line-ups.” One thing is abundantly
clear – the plant-based boom continues
unabated, and consumers’ awareness of
animal welfare and environmental issues
is rising quickly even during the current
crisis. In Germany alone the percentage
of flexitarians has risen to 55 percent, according
to the 2020 Nutrition Report of
the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture.
The same trend can be observed on
international markets.
Katharina Schäfer,
Product Manager
Dairy & Deli
at Hydrosol
12 · September 2020 ¦ international-dairy.com
/international-dairy.com
