PLANT BASED DAIRY ALTERNATIVES 2022
"The efficient homogenization and the high-precision
inline standardization are very good and Tetra Pak’s
engineers gave us important input on how to optimize
product quality", says Andrin Zenklusen, Production
Manager at the Davos dairy.
Interest in alternatives to dairy products is increasing
among consumers around the world. Plant-based
products are often associated with health benefits,
but also, plant-based foods are often positioned as
climate-friendly choices. There is a wealth of plantbased
ingredients on offer, from the more traditional
soya, to oats, coconut and even peas.
Plant-based yoghurt alternatives
While the production of yoghurt in its traditional form
is already well-mastered within the industry, the new
phenomenon of plant-based yoghurt-style products is
striving to achieve the same degree of standardisation
and efficiency.
There are three major technology and production
challenges to address here. Namely, optimising viscosity
and other characteristics with the right ingredients
and processing set-up; optimising heat treatment to
ensure food safety and quality; and optimising fermentation
parameters, including the culture addition.
Since the plant-based yoghurt-style production
area is still new, combining food application knowledge
with recipe and process expertise is the best way forward.
Take oat as an example ingredient. Oats are available
in a variety of forms. For example, some might
have an extra-high fat level or an extra-high betaglucan
level. As a result, the oat base can be tricky to
handle. Based on the experience gained in our laboratories
and in customer installations is that the processing
design and parameters for the oat base must
consider the raw materials (kernels, ground flour, or
ready-made compositions); the need to enzymatically
control how starch and proteins behave during
processing; and using specialised equipment for high
shear mixing, fibre separation and deaeration.
When the protein content is not high enough to ensure
that fermentation alone will achieve the desired
consistency of the plant-based products, other ingredients
must be added to the base ingredient.
The heat treatment is strongly determined by the
recipe, especially the type of starch and any other thickeners
and stabilizers. It is important to design the heat
treatment to fit the thickening system, but never go below
what is acceptable from a food safety point of view.
34 · January/February 2022 ¦ international-dairy.com
When making plant-based yoghurt alternatives, there
are challenges regarding optimising viscosity,
heat treatment and fermentation (photo: Tetra Pak)
There are plant-based products with live bacteria,
and others where the bacteria have been inactivated
in a heating step after fermentation. The benefit of
inactivating the culture is a more stable product with a
longer shelf life. A third option is to inactivate the culture
but add probiotic bacteria before filling, although
these products are commonly sold as chilled.
The development of plant-based yoghurt-style
products is still in its infancy, but the rate of innovation
is skyrocketing. There is a whole world of opportunities
opening up for producers with the right mindset and
competence – and who are open to partnering with
an expert in plant-based products who can help them
avoid making costly mistakes.
Our technologists and engineers work closely with
research institutes, starter culture developers and ingredient
suppliers to support producers on the front
lines of yoghurt innovation. And with deep knowledge
of the essence of yoghurt, we develop processing solutions
that give yoghurt products the best taste,
mouthfeel, texture, stability and appearance every
time – without compromising on production economy
or flexibility.
/international-dairy.com
