PLANT BASED DAIRY ALTERNATIVES 2022
Dr. Dorotea Pein, Head of Product Management Planteneers:
Plant-based alternatives only establish themselves
successfully in the market if they convince in terms of
taste and texture (photo: Planteneers)
With the help of special stabilisation systems,
dairies can easily reduce the animal content in
the end products by half (photo: Planteneers)
January/February 2022 ¦ international-dairy.com · 39
ever consume plant-based products because, from
their point of view, they are not convincing in terms of
taste and price.
Hybrid products are an exciting alternative. A survey
conducted as part of a master's thesis shows the
potential of these combinations. Of the 2,000 participants,
mainly students, just under half would try
a hybrid drink, for example. A third would even buy it.
In addition, 46 percent would like to see more hybrid
products in the dairy sector - especially in yoghurt,
cheese and cream cheese.
Requirements for product development
In order for hybrid products to establish themselves
as real alternatives to pure animal dairy products,
they must be as identical as possible to the animal
original in terms of taste, texture and appearance.
In addition, they should also offer added value, for
example, a high nutritional value through added vi-
tamins and minerals, or they must be convincing in
terms of sustainability. Many manufacturers already
market these advantages as a selling point on the
packaging.
Another aspect is the simple production of the hybrid
products. "For example, we have developed stabilisation
systems for this new segment that already
contain the vegetable component," reports Dr Pein.
"Dairies can easily reduce the animal content in the
end products by half. During development, we paid
specific attention to maintaining the original taste of
the dairy products." The end product is, for example,
a drink that is half milk and half oat drink. In addition,
the compounds can also be used to make fermented
dairy products such as yoghurt, as well as
hybrid-based cheese preparations and puddings. By
enriching them with micronutrients, they offer dairies
additional value-added potential and enable further
growth opportunities for the industry.
/international-dairy.com
