News

Creating better texture in dairy alternatives

26 Sep 2018

The market for dairy alternatives continues to rise, but creating appealing, creamy textures that mimic traditional yoghurt or cheese can be a major stumbling block. For suppliers, this challenge has become fertile ground for innovation.

Creating better texture in dairy alternatives

The market for products like non-dairy beverages, frozen desserts, and vegan cheese and yoghurt alternatives has skyrocketed in recent years. In Western Europe alone, more than 2,500 vegan alternatives to dairy products have been launched in the past decade, according to Innova Market Insights.

Taste – alongside price, nutrition and convenience – is among the most important factors influencing food choices, but much of what consumers think of as ‘taste’ is inextricably linked to texture. Flavour is one thing, but manufacturers must also pay attention to whether a yoghurt substitute is grainy or too watery, or how a vegan ice cream alternative melts in the mouth.

The problem often stems from the different proteins in plant-based products. Whether they are made from pulses, nuts or cereals, their proteins do not have the same functionality as those from dairy.

A recent report from Palsgaard highlights functional problems with dairy alternative drinks, and says stability is among the most prominent challenges, including issues such as sedimentation and separation. It suggests using emulsifiers like vegetable fats and oils to emulate the texture of dairy proteins, while stabilisers can help improve viscosity and mouthfeel.

However, the way in which such systems are used depends on the base ingredients, whether soy, rice, or almond, for example, and whether the recipe calls for a paste, powder or liquid.

Hydrosol, part of the Stern-Wywiol Group, has also responded to rising demand in this area with stabilising and texturing systems that mimic the properties of a wide range of cow’s milk products. These include fermented desserts based on alternatives like almond milk, and a system of modified starch, hydrocolloids and plant fibres, which can be modified to emulate the texture of yoghurt. The company also provides alternatives to cream cheese that can be used as a base for vegan cheese alternatives, and ingredient systems to create creamy soft-melt vegan ice creams.

Meanwhile, DuPont Nutrition & Health is working with protein blends to improve product taste and texture. Blending pea and soy protein, for example, may help manufacturers minimise chalkiness and improve solubility, while creating a better flavour than either could deliver on its own.

For manufacturers, achieving the right texture is vital, but it is also important to keep ingredient lists short and to consider whether to avoid artificial ingredients, as consumers of vegan dairy alternatives may be more sensitive to such ingredients than the general population.

According to Innova Market Insights, clean label claims in the dairy alternatives sector are more prominent and rising faster than in dairy, leading to a surge in naturally derived stabilising ingredients like gellan gum, guar gum and locust bean gum.

The dairy alternative sector has seen enormous growth, but there is still plenty of room for it to grow – especially as major players in the ingredients sector help find new ways to create creamier, tastier, plant-based products.

Related news

UK to ban junk food TV advertisements before 9pm

UK to ban junk food TV advertisements before 9pm

3 Oct 2024

In a bid to reduce childhood obesity, the UK government has introduced a policy, coming into effect on 1 October 2025, banning junk food advertising on television before the 9pm watershed.

Read more 
Which food and beverage brands made TIME’s Most Influential Companies list?

Which food and beverage brands made TIME’s Most Influential Companies list?

2 Oct 2024

Chickpea pasta, prebiotic sodas, food boxes, non-alcoholic beer, and a soil carbon marketplace are the specialties of the five food and beverage brands that earned a spot on TIME’s 2024 list.

Read more 
New environmental food scoring standards emerge

New environmental food scoring standards emerge

30 Sep 2024

EIT Food and Foundation Earth collaborate to launch environmental food scoring for products entering the global supply chain.

Read more 
Danone removes NutriScore from products

Danone removes NutriScore from products

20 Sep 2024

Following an algorithm update that gives some of its sweetened drinks a worse score, Danone has removed the front-of-pack label, NutriScore, from all of its products – putting profit before public health, say campaigners.

Read more 
Nestlé develops a new fat reduction method for dairy ingredients

Nestlé develops a new fat reduction method for dairy ingredients

26 Aug 2024

A Brazil-based Nestlé research and development team has developed a way to reduce the fat in milk powder by as much as 60%, without impacting the key characteristics that consumers enjoy.

Read more 
Better Juice expands its range to sorbets

Better Juice expands its range to sorbets

16 Aug 2024

Food tech startup Better Juice has developed a technology to reduce the sugar content in fruit sorbets. The process retains the natural vitamins, minerals, and flavours of fruit, while offering manufacturers an easy-to-implement and scalable solution t...

Read more 
German study reveals high sugar, fat, and salt levels in children's foods

German study reveals high sugar, fat, and salt levels in children's foods

13 Aug 2024

The food industry is making slow progress in reducing the high levels of sugar, fat, and salt in German food and beverage products marketed to children, according to the Max Rubner Institute (MRI).

Read more 
Swedish court overturns prohibition on winery’s use of imported frozen grapes

Swedish court overturns prohibition on winery’s use of imported frozen grapes

12 Aug 2024

Swedish company Drood Winery has successfully challenged the Swedish Food Agency’s decision to prohibit the production and sale of their product made from frozen grapes imported from Iran.

Read more 
Paris Olympics: Food and beverage brands champion health, fun, and sustainability

Paris Olympics: Food and beverage brands champion health, fun, and sustainability

5 Aug 2024

Food and beverage brands are aligning with the Paris Olympics 2024 Food Vision, which emphasises sustainability, local sourcing, and plant-based diets.

Read more 
The coffee supply chain is failing farmers, says Solidaridad

The coffee supply chain is failing farmers, says Solidaridad

30 Jul 2024

The coffee industry’s economic model means its profits do not reach farmers, despite there being enough value to be shared all along the supply chain, according to a new report by Solidaridad Network and IDH.

Read more