Arla Foods Ingredients has launched a protein solution that is designed to enable yoghurt manufacturers to produce delicious Greek-style yoghurts on their existing plant for the first time – with, said Arla, dramatically reduced levels of wastage.
According to Arla, the specialist equipment usually required to make Greek-style yoghurt, and the low yields per kilogram of milk used, are major barriers to entry into this lucrative market for many dairy companies.
However, a new range of Nutrilac proteins developed by Arla Foods Ingredients could mean manufacturers can now enter the profitable Greek-style yoghurt category cost-effectively and without investing in a new processing line.
Nutrilac proteins for Greek-style yogurt are designed to be used in conjunction with Arla Foods Ingredients’ ‘Quick’ process – a manufacturing technique that eliminates the need for the whey separation step associated with traditional Greek yoghurt making. This means companies do not need to purchase expensive separation equipment to make Greek-style yoghurt and can simply use their existing yoghurt-making machinery.
In addition, the Quick process is said to ensure that virtually 100% of the milk used in the manufacturing process ends up in the final product. In traditional Greek yoghurt making, two thirds of the milk used is strained off as liquid whey and discarded to leave only the solid curds. This results in increased costs in terms of buying and storing extra milk and generates a substantial waste stream that must be treated prior to disposal, resulting in further expense for the producer.
Nutrilac protein solutions are available for a range of Greek-style yoghurt applications, including non-fat, low-fat, full-fat, long-life and drinking yoghurt. All can be made with a protein content matching that of traditional Greek yoghurts – something that was not previously possible, according to Arla.
While standard yoghurts have a typical protein content of 3% to 4%, traditional Greek yoghurts contain between 6% and 10%. Usually, Greek-style alternatives fail to match this, and only offer up to 8% protein content. But Arla Foods Ingredients says that it can now work with manufacturers to boost protein levels in their Greek-style yoghurts to 10% using its customised Nutrilac solutions in combination with the Quick process.
The market for Greek and Greek-style yoghurt is growing fast and is now worth $1.5 billion a year in the US and €400 million a year in Europe, according to figures from New Nutrition Business. Further, Mintel has reported that 16% of global spoonable yoghurt launches in 2012 were in the Greek and Greek-style segment.
“Greek and Greek-style yoghurts often command a significant price premium in store, and offer food manufacturers an excellent opportunity to increase their margins,” said Torben Jensen, application manager at Arla Foods Ingredients. “As a result, companies are keen to enter the sector, but many are prevented from doing so by the high cost of the specialist machinery required and the low yields and high levels of waste generated.”
“Nutrilac proteins for Greek-style yoghurts address all of these barriers, creating an excellent opportunity for manufacturers to launch into this market with zero start-up costs,” he continued. “Used in combination with our Quick process, Nutrilac proteins can help dairy companies of all sizes quickly and cost-effectively take advantage of the huge popularity of Greek-style yoghurts with little or no risk.”
Arla Foods Ingredients’ Nutrilac proteins are manufactured from specially selected fractionated milk proteins, which means they are clean label and can be listed simply as ‘milk protein’ on-pack.
