In
the nearly 40 years since soy milk was first introduced in the U.S. and
Europe, the offerings for plant-based dairy alternatives have expanded
significantly to include a wealth of options from nuts, seeds, legumes,
fruits, grains and root vegetables.
In
fact, industry experts predict that by 2026, the market for dairy
alternative products could reach $41.8 billion growing at a CAGR of
12.2%.
A variety of factors are contributing to the category’s
growth, including dairy sensitivity issues, consumer perception that
plant-based products are healthier for them, a desire to avoid hormones
or antibiotics, and concerns about animal welfare.
According to GlobeNewsWire, the global Dairy Alternatives market is expected to Reach USD 38.9 Billion by 2025.
Factors like increasing awareness of consumers toward a vegan diet, lactose intolerance among the population and demand for various fortified dairy food and beverage applications are boosting the market growth. Whilst the high cost of dairy alternative milk and prominence of low cholesterol and low fat conventional milk will impede the market growth, the innovation in flavour and sources of dairy alternative beverages and increasing demand for soy milk, rice milk and almond milk proteins provide wider opportunity for the market to grow.
An ice cream tub has an important job. It must attract the supermarket shopper with an appealing design, often showing off the ice cream through a transparent window.
The structure of the ice cream should be protected – any decorations or surface construction should remain in place and not be squashed by the lid. At the same time, there are requirements for packaging to be lightweight, stackable and suitable for nesting in pallets during shipping as well as minimising both empty space and material usage.
Texture can make or break a product’s perception. How to talk about it, how to target it and how to tap into the ingredient toolkit is a definite requirement for dairy developers.
With everything from Greek-style yoghurt to efforts at fat reduction underscoring texture’s importance, there’s no time like the present to turn texture to your advantage.
“In the past, consumers didn’t really notice texture until it was ‘wrong,’ such as a powdery texture in a smoothie or a slimy, cohesive texture in a sauce,” said Shana Brewer, a marketing manager at Ingredion Inc., Westchester, IL.
“But food manufacturers are now using texture as a key differentiating quality to improve a product’s overall consumer appeal.”
She cites as proof the uptick in front-of-package texture claims, noting that research from Innova Market Insights found the use of texture claims more than doubled globally over the last five years.
The spreadability of margarine and butter is of paramount importance for consumer acceptability.
It is a physical property and results from the fact that these products
consist of a dispersion of solid fat crystals in liquid oil.
The
ratio of solid to liquid fat in a product is probably the most
important factor determining hardness and spreadability. However,
hardness and softness are not the only factors influencing
spreadability; smoothness and brittleness are also important.
Fats and oils perform a key role in defining the sensory characteristics of our favourite
prepared foods. They affect the structure, stability, flavour,
shelf-life, palatability, mouthfeel and visual appearance of food
products.
For manufacturers to obtain the desired
performance, it is important to recognise that different applications
require a fat or oil product with different physical and organoleptic
properties.
Two of our test attachments have been designed specifically for use in the development of frozen confectionery.
The ICE CREAM SCOOP (A/ICS) is used to measure the scooping resistance of ice cream, and other similar samples which can be formed into a self-supporting block.
A tilt-table is mounted on to the base of the Texture Analyser and the scoop positioned onto the load cell.
Eggs
continue to be a highly desirable and nutritious food. They can impart
characteristic taste or texture to a food product, provide leavening to
bakery products, retard crystallisation in foods and confectionery, and many
other functions.
Providing
high quality eggs and egg products is crucial to the sustainable economic
viability of the egg industry. A review of surveys conducted in the EU
indicated that shell strength, albumen consistency (including height) and
yolk colour (intensity of yolk pigment) are the main measures of quality
important to consumers. Therefore,
guaranteeing quality is essential to meeting consumer expectations.
This summer while waiting in line at your local ice cream parlour, you may have a lot to ponder.
Do you want ice cream, gelato, frozen yogurt or sorbet? Will you choose a cone or a bowl? What about sprinkles, nuts or chocolate sauce?
Back in the lab, ice cream manufacturers also have a lot to ponder when developing, testing, and reformulating their products.
Using a Texture Analyser, it’s possible to measure several textural properties of ice cream as well as the syrups, sauces, and inclusions that are added for enhanced consumer novelty or experience.In terms of volume, ice cream is by far the largest frozen snack food item consumed in the frozen state in the West.
During its market growth, it has been transformed from a very high-class, expensive almost all-dairy product into an adequate, largely non-dairy but much cheaper and still very attractive version.
The global market for dairy products has seen steady growth over the past ten years, reaching a value of over $270 billion and expected to drive the market to a value of $371.1billion by the end of 2017.
As consumer tastes become increasingly sophisticated, supermarkets are displaying a wider variety of dairy products in an attempt to supply consumers with the choice they desire.
One way manufacturers can survive in this competitive environment, and retain consumer satisfaction and market share, is to invest in the quality of their existing products as well as new product development and innovation.
The CHEESE GRATING RIG (A/GR) comprises a grating platform consisting of interchangeable grating faces and a sample block holder which acts as a sample template and, during the test, holds the sample in place.
The rig is used in conjunction with the TA.XTplus texture analyser which unusually in this case is used in a horizontal position to ensure a constant application of force onto the sample. This configuration also means that samples can be tested repeatedly over several cycles without the need for reloading.
The CHEESE EXTENSIBILITY RIG (A/CE or A/CEA†) consists of a heat resistant vessel and double-sided fork probe.
The vessel and fork assembly is filled with a known weight of cheese and microwaved (A/CE) or oven cooked (A/CEA) until the cheese is molten.
A sample retaining insert is added to the vessel and the vessel/fork assembly slides into the fixture base, which is securely fastened to the Texture Analyser. The fork is connected to the load cell via a rapid locating adapter.
The FRACTURE WEDGE SET (A/WEG) comprises of upper and lower wedges each with a cutting angle of 30° and 30mm width.
The lower wedge is fixed directly to the base of the Texture Analyser and the upper wedge is connected directly to the loadcell.
Typical examples include cheese and vegetables which are held on the lower wedge and the force to fracture is measured. The maximum sample width is limited to 30mm.
