Arla Foods Ingredients is targeting the Chinese market with its selection of new whey protein-based ingredient concepts. The company will showcase ingredients in organic dairy, early life nutrition, sports nutrition, and medical nutrition at Food Ingredients China (FIC 2022), which is taking place from 16 to 18 August 2022.
The main concept which Arla Foods Ingredients will be showcasing at FIC 2022 is a novel organic solution called ‘cast cheese’, which is made using its Nutrilac® Organic milk proteins. It will be of particular interest to Chinese cheese manufacturers who currently face the twin challenges of limited natural cheese production and regulations which require producers to use at least 15% real cheese when making processed variants.
The cast cheese enables manufacturers to make their own cheese by simply mixing a compound with other ingredients. Local raw materials such as organic milk and butter can be used, and the final result can either be a finished cheese product, or a semi-finished cheese, which can be used as a base to simulate other cheese types such as mozzarella, gouda and cheddar.
Nutrilac® Organic milk proteins not only help manufacturers to create organic products but it also enhances the cheese with a pleasant milky and mild taste. It also avoids whey draining and offers capital expenditure cost savings.
Meanwhile, to tap into the growing demand for organic infant formula in China, Arla Foods Ingredients will also highlight the first of its organic infant nutrition ingredients: Lacprodan® IF-7390 Organic, a whey protein concentrate produced from organic whey, and Premium Lactose Organic, an organic high-quality carbohydrate derived from milk for wet-blend applications. Both Lacprodan® IF-7390 Organic and Premium Lactose Organic have received Chinese organic certificates and are therefore approved for sales as organic ingredients in China.
For the health food and sports nutrition category, the company will showcase an indulgent protein bar during FIC 2022, made using the ingredient Lacprodan® SoftBar. The chocolate and peanut butter flavoured snack bar, which contains 29% protein, has a soft, indulgent and creamy texture and it is made with real peanut butter and high-quality dairy protein.
Finally, for medical nutrition in China, Arla Foods Ingredients has identified potential for its Lacprodan® BLG-100. This pure Beta-lactoglobulin (BLG) ingredient offers a unique nutritional profile with 45% more leucine and 26% more essential amino acids than other commercially available whey protein isolates. Lacprodan® BLG-100 is perfect for clear, RTD functional high-protein shot solutions. It works in applications with very high protein concentrations (as high as 23%) in very small serving sizes, and it can also go into lactose-free beverages.
According to Shiti Guoji, General Manager China, Arla Foods Ingredients, “We are looking forward to meeting visitors at FIC and demonstrating how our ingredients can be used in products for the Chinese market. There are several categories in China where we have identified growing consumer demand and where we know organic options are popular. We can offer solutions for manufacturers that will help them to maximise opportunities in these sectors and more.”
