How do dairy products innovate?

In recent years, dairy products have been included in the daily diet of more people, and consumption has shown rigid growth. At the same time, with the continuous upgrading of domestic consumption, the consumption structure of dairy products is also changing. Dairy industry shows a new development trend, high-end, healthy, functional dairy products gradually gain market favor. Advances in dairy processing technology and equipment are also driving the development of new products, accelerating the growth and transformation of the dairy products market. Enzymes and Fermenters
Enzymes and leavening agents are essential for maintaining optimal flavor, appearance and freshness of dairy products. And the demand for these ingredients is now on the rise.
Fact. MR, a Dubai-based market research and consulting firm, forecasts that the global dairy enzymes market will more than double to approximately $1.5 billion by 2031, growing at a CAGR of approximately 8%, with the North American dairy enzymes market growing at a CAGR of 7%.
In a report published in November 2021 on Dairy Enzymes Industry, Santosh Kumar, Senior Consultant, Food and Beverage, Fact.MR, said that dairy producers often use enzymes as coagulants or bioprotectants in cheese production to improve product safety and freshness. He said processors are also utilizing enzymes to produce lactose-free dairy products due to increasing consumer awareness of digestive health.
In addition, Santosh Kumar said developers are exploring enzymes that can reduce whey bitterness and tolerate ultra-high-temperature transient processing.
“As dairy processors’ expectations of achieving sustainable production increase, their investment in advanced enzymes from plant and animal sources is growing, with the aim of extending the shelf life of finished products.” He added.
There is also a growing interest in dairy fermenters, where processors add microorganisms to their products to yield specific products, such as altering the fermentation or the chemical composition and physical properties of the substrate, resulting in a product with a more homogeneous texture, especially in yogurt and cheese.
According to Cornell University’s Milk Quality Improvement Program (MQIP), researchers have also used ferments to convert lactose to lactic acid to allow milk proteins to coagulate and affect the flavor and texture of fermented products.
MQIP states, “The choice of type of leavening agent depends on the needs of the product. Suppliers have a wide range of fermenters and can also customize the fermenter needed. Changing the incubation temperature of certain ferments can affect the flavor profile and other attributes of the final product.”
According to The Insight Partners, an Indian market research and consulting firm, the global dairy fermenters market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 4.5% to reach $1.67 billion from 2021 to 2027.
Changing trends
Christina S. Barsa, director of strategic accounts at New York-based Enzyme Development, says the popularity of specific enzymes changes with the food industry.
“The continued expansion of the lactose-free milk market has increased sales of lactase enzymes,” she says, ”and innovations in manufacturing have opened the door to high-purity and easy-to-filter lactase enzymes.”
The modified enzyme cheese industry is also expanding and generating new flavor profiles, and operators are adapting old recipes for cleaner product labeling, Barsa noted. For example, more producers are using proteases rather than phosphates. The dairy industry’s growing interest in non-GMO and gluten-free products has also increased the need for enzyme diversity.
She says, “In addition to plant proteases (e.g., fig protease from the fig tree, protease from thistle), processors can use a wide variety of lipases for their target applications.”
Ronald Heddleson, a food scientist in Novozymes North America’s technical services group, says consumers are becoming more health-conscious, which is making lactase enzymes increasingly popular as well.
“Health-conscious consumers interested in ‘lactose-free’ foods are turning to lactose-free dairy products for lifestyle reasons, and dairy manufacturers are using lactase enzymes to meet consumer demand for lower sugar in formulated dairy products such as flavored milk and yogurt. ”
We’re also seeing lactose-free claims expand from milk to other dairy categories such as ice cream,” he noted.”
Clean-label enzymes that improve the texture of yogurt and other fermented dairy products are also becoming more common, Heddleson says.
He says, “Enzymes are being used often to reduce the consistency of high-protein products or for increasing the consistency of products with low fat content.”
In fact, more and more operators are looking for enzymes that can modulate the texture and appearance of their products, says Collette Lentz, product line leader for IFF’s Fresh Dairy Enzymes and Probiotics global business. For example, protein hydrolases or proteases that break down proteins to change the texture of high-protein dairy products with their alternatives.
Charlotte Debare, product line leader for IFF’s Fresh Dairy Strains business, added: “Yogurt ferments that provide excellent and consistent freshness, quality texture, and a longer shelf life are also popular, and they are critical to reducing waste and helping producers expand their geographic reach.”
Selecting the best combination of enzymes and fermenters to create the desired product flavor begins with an iterative process, Barsa said, while it can be challenging to optimize enzyme dosing to reduce production time and increase yields without altering the overall flavor profile.
She says: “In some cases, this may involve reducing protease dosage to reduce any bitterness that may result from hydrolysis of proteins in dairy flavors, and increasing peptidase dosage to accelerate the reaction that eliminates bitterness.”
Brian Schlatter, business development representative for Fromagex, a distributor of cheesemaking solutions, says that defining the necessary attributes of the final product is key to determining the enzymes and fermenters to be added.
“Think of it like designing a piece of furniture,” he says, ”starting with how it looks and then designing each piece that makes up the whole to determine what can or cannot be used.”
It is also critically important for dairy producers to analyze market demand before deciding which enzymes to include in their products, Lentz notes.
“Selecting the best enzyme starts with determining the end goal and function of the enzyme,” she notes, ”and once that has been determined, one should move on to understanding the processing conditions, such as pH and temperature, in order to select the enzyme with the best performance under those conditions.”
Lentz said dairy producers may seek an enzyme solution to help reduce the consistency of a new high-protein yogurt.
In this case, she says, “If the fermented protease reduces the viscosity of the product, then this well-performing protease will meet the producer’s needs.”
A series of caveats
Functionality, cost and processing efficiency will also play a role in determining the enzymes added to dairy products, Heddleson noted.
He notes, “The enzyme should be able to function properly in the temperature, pH conditions and food formulation matrix in which the product is exposed, i.e., be able to exert its activity while minimizing any negative impact on the quality of the finished food product.”
In fact, enzymes and ferments that meet consumer needs while saving on production costs are becoming increasingly popular, says Erika Gayhart, associate marketing manager for food ferments and enzymes at Cohanson.
“Processors must first determine what they want to change or gain in order to determine the best enzymes to incorporate into dairy products,” she says, adding that the right ferments and enzymes can increase productivity, help save money, optimize moisture content, increase speed and more. Importantly, processors are profiting from the processes they use.”
She adds, “Some ferments, for example, allow yogurt producers to reduce costs by adding less protein or stabilizers, while other ferments and enzymes allow cheese producers to improve slicing and eliminate the need for paper dividers.”
Differentiating options while maintaining product functionality with enzymes and ferments should also be a key goal, notes Adrian Gauna, technical and sales export manager at Sacco System. For example, ferments with protective properties are becoming more common.
However, integrating enzymes seamlessly into products can still be tricky, Heddleson said, as enzymes require a certain incubation period for the enzyme to function, which can lengthen the process and manufacturing time.
“Sometimes it may be necessary to inactivate the enzyme by denaturation, which requires an additional heat treatment step that may increase the total processing time,” he notes, adding that ”technical service specialists at enzyme suppliers can give advice on the optimal dosage range of the enzyme to be used, the environment, the process conditions, and when enzyme inactivation is required in the finished product influencing factors to improve efficiency and minimize heat-treatment steps.”
Processors should also request product application guidance sheets from enzyme suppliers to better manage various product applications and formulations, he notes, noting that suppliers can be partners with processors to help them reduce testing time and troubleshoot various types of problems.
Additionally, Debare said it is key for producers to work with suppliers that can provide the best solutions for specific production conditions.
“By having an open and honest dialog with suppliers, processors can be in the best position to meet challenges or pursue opportunities,” Gayhart added, ”Having this dialog and identifying challenges that may be addressed is important for transparency and better service throughout the process. ”