29. February 2024
Plant-based drinks and desserts with impressive taste, texture and mouthfeel
Innovative product solutions from Döhler for successful plant-based dairy alternatives and desserts
The trend for plant-based nutrition continues unabated. The reasons behind it are as diverse as the lifestyles and preferences of the consumers: vegetarian or vegan diets, health aspects, religious beliefs, ethical and environmental considerations and sustainability. In recent years, individual decisions to consume fewer dairy products – or none at all – have led to a global rise of 32% in product launches in the dairy alternatives segment. Plant-based dairy alternatives, which achieved a global retail market volume of around EUR 18.7 billion in 2022, are forecast to grow by up to EUR 24.6 billion by 2027. That is equivalent to mean annual growth of 5.7% or a total increase of just under 32%.
So many opportunities – all from dairy alternatives
Alternative dairy beverages are the largest sub-segment of plant-based dairy products in terms of predicted growth in the period from 2022 to 2027, accounting for a market volume of more than 10 million tonnes and total growth of 13%. However, plant-based yoghurt alternatives and desserts promise even higher growth rates of 28%. These came in second place in 2022, with 286,000 tonnes. The global market for plant-based cheese alternatives is already growing just as fast, and is forecast to grow by an impressive 48% in future. The plant-based ice product segment reports similar figures. As plant-based dairy alternatives gain an ever greater presence in traditional supermarkets, discount chains and the growing DTC (direct to consumer) channels, acceptance of these products will continue to grow rapidly. This highly dynamic market will increasingly give rise to new products that will further fragment the market – an opportunity for producers of classic dairy products in particular.
Plant-based desserts and yoghurt alternatives for greater indulgence
The market segment for plant-based spoonable products is growing all the time, promising good growth rates and an increasing market volume. Next-generation yoghurt alternatives, creamy and indulgent plant-based desserts, mousses, puddings and other dessert variants can all be implemented with ingredient concepts from Döhler, as can Greek-style products and skyr alternatives, for example. Plant-based alternatives to classic drinking yoghurts, which are rapidly taking over the market and for which Döhler already offers a huge range of product solutions, are also a key trend. With comprehensive expertise in plant-based raw materials, bases and other ingredients and their application, especially in the dessert segment, plant-based product developments are an integral part of Döhler’s portfolio. When they are combined with carefully selected starter cultures for fermented products, fruit preparations, natural flavours and many other natural ingredients, the result is market-ready product concepts with impressive taste, texture and mouthfeel. Smart ideas and innovative products, outstanding quality and reliable delivery for sustainable market success – Döhler always goes one step further in order to reach these goals. From a wide range of plant-based raw materials and bases to the latest trends and regional consumer preferences, from individual natural ingredients to comprehensive solutions for the various industries with extensive services and promising product concepts, Döhler helps its customers bring their products to market quickly.
From plant bases to the finished market product
Nuts, seeds, pulses, coconut or grains such as rice and oats: all these products are potential protein sources and natural bases for plant-based dairy alternatives, and are combined and optimised to form bespoke product solutions for the respective customer application. Döhler supplies all ingredients from its own production facilities, while state-of-the-art processing technologies guarantee authentic taste, product stability and optimum quality of all ingredients in the application recipe. The portfolio also contains natural taste solutions such as flavours, extracts, sweetening concepts and solutions to optimise texture, mouthfeel and colour, or to mask unwanted taste components. Preparations with sweet, fruity or savoury components can also be provided for many applications. The goal of any recipe development is always to create the optimum multi-sensory experience with enhanced nutritional value, so that the product fully meets consumers’ expectations and regularly lands in their shopping trolley.
Essential for high market acceptance: optimised taste profiles
A company that wants to assert itself on the plant-based dairy products market in the long term needs to win over consumers via their taste buds by matching the indulgent properties and taste profile of the original. Global data collected by the in-house market research unit Döhler Market Intelligence shows that taste is the decisive purchase criterion for 88% of consumers. If the ice cream is not creamy enough, the oat milk has a cereal-like mouthfeel or the plant-based yoghurt alternative has an unwanted and unpleasant note, consumers will immediately continue their search for the right alternative elsewhere. Separately from price considerations, sensory aspects like taste, texture and mouthfeel are the key to long-term market success in dairy alternatives and ensure that consumers choose plant-based alternatives more often.
With potential for various off-tastes, formulations centred on plant-based recipes can present significant challenges for product development. Not only do these off-tastes often need to be masked, but a host of sensory aspects also need to be coordinated, including the overall taste profile and the desired creaminess. The latter is crucial in determining the mouthfeel. Both aspects need to be as close as possible to the original dairy product in order to create the authentically fresh, creamy and altogether appealing sensory impression. With consumers becoming ever more discerning, the mass market will accept no compromise when it comes to taste, texture and mouthfeel. But because every starting raw material is different, there is no one-size-fits-all solution: highly professional solutions and comprehensive experience are needed. Döhler meets these complex challenges with extensive technology-based application expertise, including everything from natural ingredients to ingredient systems as fully integrated product solutions. In raw material sourcing and during every step of production, the focus is always on sustainability in line with the principle of “Sustainable by nature®”.
Fermentation technology unlocks new possibilities in product optimisation
Fermentation of food and ingredients is one of the oldest biotechnological processes used by humans. Without this enzymatic process, most dairy products would not exist. And, alongside classic flavours, the process is also immensely helpful in developing plant-based dairy, yoghurt and cheese alternatives. Fermented oats or rice extracts, for example, can be used to improve the taste and mouthfeel of the plant-based alternatives and adapt them to the original products. They also help to reduce or even completely mask unwanted off-notes such as grain-like, bitter or hay-like notes. The natural acidification needed in many dairy products can also be taste-matched and improved in this way. Döhler has developed the specific fermentation processes in a targeted way in order to also produce ingredients that are used for fermented desserts and cheese alternatives. There, they create certain sensory properties and typical cheese taste profiles: a complexity of taste that more than holds up to comparison with conventional dairy products. The ingredients appear in the ingredient declaration as “fermented oats” or “fermented rice extract” – healthy ingredients that are expected to meet further increased acceptance among consumers.
Döhler’s comprehensive portfolio of natural health ingredients also allows plant-based product concepts to be boosted with healthy added value and positioned in a market environment that is growing all the time. Some 58% of consumers worldwide want to consume foods that improve their health. To support this positive development with attractive offers, Döhler uses the latest discoveries of nutritional science and takes into account current consumer trends like health, naturalness, plant-based nutrition and sustainability to constantly optimise all products and services with the aim of guaranteeing nutritional excellence at all times.
