Whipped Strawberry Milk: Let’s brainstorm on this one!

Photo source: KATC.com

Happy May Day! In case you were unaware, May Day is not only a celebration of the seasons changing, it is a day to commemorate workers’ rights. Let’s never forget all of the people involved in the food supply chain who daily take health and safety risks to ensure we have ample. Thank you to all the dairy farmers, haulers, processors, distributors, retailers and innovators…for your time and energy to keep refrigerators and freezers stocked. 

May Day this year also marks changes to many quarantines. We are now in the new norm.

Ready! Set! Go!

That new norm apparently includes a phenomenon known as “whipped strawberry milk.” It has only three ingredients: strawberry Nesquik, heavy whipping cream and your milk of choice. The consumer whips the strawberry mix with the cream until it forms a thick foam. Then it tops a glass of milk. Strawberry garnish and straw are optional.

This follows in the footsteps of Dalgona coffee, a whipped coffee beverage that originated in South Korea. The frothy, foamy iced coffee is made with instant coffee, sugar and iced milk. Suggested toppings are a dusting of cocoa or cinnamon.

There are other whipped dairy beverages popping up on social media, everything from peanut butter cup to pina colada. Let’s brainstorm on this.

Yes, many consumers are locked inside and looking for things to do. Yes, many consumers are exploring new foods and ingredients…and possibly even appliances such as the hand mixer that they only use to whip potatoes once a year for Thanksgiving.

Many are garnering a new appreciation for textures, colors and even flavors. After all, there may be supply chain issues with imported products such as chocolate and vanilla, the two most common flavors. I challenge you to brain storm. Think bubble tea, aeration, hydrated chia seeds, and more. 

This week I wrote an online article for Food Business News titled “Dairy back in demand due to stay-at-home orders.” You can read it HERE. What you see in this chart is the focus of the column. These numbers are inspiring. Now that we are buying milk once again, let’s get creative with flavors and textures.

Table source: Sosland Publishing/Food Business News

Need help keeping strawberry milk looking delicious? Natural red color may help. 
Lycored tested the stability of two of its natural red lycopene-based colors versus the artificial colorant Red 3 during and after ultra-high temperature (UHT) processing in a flavored milk drink matrix. Accelerated shelf life tests were carried out to evaluate the stability of the colors when exposed to light, dark and ambient conditions, simulating real-life storage, transportation and retail environments.

The natural colors outperformed the artificial color across all tests, demonstrating that there are considerable advantages to selecting lycopene-based red shades over other artificial or natural colors for UHT applications.

“The long-term shift away from synthetic colors and towards natural ones is expected to continue for the foreseeable future, as more and more food and drink manufacturers convert to natural,” according to Tammi Higgins, Global Head of Coloring at Lycored. “Those who don’t risk alienating consumers and turning them on to alternative products that have embraced the natural trend.”
Natural colors, however, can be more challenging to work with. In particular, they tend to be more sensitive to pH, ultraviolet light and extreme temperatures.

Link HERE to download a white paper on this topic and to learn more about Lycored’s resilient natural red colors. This picture shows how these colors perform.

Send an inspirational note to someone with food insecurity
Lycored is calling on the nutrition industry to reach across the quarantine divides and nourish people in need of connection during the COVID-19 crisis. The company is asking for anyone who can to send a note of support to a stranger. For every letter that is written, they’ll add fresh fruit or vegetables to a food delivery to a vulnerable person. You can write your own note by linking HERE. I did it. It’s easy and makes you feel good.

Every anonymous note of encouragement, appreciation or general positivity will be printed and included in meals being delivered to seniors and homeless people. Lycored’s partner in the initiative is Food4hungry.org, one of the largest food banks in California. It is based in Monterey County, close to the farms where Lycored grows tomatoes for its range of natural wellness products.

“In these times, the nutrition industry has the potential to play an important role. With many of us at home, we are checking in with ourselves and reflecting on the good things we have, what sustains us and what matters most,” says Golan Raz, Head of Lycored’s Global Health Division. “At the same time, we have a wonderful opportunity to find ways to reach across the quarantine divides. We can nourish our bonds and support others, physically, mentally and spiritually. We hope everyone can devote a little time to this small, simple, friendly task.”

Zev Ziegler, Head of Global Brand & Marketing, Health, at Lycored, says, “In everything we do, Lycored is dedicated to nourishing, balancing and sustaining wellness, and to doing social good. They say a stranger is just a friend you haven’t met yet, and that’s never been more true. With so many of us currently isolated from each other, it’s important to find new ways to connect, even if only virtually. This is a time for people across the world to reflect on what joins us together and we want the whole industry to join us.”

Happy May Day!