For the Love of Dairy: Putting Dairy Ingredients to Work in Dairy Products and Beyond

 

(left) Valentine’s Day is still weeks away, and Halo Top says “let the loving begin” with its new limited-edition Chocolate Covered Strawberry pints. It’s made with a number of dairy ingredients, including ultrafiltered skim milk, skim milk, cream and milkfat. Fresh or dried dairy ingredients work in such an application.

Consumers want healthful. They want indulgent. They want convenience. They want inexpensive. And dairy is all of that and has the potential to be more, according to Michael Dykes, president and chief executive office, International Dairy Foods Association at Dairy Forum 2024 on Jan. 22, 2024, in Phoenix. And in a hallway conversation with Sarah Schmidt, vice president of marketing at Associated Milk Producers Inc., she said, “Cows are amazing. Milk is magical.  And, we have the people to deliver this great product to consumers in so many varied ways.”

Those many varied ways are thanks to the dairy ingredients being used in all types of foods and beverages. To read more about “Companies deliver dairy through many new applications,” link HERE to an article I wrote on this this topic for the Jan. 30, 2024, issue of Food Business News. 

Check out some recent new products that would not exist if it were not for dairy ingredients.

Celebrate the month of love with Dutch Bros’ new Dutch Luv drinks, which all feature the coffee chain’s proprietary soft top. This is a fusion of whipped buttermilk, heavy cream, vanilla syrup and sugar. The topping does not dissolve like foam, rather it slowly seeps down into the drink, providing visual appeal and modifying the flavor of each sip. The Valentine-themed offerings are Dutch Luv Latte (white coffee with frosted sugar cookie flavor topped with pink Soft Top), Dutch Luv Rebel (Rebel energy drink infused with berry flavor topped with pink Soft Top) and Dutch Luv Frost (frosted sugar cookie shake topped with pink Soft Top.)

Premier Protein’s recent flavor innovation is described as “grandma’s kitchen meets modern nutrition.” The newest shelf-stable nutrition shake is packed with delicious cookie dough flavor that hits all the right nostalgic notes. It relies on milk protein concentrate and calcium caseinate to deliver 30 grams of protein in every serving. 

Cibo Vita is expanding its Nature’s Garden Probiotic Yoggies snack line with Mixed Berry,  Peach Mango and Trail Mix varieties, joining the original offering, Strawberry. These sweet treats are real fruit pieces coated in yogurt that contains live probiotic cultures and prebiotic fiber. 

DaoHer Beveragen is adding Crème Brulee Boba to its ready-to-drink dairy-based beverage line. This canned boba milk is made with organic whole milk powder and is sweetened with stevia to keep calories and added sugars down. It joins three varieties of boba milk tea: brown sugar, classic and matcha. In all of the beverages, the boba balls are made from starch and konjac gum, instead of the traditional tapioca, in order to withstand the rigors and shelf life of an ambient canned beverage.

And check out this new--delicious and addictive--snack from Trader Joe’s. The cream cheese filling suggests immediately that the product includes dairy. But it’s not just cream cheese. The “bagel crackers” include nonfat dry milk and whey powder. 

Bounce Protein Balls from Bounce Foods in the U.K., combines almonds and cashews with whey protein isolate and whey protein concentrate to deliver 8.2 grams of protein per 35-gram ball. 

The innovations are infinite when you put dairy ingredients to work in new product development. 

New to learn more? Plan to attend the NEW Global Ingredients Summit hosted by American Dairy Products Institute. This two-day event will bring together industry and academia to serve as a launching point for future innovation in the dairy industry. Meet with future innovators by attending student poster presentations and learn about dairy research presented by academics from across the globe. Afternoon concurrent sessions, with separate cheese and milk/whey ingredients tracks, will give you a chance to select your areas of interest and customize your Global Ingredients Summit experience. Diverse topics will include new and emerging technologies in processing, ingredient customization, applications, health and wellness, sustainability, regulatory and more. Link HERE for more information on this event taking place March 11 to 13, 2024, in Reno, Nevada.