Upcycled beverage concept helps Latin American dairies reduce waste

Courtesy of Arla Foods Ingredients

Arla Foods Ingredients has launched a fermented beverage concept that demonstrates how dairies can reduce waste and increase yield by upcycling whey.

Raw material waste is a major problem for dairies. After processing, many are left with large whey side streams, which can cause environmental damage if discharged with wastewater.

Meanwhile, sustainability is a growing focus in Latin America. Over 50 percent of consumers in the region say they have changed their behaviors based on environmental concerns, a figure projected to reach 70 percent by 2025. More than four in ten (44%) say they have already stopped buying products due to their impact on the environment.¹

Now, Arla Foods Ingredients has launched a fermented beverage concept based on upcycled acid or sweet whey. It also contains Nutrilac® whey proteins, which provide a light texture and refreshing taste, as well as protein content as high as eight percent, so that a 200ml bottle would contain 16g of protein.

Nutrilac® also offers superior heat stability to standard milk protein concentrate or whey protein concentrate. This allows the development of creamy, low-viscosity beverages without sedimentation, sandiness, or dry mouthfeel. Low in fat and containing no added sugar, the beverage can be produced on standard yoghurt lines with minimal investment.

Ignacio Estevez, Application Manager, South America at Arla Foods Ingredients, said: “Consumers hate the idea of waste, especially if it’s environmentally harmful. Reflecting this, we’re starting to see more and more products that make use of upcycled ingredients and communicate it on their packaging. Getting value out of whey is a significant challenge in dairy production but, as this concept demonstrates, it can be used to create on-trend new products that appeal to both sustainability-conscious and protein-focused consumers. The fact that it can be produced easily and with minimal investment provides an additional incentive to innovate.”

Arla Foods Ingredients is showcasing the new concept in a series of videos in Portuguese and Spanish. They highlight its benefits from sustainability, technical, regulatory, and consumer trends perspectives and can be viewed at https://br.arlafoodsingredients.com/ and https://la.arlafoodsingredients.com/.

¹ Kantar, November 2023

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