AAK, Chr. Hansen, Givaudan and Ingredion co-create plant-based yoghurt base: ‘We identified a gap in terms of taste and texture’

18-Mar-2022 - Last updated on 18-Mar-2022 at 16:18 GMT

To develop the plant-based yogurt based, the ingredient companies leveraged their respective plant-based proteins, designer cultures, specialised protein binders, and flavours with functional enhancers. Image source: MISTA

The first plant-based customer-ready product has been developed by four MISTA members from the ingredients sector. FoodNavigtor asks MISTA what makes its plant-based yoghurt base unique.

According to the MISTA collaborative platform, whose member base is made up of food, food technology, and ingredients companies, the new plant-based yoghurt base was developed using AAK, Chr. Hansen, Givaudan, and Ingredion’s collective solutions.

Technologies employed include plant-based proteins, cultures, specialised protein binders, and flavours with functional enhancers.

Flavour and fragrances major Givaudan, for example, lent its proprietary protein binder and masker flavour solutions to help mask off notes in plant-based proteins, all the while enhancing the flavour profile and release, we were told.

Danish ingredients supplier Chr. Hansen leveraged its texturizing cultures to ‘enhance’ the performance of the plant proteins and starches for an ‘appealing’ mouthfeel.

‘Clean tasting’ pea and faba proteins were supplied by Ingredion to contribute to the nutrition, taste, and mouthfeel of the final product. AAK, too, is contributing to mouthfeel with its ‘functional’ combination of fats, designed to provide a ‘dairy-like’ taste.

A ‘new benchmark’ for the category

MISTA, meaning ‘tasty morsel’ in Sanskrit, was launched by Givaudan in 2018. The ‘innovation platform’, designed to encourage collaboration between businesses in the food and beverage industry, has grown to almost 30 members.

The platform was drawn to the plant-based yoghurt space because it had observed a gap in the category, head of MISTA Scott May told FoodNavigator.

“We decided to target plant-based yoghurt for our first co-creation project for two reasons. First, it aligned well with our MISTA members’ needs. Secondly, we identified a gap in a popular consumer category in terms of taste and texture that we believed we could address.”

The plant-based yoghurt make is made from ‘high quality’, sustainable ingredients and boasts a ‘great taste, texture and mouthfeel’, we were told. Without divulging its ingredients list, May told this publication it uses ‘only clean label ingredients’: “We are not using any gums in the base, but pectin is used.”

For MISTA, the yoghurt base sets a ‘new benchmark’ for a ‘great tasting, universally appealing’ plant-based yoghurt.

“The yoghurt brings together a wide range of technologies that include plant-based proteins, designer cultures, specialised protein binders and flavours with unique functional enhancers.

“This all adds up to a yoghurt which has great taste, texture and mouthfeel, while using only clean label ingredients.”

Commercialisation strategy

While MISTA facilitates the creation of collaborative products, it is not responsible for commercialisation.

In this instance, May explained, the platform helped lead the collaboration efforts of four MISTA members to create the plant-based yoghurt base. “We are also helping to coordinate efforts to generate awareness of the concept on behalf of our ingredient members who participated in the project.”

If a customer of one of MISTA’s partners wants to use the based, the platform will share the recipe and process with them. “The intent is that the customer will then work with the original ingredient suppliers to purchase the needed ingredients and optimise the product for their commercial needs. The customer can sell the product under their own brand.”

Feedback to this particular project has been positive, suggested the MISTA head. In response, MISTA has created a ‘slate’ of co-creation projects which he revealed are already underway.