Lactalis launches organic whole milk powder amid rising consumer interest in health and food quality

05 May 2021 --- Lactalis Ingredients is launching an organic whole milk powder, expanding its portfolio of milk powders, amid rising consumer interest in health and food quality issues.

The powder is suitable for a range of functional food applications spanning from chocolate to bakery.

“The demand for organic is rising. There has been a steady growth in this market over the last 15 years. We expect the market to continue to grow as the pandemic has accelerated this trend,” Elodie Macariou, senior product manager for Lactalis Ingredients, tells NutritionInsight.

“Consumers are more aware of the link between their health and their food, as well as the connection between what they eat and the health of the planet.”

Organic demands sharply rise
Globally, consumer interest in health and food quality issues is growing, and consumers are buying more organic food, Lactalis supports.

Organic offerings are proliferating as consumers are more aware of the link between health and food.

Dairy functional ingredients such as milk powder are incorporated in the formulation of many food categories. Lactalis’ new whole milk powder aims to meet the demand of manufacturers wishing to formulate organic food products.

“Consumers prefer organic products because they are looking for natural products. So organic food meets this expectation as they are perceived as ‘cleaner,’ because they are free of pesticides, antibiotics and other undesirable chemicals,” Macariou says.

They are also considered by consumers to have a higher nutritional value than conventional foods, she highlights.

According to Innova Market Insights, there was a 7 percent year-over-year growth (2018 to 2019) in food and beverages being launched with a health claim.

While the global increase for NPD with a health-related claim is relatively steady, organic claims are seeing a much steeper trajectory. Between 2018 and 2019, there was a year-over-year growth of 32 percent.

Interestingly, a 2019 Innova Market Insights survey found that 63 percent of global consumers believed that organic food and drinks are healthier than products that are not organic.

When asked about natural products, this figure rose to 65 percent. This is closely linked with an increased desire to learn where ingredients come from, which is the reason for 41 percent of global consumers to seek out the story behind the products they buy.

Single-origin milk?
The organic whole milk powder is made in France and the milk comes exclusively from French dairy farms that comply with the specifications for organic farming.

The organic specifications guarantee a product free from neutralizing agents, antibiotics, preservatives and other additives.

Lactalis Ingredients is launching an organic whole milk powder suitable for a range of functional food applications spanning from chocolate to bakery.

Whole milk powder is obtained by removing water from pasteurized milk through spray-drying. The powder can contain between 26 and 40 percent milk fat (by weight) on an “as is” basis and offers all the nutritional qualities of milk in its dry form.

“Our organic whole milk powder complies with European regulations and therefore with very precise standards. The organic specifications guarantee a product free from neutralizing agents, antibiotics, preservatives, and other additives,” Macariou details.

“This organic claim can be ensured by a certification. In this case, our whole milk powder is certified Ecocert. Moreover, the milk comes exclusively from French dairy farms,” she confirms.

Applications range
Whole milk powder plays an important role in the manufacture of a wide range of food products.

It can be used in reconstituted dairy products such as yogurt and milk drinks, but also as a source of fat and nonfat milk solids in confectionery and baked goods.

The powder can be fortified with vitamins in order to be repacked for direct consumer use in milk beverages, homemade yogurt, coffee and tea whitener.

Lactalis’s organic whole milk has 26 percent fat and good solubility and a good dairy taste, according to the company. Moreover, it can be used in many applications such as chocolate, dairy and baking.

“Initially, this powder was developed for the chocolate industry. So this milk powder is lipase-free and has optimum microbiology to give a pleasant dairy and buttery taste to chocolate and fillings, and guarantee shelf life stability,” Macariou concludes.

Milk powders organic boom
Other players are also tapping into the potential of organic claims.

Although protein has been popular with consumers for decades, new organic opportunities are providing a way for companies to appeal to increasing demands for naturality, Joe Katterfield, EMEA business development manager for Arla Foods Ingredients, previously told FoodIngredientsFirst.

Arla Foods Ingredients recently launched Lacprodan Premium ALPHA-10, an alpha-lactalbumin dry-blend product touted as helping infant formula manufacturers reduce production costs without compromising safety or quality.

In the same space, FrieslandCampina launched an “ultra-premium” organic milk formula, Organic Friso Prestige Bio. The first market to welcome the launch in Hong Kong, via the company’s namesake subsidiary, before a global rollout.

By Kristiana Lalou