Reformulate

Science

Our customer was looking for innovation in extending their existing product line of dairy drinks. Their full-fat version of chocolate flavored milk is loved by many consumers in Mexico and Central America, still, we could see a gap in the brand’s portfolio as we all know that consumer trends are pointing to healthier alternatives.

We helped our customer to close the gap by developing two new product variants: a lactose-free and a fat reduced version, both with a mix of animal and vegetable fat, that still met the mouthfeel expectations of the already existing product and kept stabilized throughout its shelf-life. ​

Process snapshot:

• Working in partnership with our customer to maintain mouthfeel and stabilization.
• Identifying the technical challenges to reach the sensorial attributes our customer was expecting.
• Facilitating the process was a key factor for the customer when it came to delivery.
• Tapping into our formulation expertise- this was the most important factor when working with their team to reach the consumption experience they wanted.

Solutions

The solution we identified was a tailor-made blend that combined hydrocolloids and salts to achieve the best performance in UHT processing.-We leveraged our formulation expertise, texture science and portfolio to propose the ideal solution that would deliver the mouthfeel consumers loved in the full-fat line. The blend was designed to meet specific product and technology requirements while decreasing the steps in the product manufacturing process and reaching the main objective: to improve product mouthfeel and texture profile.

It was our technical and application expertise, coupled with our ability to work in a fast-paced environment that enabled us to accelerate the innovation process and deliver the best results against two other competitors.

Ingredient snapshot:​ ​

•  Tate & Lyle Stabilizers and Functional Systems ​ - Our tailor-made stabilizer solutions help bring exciting new food products to market quickly and successfully. Using detailed modeling to create customized systems, we deliver functional ingredients that define the texture, viscosity and consistency while keeping products stable throughout the entire shelf-life.

Society

People across the globe are looking for nutritionally-improved alternatives to their favorite products . Our customer realised that there was a gap in their portfolio and challenged us to find the best solution. We have a deep market and technical knowledge and were able to work closely with them quickly to create a better alternative, without sacrificing on taste, texture and overall experience, and become their partner of choice. We were once again able to help to Transform Lives Through the Science of Food.

Consumer insight​ ​

• Mexican consumers are focusing on leading a balanced lifestyle.¹
• 61% of Mexico consumers purchase flavored milk drinks once a month or more.
• 23% of Mexicans are more likely to purchase a flavoured milk if it has a low/no/reduced fat claim and 24% are more likely to purchase if it has a low/no/reduced calorie claim.
• Across LATAM, 43% of consumers consider “Fat Free” a key driver of purchase and 41% say the same about a “Low Fat” claim.²

¹Global Ingredient Tracker, Mexico, 2024.

² Food and Drink  Formulation  Preferences  Global  Data 2022.