Chr. Hansen launches clean label FreshQ cultures to improve shelf life and cut waste

03 Nov 2017 --- With Chr. Hansen’s second generation FreshQ, more dairies can rely on natural freshness and contribute to reducing food waste, according to the company, which has just launched the new product five years after debuting its FreshQ portfolio. Since then FreshQ is claimed to have swept across the global dairy industry and gained recognition for its protective properties against yeast and mold in an all-natural way, playing into the strong consumer preference for clean label.

Now the Chr. Hansen innovation and science teams have come up with a series of new FreshQ cultures that the company claims are even more powerful than the first generation.

Helping customers go natural
“We are happy and proud to launch more than 10 new cultures, which will most certainly open the door to new markets and customers,” says Peter Thoeysen, Marketing Director, Dairy Bioprotection.

“It is a new generation that offers improved solutions. The new FreshQ cultures are applicable and optimized to significantly more products and applications (in addition to yogurt, also fresh cheese, kefir, quark and numerous other fermented milk products) and they have stronger protective properties that make them well-suited in regions where the cold chain is under pressure.”

“Last but not least, they offer an alternative to even more chemicals and artificial preservatives than the first generation and thus we can help more customers go natural,” he adds.

Reducing food waste through longer shelf life
FreshQ works by inhibiting or postponing the growth of yeast and mold in the fresh dairy product. An externally validated study has shown that by extending shelf life, FreshQ can help reduce food waste.

Today 17 percent of the European yogurt production goes to waste – in 80 percent of the cases because the use-by-date expires somewhere in the supply chain. 

An extension of shelf life by seven days, which is a conservative estimate of the possible impact by FreshQ, would translate into a potential of reducing yogurt waste by 30 percent in Europe alone, claims the company. 

Reduction of food waste has not only been identified by the United Nations as a Global Goal for Sustainable Development, it is also high on consumers’ agenda. 

A modest extension of shelf life does not conflict with the preference for freshness as long as it is brought about by natural ingredients, and if it can contribute to reducing waste.

“The second generation of FreshQ has overcome some of the limitations we have identified in the first generation. In the development of the cultures we have also focused on selecting strains that have a minimum impact on the process and help obtain the desired flavor,” explains Thoyesen.

“What we offer to dairy manufacturers around the world is a competitive edge without compromising their product label; we provide them with a chance to keep their products fresh and safe longer by using nature’s own resources. That not only helps food manufacturers create a great brand experience – it helps them to keep it great.” 

Bioprotection is a strategic lighthouse in Chr. Hansen’s overall strategy. Last year the product area saw 30 percent growth and expectations continue to be high.