Chr. Hansen unveils “next-gen” food cultures for fermentation-enabled bioprotection of dairy products

28 Apr 2021 --- Chr. Hansen has launched its latest generation of FreshQ, a range of food cultures that improves the bioprotective effects of fermentation in dairy. The move will allow a broader segment of dairy producers, retailers and consumers to benefit from fermentation technology, and the unique food cultures can be applied to a broad range of fermented dairy products, such as yogurt, white cheese and tvorog.

In this specific process, the cultures and fermentation help keep food fresh by outcompeting yeast and mold spoilage for the space and nutrients they require to grow.

A dairy “game-changer”
According to Chr. Hansen, the new range is “a game-changer in terms of low impact on post acidification.”

“The fermentation-enabled bioprotection solutions that have been available in the market until now have had limitations in applicability where cold storage and distribution conditions are challenged,” Peter Thoeysen, Chr. Hansen’s director of bioprotection, tells FoodIngredientsFirst.

While helping to reduce spoilage problems, they often speeded up acidity development over shelf life and harmed the sensory quality of the dairy product. 

The next generation of FreshQ cultures are specifically developed to unlock the benefits of bioprotection for producers who may experience challenged cold chains, long fermentation and in-process holding times. 

This new generation of FreshQ enables the dairy industry to level up by offering producers the following benefits:  

• Less post-acidification impact at accelerated temperatures during distribution or in the circumstances involving long holding times or slow cooling.
• Improved sensory fit compared to other food cultures with bioprotective effects.
• The same bioprotective performance producers expect from the FreshQ range.

 “For customers looking to trim food waste and produce the best possible products under challenging production and distribution circumstances, this new launch is a game-changer,” elaborates Thoeysen. 

Chr. Hansen says the new range is “a game-changer in terms of low impact on post acidification.”“Our new generation of FreshQ cultures has been selected to enable resilient, consistent outcomes without undesirable impacts on taste and texture – resulting in optimized shelf life, improved sustainability throughout the value chain and superior freshness that our customers and their consumers can count on.” 

These new FreshQ cultures are the first in the market to improve significantly, and in most cases, altogether remove this technical barrier for implementation while still providing the real best in class performance against spoilage, notes Thoeysen. 

The new range will be accessible for many customers in the APAC and LATAM regions, who, “until now, have not been able to take full advantage of this technology.”

Utilizing fermentation 
According to Thoeysen, there is so much more to fermentation than taste, texture and speed of production. He believes that industry is rediscovering how it can help, solve and improve by understanding and utilizing fermentation even better “in the food we already ferment, as well as in new types of food.”

“Our ability to understand and analyze microbial interactions is constantly evolving,” Thoeysen continues. 

“Linking that with a strong comprehension of the food applications and their production can unlock solutions that help solve some of the critical dilemmas the food industry phases – in a sustainable way.”

“It seems consumers recognize this as well if you look, for instance, at the hype we see around fermentation in the home cooking and restaurant scene in many places,” he observes. 

Microbial interactions 
Using fermentation as a technology to make food is an entirely natural process. But that also makes it the biggest challenge, flags Thoeysen.

“The complexity of microbial interactions between bacteria in our culture and the specific food is very high and often very specific. When you see one mix of good bacteria create a very creamy yogurt, or perhaps increased robustness against spoilage, most often that cannot be transferred to other types of food,” he details. 

“We are very aware of this, and therefore we focus on the specific food application from the very early stages of our innovation process.”

Chr. Hansen has been pursuing this innovation target for several years, Thoeysen remarks.Chr. Hansen utilizes traditional fermentation principles to help improve quality and shelf life and reduce waste.

Investment in fermented plant bases was highlighted in Chr. Hansen’s 2025 strategy, which pegs the category as a “lighthouse,” a business category worth potential revenue above €100 million (US$118 million). 

Shaping a sustainable world 
According to Thoeysen, Chr. Hansen is committed to shaping a more resilient industry that can, in turn, shape a more sustainable world. 

“We believe that succeeding in this area means holistically reexamining how the global community consumes food and innovating with long-term outcomes in mind,” he explains. 

“We will continue to be very active and have a large innovation pipe. You will see us even within the very near future, bringing more news to both the dairy and plant-based space,” Thoeysen concludes. 

By Elizabeth Green