IFT FIRST: Decadent dairy-free innovation takes culinary spotlight in Chicago

21 Jul 2023 --- Creamy, rich vegan alternatives to cream cheeses, ice cream and custards dotted the show floor of IFT FIRST, which took place in Chicago, US, earlier this week. IFT FIRST is the Institute of Food Technologists’ annual food tech trade show, inspiring Food Improved through Research, Science and Technology.

In line with Innova Market Insight’s fourth Top Ten Trend for 2023, “Plant-based: Unlocking a new narrative,” the non-dairy category has markedly expanded to wider, more mainstream applications. At the same time, it has penetrated the sophisticated culinary landscape, with some iterations claiming better performance than their animal-derived counterparts.  

One of Synergy Flavors’ Next Wave consumer trends highlights the mainstream acceptance of alternative foods: “Alternative Living.”

Alexandre Massumoto, marketing specialist at the company, says that Gen Z consumers are particularly looking for alternative proteins like non-dairy products in their daily lives. 

At IFT FIRST, Synergy Flavors set up a Gen Z coffee bar featuring global flavors and milky plant-based dairy, such as a horchata rice milk coffee and a vanilla maple oak coffee with oat creamer, alongside one dairy-based Irish stout offering. KraftHeinz Ingredients demoed its plant-based Philadelphia cream cheese in a cannoli taco featuring vegan chocolate chips.

Philadelphia plant-based cream cheese 
KraftHeinz Ingredients is capitalizing on the plant-based trend following the success of its plant-based Philidelphia cream cheese available in retail. 

The company featured the product at IFT FIRST in a plant-based cannoli taco featuring vegan chocolate chips in a cinnamon corn tortilla shell. The spread’s main ingredients include coconut oil, modified potato starch and faba bean protein. 

“We’re highlighting our plant-based Philadelphia cream cheese, which just won People magazine’s 2023 Food Awards for best plant-based cream cheese,” says Julie Dwyer, senior marketing manager at KraftHeinz Ingredients. 

“We saw an opportunity on our ingredients side to offer plant-based Philadelphia cream cheese for other food companies, especially as flexitarian diets are increasing.”

The product will be available in bulk starting from January 2024, and Dwyer notes that the company is exploring more brand partnerships with food manufacturers to boost sales. 

“Our research has shown that using branded ingredients, such as ‘cheesecake made with Philidelphia cream cheese,’ can boost sales by 30%, and 99% of consumers are familiar with the Philadelphia brand,” she adds.

Clean label creamy
Netherlands-based potato ingredients supplier Avebe displayed a full range of plant-based alt dairy applications positioned to eliminate the need for “unfriendly label ingredients.” Under the banner of PerfectaSOL, the ingredients combine potato starch and potato protein for a wide range of plant-based dairy applications without using hydrocolloids in the system. 

“We launched our plant-based ice cream, together with our potato protein called PerfectaSOL S 300 for IFT this year,” says Meleknur Tüzün, global segment manager of (plant-based) dairy and cheese at Avebe. 

“S 300 provides plant-based ice cream with the right whiteness, emulsification and aeration, which are very hard to achieve in a vegan ice cream application,” she stresses. Ingredion showcased an “elevated” plant-based dairy alternative dessert inspired by a Middle Eastern mahalabia pudding at the trade show.

The PerfectaSOL line is also employed for indulgent plant-based dairy applications with melt and stretch without milk casein. 

Culinary prowess 
Ingredion showcased an “elevated” plant-based dairy alternative dessert inspired by a Middle Eastern mahalabia pudding at the trade show. 

Chef Maru Harris, global culinologist for Ingredion, discovered the traditional dessert with cardamom and pistachios after befriending a chef in an Afghani restaurant. 

“When I got back, I wanted to recreate that experience in a plant-based version. We used our pea protein milk along with other stabilizers and hydrocolloids to give that credible texture that you would find in the original version in Afghanistan.” 

The prototype was topped with a saffron carrot coulis to enhance the authenticity of the product, divulges Harris. 

“Carrots came from the area around Afghanistan, so I wanted to bring carrots in and I did that with our Kerr puree concentrate infused with saffron to contrast colors. I like to think of it as a vegan panna cotta.”

Even better than the original? 
Meanwhile, Austria-based Agrana also developed a creamy, organic plant-based dessert, which mimics the texture and mouthfeel of a panna cotta without gelatine. The dessert is made with two different corn starches and an oat drink and is topped with a black cherry sauce, showcasing the company’s strength in starches and fruit. 

“We were inspired to create a product that could hold its form without the use of gelatine. We have starches that allow you to remove gelatine and we chose panna cotta to showcase that capability,” says Linda Johnson, director of business development at Marroquin Organic, which is part of the Agrana Group. 

The company says it is the first time a 100% vegan and organic panna cotta has been achieved. It is also low in fat and has a soft mouthfeel and mildly sweet vanilla-based taste. 

“The mouthfeel and rich consistency is luscious,” according to Agrana’s show chef, Michael Kubalewski, who prepared multiple concepts live at the booth. “It’s also more stable because there’s not any gelatine.” 

“Gelatine is very temperature sensitive and it can start to set up leaving an inconsistent texture. Here you don’t have that problem because the starch is water soluble – it dissolves instantaneously. As long as you continue to stir it, you don’t get any separation, granularization or any type of premature setting up that you could with gelatine.”

Kubalewski adds that gelatine-based desserts have to be quickly moved into their desired format before it reaches a certain temperature to avoid breaking, which is eliminated with the use of starches as a replacement. 

Sensory highlights
Tate & Lyle demoed its expertise in dairy and alt-dairy by serving up a hybrid dairy and non-dairy soft serve swirl sweetened with its Dolcia Prima allulose. The non-dairy side was based on coconut, while the dairy component was flavored ube – a purple potato popular in Filipino cuisine – highlighting consumer preference for adventurous flavors. Tate & Lyle showcased its expertise in both dairy and non-dairy by serving up a hybrid soft serve swirl.

Meanwhile, Edlong showcased a plant-based chocolate mousse formulated with InnovoPro's CP-Stabilifoam instead of traditional meringue. Edlong’s milk flavor masks the chickpea protein in the CP Stabilifoam, while butterscotch and chocolate flavors enhance the sweet brown chocolatiness within the mousse. 

The Almond Board of California highlighted the benefits of nuts in non-dairy desserts with a nostalgic choco-taco deconstructed dessert, tapping into throwback foods with a twist.

Healthier ingredients 
Improving plant-based dairy products is not only about taste and texture but about adding positive health benefits and removing negative ones. In this vein, Roquette demoed pea and rice protein in a vegan yogurt featuring 8 g of protein. The concept contained added fiber for increased creaminess and texture and pre and probiotics. 

Anke Golde, head of customer technical services of food and proteins, Americas at Roquette, says that the company’s pea protein easily dissolves in yogurt and works well in fermentation, making it a star ingredient to work with. 

Reducing fat can also help alt-dairy gain a leg up. Cargill’s Go!Drop technology, which was brought on board when Cargill acquired Cubiq Foods, can help formulators create plant-based eating experiences which are more true to their original counterparts than other solutions on the market today. 

Beyond plant-basedAgrana says it is the first time a 100% vegan and organic panna cotta has been achieved.
In addition to plants, formulators are looking to real dairy ingredients for inspiration on how to create the next milk. 

One of the key players in “dairy without the cow,” Perfect Day, recently launched a clear whey protein with a clean and clear flavor and increased functionality. The precision fermentation company boasts the highest amount of branched-chain amino acids in its clear whey solution. 

Another company paving the way for more nutritious dairy alternatives is TurtleTree, which is using precision fermentation to create lactoferrin. The glycoprotein today is commonly used in infant formula in China and Japan, but it’s scarce and expensive, occurring in “super small quantities in milk,” explains Hareem Siddiqi, food scientist at TurtleTree. 

“We're able to make lactoferrin at a steady supply and hopefully a steady price. So we’re aiming to bring the same functional benefits for adult nutrition.”

For brands looking to match the nutrition of plant-based dairy up to traditional dairy, adding lactoferrin can boost health benefits. Siddiqi notes that there is even an opportunity for the traditional dairy category since lactoferrin loses most of its bioactivity during pasteurization. 

By Missy Green, reporting from IFT FIRST in Chicago, US