KEY INTERVIEW: Using Enzymes to Enhance Product Value Sweetens the Dairy Market

18 May 2015

18 May 2015 --- Enzyme technology is an area that has been active for many years, but as more enzymes are discovered, their potential in the food industry continues to gain ground. Poul Andersen, Director of the Enzymes Solutions Business Unit at DSM Food Specialties, has been in the role for under a year, after 25 years at Novozymes. Andersen spoke to FoodIngredientsFirst about what is was like to work for another world leader in food ingredients, and what it means to use enzymes to get the most out of not only food, but also to benefit the planet.

“At the DSM Food Specialties Enzyme Solutions unit we discover new ways to use enzymes in virtually all food applications, for health benefits, but also to get the most out of the food chain,” Andersen explained.

So by using various enzymes, food producers can get the most out of their product in both a functional way, for example, Andersen highlighted an enzyme that would help the makers of orange juice get even more juice from each fruit; and also a nutritional way.

One recent addition is a new application of the Maxilact enzyme, which helps to break down lactose in dairy applications. As Andersen explains, using the enzyme to address a very real need in the food industry (that of lactose intolerance) led to the discovery that this product could also be used to reduce sugar in dairy products, by default.

“Lactose is a sugar,” said Andersen. “Maxilact unlocks more of the sweetness that is naturally present by breaking down the lactose into glucose and galactose, which have a higher relative sweetness. By releasing more of the sweetness using this enzyme, you can reduce the amount of sugar that is added to the product and still create the same taste.

“Furthermore, the sweet taste is likened to the taste of sucrose, which has a desirable texture and mouthfeel,” he says.

Using Maxilact to reduce sugar in finished products would be particularly pertinent for dairy products that frequently add sugar, such as flavoured milk drinks and yogurts. Andersen estimates that in many products, it is possible to reduce added sugar by as much as 15%.

As for creating a lactose-free product, Maxilact breaks down the complex milk sugars that so many people are intolerant to and creates a stable product that is free from lactose. Users of Maxilact need not fear about the integrity of their end product, either. In fact, there have been reports of the enzyme creating a more desirable mouthfeel in high protein dairy foods, particularly in Greek yoghurt applications.

“As an enzyme ingredient to create a lactose-free dairy product, Maxilact has been on the market for some time. It is a flagship product of DSM Food Specialties. However, it is only in the last year or so that this new development of sugar reduction in dairy products has taken off.

“The discovery opens new opportunities and greater flexibility for those food manufacturers wanting to reduce the sugar content of their products,” notes Andersen.

Andersen sees the trend for sugar reduction increasing with time. “The trend has certainly not hit its peak yet,” he says. “Recent published research shows that consumers are increasingly seeking reduced sugar options. In the first quarter of this year alone, there were as many new product launches offering reduced sugar as in the whole of 2014 in North America. This is what the customer wants and we are helping to make it happen.”

Another area that the Enzyme Solutions Unit is working hard on is the bakery segment. Of course enzymes in the baking process have long been important, but DSM’s new Bakezyme Go enzyme strengthens the dough in applications where the dough experiences a lot of stretching, for example in pizza applications.

“This new enzyme has strengthened the dough in several industrial applications,” explains Andersen. “It essentially can replace a chemical process with a biological one and has developed the process to make it more efficient.”

The product, which was only launched in recent weeks, taps into multiple trends, including that of clean label. “This enzyme can replace compounds such as bromate, ADA and ascorbic acid, so the consumer can see that certain ingredients are no longer necessary.”

“The enzyme also tackles the variability in wheat quality that we see geographically. This product standardises the quality and will lead to a standardised product, wherever it originates from,” says Andersen.

In terms of the future, Andersen sees huge potential for the protein industry, which is facing increasing demand in all areas, from wheat to fish, to milk and vegetables.

“Our aim is to enhance the value of these protein products and in these early days, we are looking at how we can play a helping hand at extracting nutritional value from protein,” he concludes.