Protein bar premiumization: Arla upgrades solution with whey protein isolate and casein blend

23 Sep 2019 --- Arla Foods Ingredients is offering an easy way to give protein bars premium positioning amid major growth in the protein bar category driven by the demand for functional foods and on-the-go snacks. According to the company, manufacturers are seeking new ways to differentiate their products and maximize consumer appeal in an increasingly crowded market, and achieving premium positioning can be technically challenging and time consuming. However the new solution allows manufacturers to give their protein bars an upgrade without wasting time on sourcing, balancing and blending numerous ingredients.

Lacprodan ISO.WheyBar is a blend of whey protein isolate and casein specially designed as a premium protein source in bars. Whey protein isolate is recognized by consumers as one of the purest and complete protein sources available, allowing bars to be positioned at the premium end of the market.

Adding whey protein isolate to a protein bar isn’t as simple as just exchanging it with any other protein source.

“Whey protein isolate is known to lead to a harder texture during the shelf life of protein bars, and this would be unacceptable to mainstream consumers. Until now, manufacturers had to spend a lot of internal resources on sourcing, testing and blending multiple protein ingredients to ensure their product could feature whey protein isolate and still have an acceptable texture for consumers,” Joe Katterfield, Health & Performance Nutrition Development Manager at Arla tells FoodIngredientsFirst. 

“Lacprodan ISO.WheyBar solves this problem because it has been optimized (by combining whey protein isolate with other specially selected dairy proteins) to deliver a bar with a high content of whey protein isolate but also a soft texture. Our protein bar application and technology team has performed extensive analysis and accelerated shelf life testing to show that if you formulate your bar with Lacprodan ISO.WheyBar, you can get an outstanding product that is favored by consumers, while only having to purchase a single ingredient,” he explains.

Mindful consumers driving demand for on-the-go protein 
Bars are a popular way for mindful consumers to increase their protein intake on-the-go. The protein bar category has moved from the niche to the mainstream and continues to grow, explains Katterfield.

“Consumers have begun to understand the value these products bring to their busy lifestyles and as a result, barriers to purchase have decreased. The number of new sales channels emerging for protein bars – such as convenience stores, vending machines and traditional retailers have also increased – so it has never been easier to purchase protein bars.

“As more and more brands with similar products enter the market, it can be harder to attract new consumers and win brand loyalty. Incorporating premium elements, such as whey protein isolate from LacprodanISO.WheyBar, provides an opportunity to position a product as something new and different, and to command a higher price premium, which can lead to higher margins.”

What growth opportunities remain for protein bars? 
The global growth in the protein bar category is set to continue in the coming years with developed markets using more clean label ingredients and formulations as well as a greater variety of textures such as multiple layers, fillings, and crunchy inclusions.  

“In developing markets, such as the Middle East, which currently rely on imported brands, expect to see local producers starting to offer bars that pay homage to more regional taste and texture preferences,” adds Katterfield. 

Arla Foods Ingredients will showcase Lacprodan ISO.WheyBar at SupplySide West October 17-18 in Las Vegas. It will also highlight two other ways to boost the quality of protein bars: Lacprodan TexturePro is a functional hydrolyzed whey protein concentrate that gives bars a superior texture and offers a way to replace maltitol while maintaining a great texture. Meanwhile, Lacprodan SoftBar allows bars to reach up to 37 percent protein content using only dairy proteins while giving them a pleasant whipped texture.

By Gaynor Selby