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Editors’ choice: Our roundup of the most innovative global dairy products

From omega-3 goat milk in the Netherlands to banana-flavoured cheese from China, the global dairy space is an exciting area full of new and innovative products which are constantly changing perceptions in the sector.

The products below were cited during the Dairy and Dairy Alternatives Deep Dive Day, held as part of the Fi Webinar Series, and include milk waste transformed into PHA bioplastic, fermented drinking milk, vanilla flavoured omega goat milk, organic drinking kefir and banana ice cream flavoured cheese sticks.

Let’s take a closer look…

Venvirotech milk PHA bioplastic

Venvirotech is using bacteria to transform organic waste materials into a type of bioplastic called PHA. The Spanish startup is currently working with Pascual Dairy to transform milk waste into PHA bioplastic that will then be used for dairy products. It is sustainable and non-toxic, according to the startup.

PHA bioplastic is completely organic, it biodegrades in the environment in six to nine months and has the same properties as common plastics, which means it can be mass-produced and used as a functional alternative.

“Plastic waste is obviously a disaster for the environment and the dairy sector is very dependent on plastic because its products are perishable and moist, so it’s great to see startups working to find solutions there,” said Niamh Michail, senior content editor at Fi Global.

Mimosa Eleva fermented drinking milk

Portuguese dairy manufacturer Lactogal recently launched a fermented drinking milk under its Mimosa Eleva brand. It contains both added probiotics and prebiotic fibre with inulin and amaranth to help with digestion, absorption of nutrients, and protection of the immune system with ‘all the benefits’ of natural yeast. The drinking milk is lactose-free and sweetened with stevia. It consists of two formats - liquid and spoonable.

The drinkable line-up includes – kiwi and strawberry; raspberry and apple; blueberry, goji, amaranth and almond; mango, carrot, quinoa and cinnamon. The spoonable variety includes – kiwi; peach, carrot, millet and red quinoa and raspberry, almond and flaxseeds.

“I think this really speaks to the current demand around gut health and dairy products are seen as quite a natural fit for ingredients that improve gut health because they are fermented,” said Niamh Michail, senior food editor at Fi Global.

Smart Goat vanilla flavoured multi omega goat milk

Made from natural goat milk in the Netherlands, Smart Goat’s vanilla flavoured omega milk contains fish oil, omegas-3, 6 and 9, and 15 types of vitamins and minerals to boost the immune system and maintain brain functions and strong bones.

Goat milk contains protein and fat making it “easy to digest and absorb”. Smart Goat is a brand under Thailand’s Healthsure Nutrition and is a Halal certified product.

Yeo Valley organic drinking kefir

Kefir is a cultured, fermented drink made from kefir grains. UK dairy brand, Yeo Valley has just released drinkable kefir which the brand describes as “creamy, tangy and perfect for when you’re on the go”. The new kefir range is comprised of three flavours – natural, cherry and mango & passionfruit.

Content editor at Fi Global, Segi Adewusi, thought this was a particularly gut-friendly product, filled with 14 different live cultures and accessible to a wide range of consumers with busy lifestyles.

MilkFly banana ice cream flavoured cheese sticks

Milkfly, a brand under Chinese children’s food manufacturer Miaofei, develops cheese snacks specifically for children. The cheese sticks are made from milk powder imported from New Zealand. They come in a variety of newly upgraded flavours – original, strawberry, mixed fruit, and banana ice cream.

“In Asia, there has been a lot of innovation around flavours in cheese. In China, we saw banana ice cream flavoured cheese sticks from a brand called MilkFly, stir-fry chicken flavoured cheese in Japan, and a savoury snack in Korea that blended squid and cheese,” said Niamh Michail, senior food editor at Fi Global.

“The Asian region doesn’t have the same history of cheese-making as in Europe, for example, so consumers are happy to experiment with flavour combinations that would be quite unusual in other parts of the world, and brands are coming up with some novel flavour combinations to meet that demand,” she added.

Product information taken from Mintel’s Global New Product Database