Arla Food Ingredients increases protein in ONS juice-style drinks
Arla Food Ingredients has developed a solution to provide more protein in oral nutrition supplements in juice-style drinks rather than milky beverages.
The drink concept, will be shown at this year’s Vitafoods (May 9-11, 2023) at at time when juice-style drinks rise in popularity as a fresh-tasting alternative. However, such products remain niche, accounting for just 3.7% of adult liquid ONS launches over the past five years (Innova Market Insights). One reason for this might be that the average protein content of ONS juice-style drinks is just 4.2g per 100g.
Arla Foods Ingredients has now created a solution that makes it possible to increase the level of protein in ONS juice-style drinks to 7% without compromising on taste or mouthfeel. The new concept incorporates LacprodanBLG-100, a 100% pure beta-lactoglobulin with an outstanding nutritional profile. It contains 7g of protein per 100g and is high in essential amino acids, including leucine (1.13g per 100g).
Juice-style medical drinks made with Lacprodan BLG-100 are an excellent source of protein and energy. The new solution is fat-free and the use of BLG-100 enables very low viscosity and stability over shelf life. In addition, it tastes less astringent than typical ONS juice-style products and provides a more pleasant mouthfeel, encouraging compliance in medical nutrition.
Troels Nørgaard Laursen, director for health & performance at Arla Foods Ingredients, said: “Juice-style options are a promising alternative to traditional milky oral nutritional supplements, but there has been room for improvement when it comes to their protein profile. Lacprodan BLG-100 is a great solution to this challenge. It’s rich in essential amino acids – in particular leucine – and helps ONS deliver a more palatable drinking experience.”
Arla Foods Ingredients will exhibit at Vitafoods Europe on Stand G30. Other concepts on show will include solutions for high-protein ready-to-drink tea and coffee, and a multi-textured bar with protein in every layer, a special edition of which has been created for Vitafoods.
