A bowl of yogurt made with plant based dairy topped with fresh berries and crunchy granola, showcasing a colorful and healthy breakfast option.

Demand for plant based dairy is growing, and with it the need for <span class="expressive">plant based dairy</span> solutions

Plant based dairy

Tasty and delicious plant based alternatives to dairy? Who would say ‘no’ to that? No matter if it’s cheese for your pizza, milk for your coffee, or whipped cream with your dessert, our plant based dairy solutions create moments of pure enjoyment that are good for the planet too!

The demand for plant based dairy continues to grow, as consumers seek plant based alternatives to dairy for health, environmental and ethical reasons. This means that plant based dairy solutions need to deliver on all fronts, including taste, texture, health and sustainability. And the variety of plant based dairy products needs to be as broad as traditional dairy too, including:

  • Plant based cheese
  • Plant based fermented products e.g. yogurts
  • Plant based frozen desserts
  • Plant based whipped toppings
  • Plant based drinks
  • Plant based spreads and butter
Bagels topped with plant based cream cheese, sliced cucumbers, and onions arranged on a plate.

Plant based alternatives to dairy – what are the challenges?

Well, that depends on the application. Pizza needs a dairy free cheese formulation that stretches and melts, just like mozzarella. In a sandwich or on a cracker, it may need to be sliced or able to be spread like the creamiest of cream cheeses. While a great deal of focus is placed on the choice of plant based protein or starch in plant based alternatives to dairy, it is the oils and fats in the recipe that play a major role in:

  • Enhancing taste, texture and flavor carry
  • Improving the melting and browning of plant based cheese
  • Delivering the creaminess and whipping properties of plant based toppings

 

With AkoPlanetTM we can help you achieve your goals.

A spinach and cheese casserole served with a spoon beside a bowl of fresh spinach.

Plant based dairy – how we support innovation with plant based dairy solutions

At our Innovation Center of Excellence for Plant based Foods, we drive consumer-focused innovation by collaborating with you as a strategic partner, utilizing our insights, expertise, and advanced capabilities to bring unique ideas to life and fast-track new products to market.

Customers and industry partners also bring a wide range of challenges to us relating to the taste, texture, nutritional value, sustainability and production of, for example, plant based cheese, whipped toppings, frozen desserts, drinks, and yogurt. We offer formulation expertize and analytical capabilities to our plant based dairy solutions, as well as sensory and culinary evaluation to support their next steps.

Innovation Center of Excellence
Two women in white lab coats collaborating on a complex machine in a laboratory setting.

Plant based dairy pilot plant

Our state-of-the art plant based dairy pilot plant is designed for maximum agility and innovation – for dairy free cheese, whipped toppings, frozen desserts, and yoghurt. With the capacity for heat treatment, pasteurization, mixing and homogenization, it can be adapted to meet the needs of specific recipes or mirror individual production processes.

We have specialist equipment for making ice cream, frozen desserts, and fermented dairy products too. We can bridge a useful gap for customers and partners that may have laboratory-scale testing facilities but are not yet ready to move to full factory trials.

Like to know more?

We want to work with you to improve the sensory profile of your plant based meat, so that you can deliver fantastic eating experiences that will make your consumers smile and keep coming back for more!  

If you’re working on plant based alternatives to dairy and you need inspiration, technical expertize or access to flexible pilot plant facilities, get in touch, we would love to discuss your project with you