Clean label products has become very popular among consumers as they prefer more natural, highly-nutritious, low-processed, and preservatives-free products.
According to a consumer-based survey conducted in Europe stated that 73% of buyers preferred clean label dairy products as they considered these products safe, healthier, nutritious, and free from GMOs, artificial flavor, and additives.
The dairy sector strives to introduce new clean label products prepared from natural raw material-bovine milk into the market to meet consumer demands. Native whey protein is one of the popular ingredients which is currently being used in place of traditional gelatine in the production and processing of a wide array of clean-label food products due to its nutritional, functional, and organoleptic qualities.
Native Whey protein
Native whey protein is extracted from skim milk via membrane filtration. It is commonly marketed as; native whey protein isolates (90% protein content). Both forms of proteins have the same funcional benefits but differ in protein content on dry matter.
Furthermore, native whey protein has a favorable nutritional profile, as it contains essential amino acids (EAA) and branched chain amino acids (BCAA). That provide numerous health benefits to consumers.
What makes a Native Whey Protein a Clean Label Ingredient?
Native whey protein is a highly functional protein extracted from bovine (cow) milk and contains no artificial additives or flavors due to which it is considered an excellent ingredient for clean label products.
Gelation and Water holding properties of Native Whey proteins
Many Food manufacturer uses gelatine to give appealing texture to foods. However, the gelatin does not satisfy all the consumers as it is prepared from the collagen of various domestic animals such as cows, and pigs. To avoid concerns of some vegetarians and vegan communities and for more natural formulation, the dairy sector has introduced native whey protein as a gelatin replacer.
Native whey protein is a minimally processed protein that is obtained directly from milk. Compared to cheese whey protein which goes through many process steps, native whey protein is a pure form of protein and keep all its functionalities, like its gelation properties. Therefore it can provide a good texture, appealing appearance, pleasing mouthfeel, and consistency to various food products such as ice-creams, cream cheese, desserts, yogurt, whipped creams, protein-enriched shakes, etc.
Native whey protein ingredients are now rapidly being used as a functional ingredient in food because of their textural benefits, but also for their water-holding properties. Indeed, the active gelling network of native whey protein is also capable of holding a large amount of water. It can be of a particular interest in the formulation of products which can develop syneresis (in yogurt for instance) or to improve the sensory properties (in meat products for instance).
InLeit Nat WPI90 – our Native Whey Protein Isolate, can be used as a gelatine replacer or texturizer agent in the processing of a wide array of food products to fulfill the clean label expectations of consumers
