New ingredient released for vegan manufacturers

DuPont Nutrition & Health has released a new ingredient for manufacturers producing plant-based drinks such as soya and almond alternatives to milk.

The new ingredient released by DuPont, is the gelling component ‘GRINDSTED GELLAN MAS 100’, more commonly known as gellan gum. It is used in the non-dairy milks to help with stabilising them. Manufacturers can now obtain all the functionality they need without having to also use other additives. This is the first time DuPont have made it available as a single ingredient.

Consumers are moving more and more towards cleaner, plant-based products, and DuPont is moving with this consumer preference. The company acknowledged that according to latest market intelligence, around a quarter of all European consumers are reducing or completely avoiding dairy items in their diet for health reasons.

“Ingredient enables manufacturers to respond to trend”

Jean-Baptiste Dufeu, DuPont global product manager, said: “The main driver is the demand for dairy-free drinks is lactose intolerant consumers. Our ingredient enables manufacturers to respond to this trend by stabilising particles in plant-based beverages and creating refreshingly smooth texture. Consumers experience a refreshing drink with an authentic flavour profile.”

The latest market analysis from Euromonitor and Innova Market Insights has recorded the explosion in sales of plant-based drinks. Soy products have been at the forefront of that growth, accounting for around $1 billion of the $1.5 billion non-dairy market in Western Europe in 2016, though the rise of alternatives such as rice, almond and oats is beginning to challenge that dominance.

Earlier this year, dairy-free milk alternatives appeared in The Office for National Statistics (ONS) ‘inflation basket’ for the first time ever. The list, which is used to track prices and monitor inflation, includes products which are popular and thus are easier to measure the cost of over time. The inclusion of soya and almond milks for the first time, reflect the changing attitudes and consumer habits towards dairy-free products.

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