National Starch develops ingredient for no-strain Greek yogurt

Greek-style yogurt has soared in popularity in the United States over the past few years, but the straining required to achieve a thick texture is costly and results in wasted whey.

Paul Petersen, National Starch Food Innovation’s global marketing director for texture said the company’s new Novation Indulge texturizing starch could allow manufacturers to dial in the protein and thick texture they want independently of each other, without any straining or whey wastage.

“Suddenly Greek took off,”​ Petersen said. “Some people like it because of its texture, some people like it because of the protein content – and some like it for both.”​

For many small and medium-sized businesses, the biggest cost barrier to entering the Greek yogurt market on a commercial scale is the purchase of industrial straining equipment, which Petersen said was in short supply – at a cost of about $10m per piece.

Adding an ingredient like starch instead of straining could be a cost-effective alternative, he said.

At the IFT expo, the company was showcasing a Greek-style yogurt containing its Novation Indulge starch.

“We developed it based on a starch because what people like about Greek yogurt is that it is clean label,”​ he said.

Regular non-fat plain yogurt delivers about 7 grams of protein per serving, and Petersen said that adding a protein ingredient to starch-thickened yogurt allows manufacturers to keep the high level of protein that is attractive to consumers – about double that of regular yogurt.

Novation Indulge would be labeled on ingredient lists as tapioca starch and maltodextrin.