Arla Foods Ingredients will bring a new 100% whey protein hydrolysate to SSW. It says that Lacprodan HYDRO.PowerPro is more readily absorbed than intact whey protein, so the body can access amino acids quicker and reduce muscle damage.
It’s been tested with athletes that had a better recovery after intense exercise following whey protein hydrolysate consumption. However, most on the market have a bitter taste, making them difficult to incorporate into new products.
Arla says the Lacprodan HYDRO.PowerPro fixes that issue, and is 50% less bitter than comparable products with a similar degree of hydrolysis (21-27%). It’s designed for use in powder shakes and other RTD protein beverages.
Anne Louise Friis, health and performance nutrition manager at Arla, said, “The benefits of whey protein hydrolysate for post-exercise recovery make it ideal for sports nutrition applications. However, its unpleasant taste is a familiar challenge during product development.
“Lacprodan HYDRO.PowerPro solves this problem, offering all the power of whey hydrolysates without the bitter taste. It paves the way for a new generation of protein products that act quickly but also taste great.”
Arla will present the ingredient at SSW in shake and protein water concepts. Lacprodan HYDRO.PowerPro is sourced from grass-fed cows and made in Europe, and is fat-free, non-GMO, Halal and Kosher.
Bone, immunity and digestive function at NZMP
NZMP will take a health and wellness approach at SSW, showcasing its proteins and probiotics for the active consumer. Last year, NZMP released its Sports and Active Lifestyle business unit, which has become a key focus for the company after a year in operation.
The team is working to improve high-protein food formulations and expand lifestyle consumer needs outside the core NZMP protein portfolio. SureProtein has been popular for NZMP in improved processing, taste and texture for bakery, bars, yogurt and puddings.
Jim Lees, regional Americas VP of ingredient sales at NZMP, said, “NZMP research shows that 40% of today’s consumption occasions are in snacking. This is consistent with observations in North America where the traditional sports nutrition market is evolving to include a broader base of health-conscious consumers.
“These more mainstream consumers are driven by convenience and are looking to fulfil their snacking or nutrition needs on the go. Bars are consequently the largest format within the snacking category.”
And within those snacks, NZMP wants to deliver functional ingredients consumers are using to address health concerns, particularly related to bone health, immunity and digestive health. NZMP said this led them to expand into more probiotics and beyond dairy.
NZMP launched two probiotic ingredients for lifestyle nutrition earlier this year, Bifidobacterium animalis subspecies lactis HN019 and Lactobacillus rhamnosus HN001. Both target and support digestive health and immunity and are available as a freeze-dried powder for dry supplements and ready-to-mix powders.
Dr. James Dekker, senior nutrition program manager at NZMP, said, “While the ingredients have previously been used to support paediatric and maternal health, changing consumer trends, for example food and drinks that are ‘good for digestion and gut health’ appeal to 76% of global consumers, which makes our ingredients highly relevant in today’s growing sports and lifestyle nutrition market.
“At this stage, the health benefits primarily lie with digestive health, gut comfort and enhanced immunity, however additional research is currently underway to explore other areas, such as mental wellbeing benefits via the gut-brain axis.”