DPO launches first ambient yogurt drink with chewable pieces in Thailand

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The new range of passion fruit-flavored yogurt drinks is fat-free and and low sugar, and contains chewable pearls from the konjac plant. Pic: SIG

The Dairy Farming Promotion Organization of Thailand (DPO) has launched Chew-D, the first ambient yogurt drinks with chewable pieces in Thailand.

The product was made possible by unique drinksplus technology from SIG.

The new range of passion fruit-flavored yogurt drinks is fat-free and and low sugar, and contains chewable pearls from the konjac plant, which grows in the tropics. The nutritious chewable pearls are valuable not just as components of a balanced diet, but also as a perceived and rated added value, SIG said.

The product is available in combiblocMini 200ml carton packs from SIG and can be filled on SIG’s standard filling machines for beverages.

SIG’s drinksplus technology makes it possible to aseptically fill carton packs with beverages containing up to 10% pieces – from fruit and vegetables to nuts and grains.

Suchart Chariyalertsak, acting DPO deputy director, said, “With the launch of Chew-D using SIG’s drinksplus technology, DPO has been able to enter a new market segment and bring true innovation to the Thai beverage market. This new product development also brings added value for our company, as we’ve been able to easily produce drinksplus products on our existing filling technology from SIG.”

SIG uses an advantageous sleeve system, where each carton is individually shaped, filled and ultrasonically sealed above the filling line, not through the actual product. This guarantees the aseptic safety of the product and is why drinksplus products with perceptible pieces can be filled on standard SIG filling machines for beverages, once equipped with a ‘drinksplus upgrade kit’. The particulates can be up to 6mm in length and width. Drinking straws are up to 8mm in diameter.

Vatcharapong Ungsrisawasdi, country manager Thailand at SIG, said, “Beverage manufacturers all over the world are seeking new growth opportunities and the challenge is to develop the right kind of product for the right target group. Our expert team worked closely with DPO to make it possible for the company’s top-quality beverages to include the chewable extras – offering something exciting, nutritious and different to its health-conscious consumers.”