Yogurt powders may be blended into a fat base to make compound coatings for snacks such as pretzels and raisins.
Yogurt powders
Fresh yogurt’s shelf life and refrigeration restraints must be considered. Suppliers convert refrigerated yogurt into a dry ingredient, rendering it non-perishable. By removing moisture, yogurt becomes easier to work with in an industrial manufacturing setting.
“Most dry yogurt ingredients have a shelf life of up to a year, virtually eliminating issues around chilled storage and the incremental cost of storing a highly perishable product,” said Sara Menard, applied food technologist, Grande Custom Ingredients Group, Fond du Lac, Wis.
CoreFX Ingredients, Chicago, uses a gentle spray drying technology to produce dry yogurt with no added ingredients. The process yields concentrated yogurt powders where flavor and color is preserved and functionality is a premium. The range includes all fat levels, in both traditional and Greek varieties. When the dry ingredients start from a yogurt base that is organic or free of artificial growth hormones and genetically modified organisms, those attributes are retained by the new ingredient format.
“Formulators need to recognize dry yogurt ingredients contain highly concentrated levels of nutrients, and depending on the application, the ingredients may require the addition of water to return them to their original composition,” said Denis Neville, CEO of CoreFX Ingredients. “The dry yogurt may get rehydrated before addition to a recipe or the recipe will be adjusted to include extra water.”
Yogurt powders are used in dry mixes for dips, sauces and dressings.
Pete Pyeatt, director of R&D, DairiConcepts, Springfield, Mo., said, “Yogurt powders are used in snack seasonings and dry mixes for dips, sauces and dressings. The powders provide a tart, cultured flavor note. They also deliver quality protein, great mouthfeel and an excellent starting point for layering other flavors.”
Yogurt powders may also be blended into a fat base to make compound coatings for snacks such as pretzels and raisins. Traditional powders are made through a drying process that deactivates the bacterial cultures.
Epi Ingredients, France, has developed a range of fermented dairy powders based on milk, quark or yogurt. Easy-to-use in a range of applications, the fermented powders offer a strong, yet pleasant dairy flavor. They are designed to enhance both taste and texture in numerous applications
“Beyond some outstanding functional and sensory attributes, what makes these powders stand out in the industry is that some of them feature the same live bacteria as the ones found in yogurt,” said Mathieu Lucot, marketing manager at Epi Ingredients. “We have the unique capability to dry blends of milk and live cultures, keeping them alive throughout the process and into the finished powder. We already offer a few standard yogurt powders but can imagine infinite opportunities as probiotic strains with new benefits are discovered.”
Grande developed a dry yogurt ingredient based on skim milk, whey protein concentrate and active yogurt cultures. The heat-treated, shelf-stable cultured dairy ingredient provides authentic yogurt flavor while binding water and building viscosity. A recent innovation is Greek yogurt powder that contains 60% protein.
“With consumers’ growing interest in the foods and flavors of the Mediterranean, Middle East and Israel, countries with traditional recipes based on yogurt, we can expect to see more culinary innovations using yogurt in unique ways,” Ms. Nielsen said. “Yogurt provides a sturdy bridge to food forms and flavors of these places and allows curious consumers to comfortably explore distinctive spices and seasoning blends.”
