Friday, March 29, 2024

Collaboration backs new UHT products

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Dairy company Miraka has and entered into partnership with AgResearch and Plant & Food Research to develop a range of shelf-stable and healthy whole-food-based beverages. Miraka chief executive Richard Wyeth said the range would appeal to high-value segments of Asian markets and create significant value for the New Zealand food industry.
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“This is an exciting next step in our journey to develop value added products for consumers.

"Our strategy has been to add more value to our milk and this project gives impetus to Miraka achieving this goal with partners who share the same values.”

Leading the research was AgResearch science team leader Dr Brendan Haigh who said the range would take advantage of new scientific knowledge and technology around manufacturing of dairy-based UHT milk products which contain plant or vegetable materials.

“This knowledge then provides the basis for the development of natural shelf-stable products that taste great, yet retain all of the natural health benefits that the dairy and plant material ingredients bring.

"There is strong consumer interest in whole-food-based products providing balanced nutrition with minimal processing.

“The project team’s role is to find effective combinations of plant-based ingredients with fresh milk to achieve the stability and functionality required, with no addition of highly refined stabilisers, emulsifiers or thickeners,” Haigh said. 

Plant & Food Research’s Dr Lee Huffman said developing new dairy foods with consumer appeal that also delivered the wellness characteristics of plant ingredients was a technical challenge.

“The strength of this project is the combined expertise of AgResearch and Plant & Food Research along with the processing and market knowledge of Miraka.

"We’re excited by the potential that this new collaboration between the three organisations presents.”

 

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