“Milking” alt-dairy potential: dsm-firmenich displays tech for mass adoption and affordability

Swiss-Dutch firm dsm-firmenich is bridging the gap between plant- and dairy-based beverages by “redefining” the alt-dairy experience with technology that imparts authentic, creamy taste while meeting evolving consumer demands. Its Dynarome DA innovation smooths out off-notes from plant proteins while enhancing mouthfeel, and Smart Milk flavor technology imparts rich, buttery notes to bring plant-based milk closer to dairy milk.

The innovation is important at a time when no more than 15% of consumers surveyed globally report increasing dairy alternatives, with the exception of India, where 40% of the consumers increased in 2015-2019, according to Innova Market Insights’ report. They also demand affordability from manufacturers, as the cost-of-living-crisis drives careful purchase decisions.

Meanwhile, nearly 70% of consumers seek plant-based options that taste like true dairy and 73% are open to purchasing more dairy alternatives “if they featured a better nutritional profile,” underscores dsm-firmenich.

Food Ingredients First speaks with Utkarsh Shah, VP of Sweet Goods North America, and JoAnn Fritsche, business development director of Sweet Goods North America at dsm-firmenich Taste, Texture & Health to explore how their latest innovations elevate plant-based beverages, tackling taste, texture, market trends, and cost-effectiveness in the alt-dairy sector.

The plant-based milk industry needs technologies and solutions to achieve mass adoption, says Shah.What attitude shifts have you observed in consumers demanding a dairy-like experience in plant-based drinks?
Shah: In one of our consumer insight studies, we found that 70% of plant-based milk consumers prefer to have the taste of milk and dairy in the plant-based milk solutions, with a preference for creamy, buttery and rich notes. If you think about the consumer landscape, in milk consumption, there are basically three big buckets — 30% are health-conscious, plant-based focused consumers, 30% are persuadable or hybrid who like to have both, and 30% are heavy dairy consumers.
The plant-based milk industry has done a great job in the adoption of the plant-forward and health-focused consumers. But we need technologies and solutions to really nail that mass adoption.

How do the Dynarome technology and Smart Milk range work to improve plant-based milk characteristics?
Fritsche: Dynarome DA, which stands for dairy alternatives, is a proprietary tool and technology that we have developed that bridges the gap between plant-based and dairy. We moved the needle on these and focused on two areas — for Dynarome, it’s masking as well as mouthfeel. The masking tends to neutralize any off-notes from pea proteins or soy proteins. Then, having that neutralized, we can add the Smart Milk flavors for the milk and creamy-type notes.

Shah: We bring hundred years of expertise in sensory science and understand how consumers perceive foods and beverages. So, when we conducted a series of liking studies, we identified what attributes consumers really need. Dynarome removes the negative attributes associated with plant-based milk, and Smart Milk adds the positive ones. Combined, you create a delicious, smooth milk experience in every sip of plant-based milk.

Why is this the right time for such innovations in plant-based milk?
Shah: Dairy as a category is down 2% versus the last 52 weeks. Digging deeper into the data, plant-based milk is down 6% compared to dairy milk, which is by nearly one and a half to 1%. These are discouraging numbers at first look, but there are two hidden jewels in this category — coconut milk, which is growing at 10%, and ultra-filtered, lactose-free milk, also growing at around 10%, which are both creamy. This indicates that consumers are looking for creamy, rich, delicious notes in plant-based milk, which was further substantiated by our study that I referred to before. So, in order for us to get mass adoption in the plant-based milk industry, we need to take a step change to make this industry thrive even further.

What impact can these innovations have on the cost-effectiveness of plant-based milk? 
Fritsche: We designed the technology to consider the cost targets because plant-based products generally tend to run slightly more than their dairy or meat counterparts. So, we were instrumental in looking at this and ensuring we were aligned with the market, cost, and use targets. We have a toolkit that we use so that we can work with our customers from the start of the concept to launch. So we have flavor maskers, where these two technologies come into play, as well as enzymes, cultures, hydrocolloids, colors, and stabilizers. 

Fritsche says plant-based milk is increasingly compared to dairy milk for nutritional value.Shah: We acknowledge and appreciate the importance of affordability in plant-based milk as a category and genuinely believe in order for this category to scale further, we need to make it affordable for mass consumers. That’s the first layer we add before developing new solutions for the market. Secondly, we also acknowledge the brand owners’ concerns about increased raw material costs. 

These cost-effective solutions meet the consumers’ needs, and the value the technology generates offsets the cost increase driven by the raw material. This is really the crux of our technology. It is cost-effective, and you do not require any manufacturing changes. It seamlessly integrates into your current manufacturing operations, making it a very cost-effective solution.

How is dsm-firmenich addressing the growing consumer demand for nutritious plant-based milk, especially as it is increasingly compared to dairy?
Fritsche: Consumers, especially in the plant-based space, are becoming more discerning. The economy is a challenge, and it is very important where they spend their money. So they want something cost-effective. Part of the gap for the plant-based category is the taste, texture, and health. Companies are increasingly getting plant-based milk compared to dairy milk for nutritional value. With our portfolio, including pre-mixes, vitamins, and minerals, we can fortify the products to match dairy milk’s nutritional profile.

How do you plan to support the mass adoption of plant-based milk?
Shah: We will continue to invest in this plant-based revolution, whose mission is to make plant-based products taste better and more authentic. We are happy to see the investment, not just in science and research but also in consumer insights, sensory and other areas. This is an incredible technology, and it's well-positioned to meet the market needs. We can drive the mass adoption of plant-based milk in the future, because that is exactly what’s needed at this juncture in the industry. With this new wave of investment, the future looks remarkable for plant-based food technology.