With over 100 years of experience extracting vanilla, Tastepoint is an established pioneer among vanilla producers. Vanilla is a perennial favorite across a wide selection of applications, ranging from dairy to culinary and everything in between. Tastepoint says vanilla has been, and continues to be, at the core of so much of what it does. The company says it looks forward to working with you to provide a connection and experience as unique and remarkable as vanilla itself. Head to the company’s website to get better acquainted with the innovative vanilla solutions that Tastepoint can provide.

Sensient Flavors and Extracts says it offers a solution for masking bitterness and astringency with its all-natural Smoothenol flavor technology. Designed to mask the off notes commonly associated with sweeteners, caffeine, protein, vitamins and minerals, Smoothenol helps create a neutral, more acceptable tasting protein so additional flavor solutions can be added to successfully flavor the product. Smoothenol was designed for a global market, labels as “natural flavor” and is kosher; organic options are available.

Profile Food Ingredients (PFI) says it offers a range of custom stabilizer solutions for dairy-based beverages. PFI has experience in developing, formulating and supporting customers in all phases of stabilization for their products. All of PFI’s systems are tested from raw material to finished application by its technical group. The company’s systems can meet kosher, all-natural, nutrition and organic claims, as well as EU standards. In addition to its existing line of products, PFI can custom-blend a system specific to your needs. It has the capabilities to package in bags, boxes, drums, pails and pouches.

Kerry says its ambition is to reach over 2 billion people with sustainable nutrition solutions by 2030, which is translated through its industry-leading portfolio that supports its customers in co-creating products that are better for people, society and the planet. An example is the Kerry Tastesense portfolio, which helps companies develop products with less sugar while having a positive impact on the planet by reducing water usage and CO2 emissions. These solutions optimize taste while balancing nutrition in a cost-effective manner — with a focus on sugar reduction, mouthfeel for fat reduction and masking nutrition fortification. The company’s range of solutions label as “natural flavor,” catering to consumer preferences and ease of ingredient labeling.

For dairy milk consumers who are actively reducing sugar in their diets, the considerable amount of naturally occurring sugar no longer needs to be a barricade, says International Food Products Corp. (IFPC). As a longtime ingredient supplier to the dairy industry, IFPC’s LegacySweet systems help dairy processors looking to reduce or replace the sugar content in their milks and other dairy beverages. These proprietary systems contain blends of natural sweeteners, including monk fruit, stevia, sucralose, and erythritol. They were developed in-house by IFPC’s research and development team and produced at its best-in-class manufacturing facility, Aviator, in St. Louis.

Icon Foods says today’s consumers increasingly strive to reduce their intake of sugar and look for health-promoting ingredients to take its place. Additionally, dietary fiber is top-of-mind for consumers. Fructooligosaccharides (FOS) are prebiotic carbohydrates derived from natural sources that deliver less sweetness than sugar with minimal calories. Commonly used in combination with other sweeteners, FOS provides a variety of functional and nutritional benefits in dairy beverages. Icon Foods says it is an industry leader in clean-label sugar reduction, offering many natural sweetening solutions for dairy beverages. Icon Foods’ PreBiotica FOS is ideal for beverage dairy applications and, when combined with probiotics, can provide symbiotic gut health benefits that consumers are seeking.

Flavorchem says the impact of the pandemic has reinforced excitement for its seasonal flavor library as dairy brands create limited-edition varieties for an indulgent consumer experience. Seasonal flavors are often highly anticipated and tied to comfort and nostalgic memories with opportunity for brands to expand upon well-known flavors such as pumpkin, caramel, peppermint and gingerbread in dairy beverages — particularly flavored milk, coffee creamers, drinkable yogurt and nutritional shakes. The next big trend in seasonal flavors will feature upscale twists on childhood flavors such as cereal milk, s’mores and birthday cake that offer consumers both familiarity and a novel drinking experience.

Chr. Hansen says it recently launched the next-generation FreshQ bioprotective cultures. Benefits of these cultures include less post-acidification impact at accelerated temperatures during distribution or in circumstances involving long holding times or slow cooling, improved sensory fit compared to other food cultures with bioprotective effects, and the same best-in-class bioprotective performance producers expect from the FreshQ range. The cultures are a natural way to inhibit spoilage and protect against harmful contamination in food. In December 2021, Food Ingredients Europe announced Chr. Hansen’s FreshQ concept as winner of the Food Tech Innovation Award.

Cargill says it continues to sweeten its stevia product offerings with widespread commercial availability of its advanced EverSweet + ClearFlo technology. The key to this new offering is ClearFlo, a botanical extract. When combined with the company’s premier stevia sweetener EverSweet, ClearFlo delivers enhanced flavor modification characteristics, faster dissolution, improved solubility and stability in formulations. Of note, EverSweet + ClearFlo results in a solution that is up to 30% stevia — a 150 times increase over the Reb M stevia alone. The new sweetening solution is especially well-suited for deeper sugar reductions and can be used in a variety of dairy and dairy-alternative applications, including beverages and yogurt fruit preparations.

Blue Pacific Flavors says one of the most exciting ingredients for dairy it has come across recently is Ahiflower oil. Fresh pressed from seeds and regeneratively and sustainably grown in the United Kingdom, this oil is the most unique and powerful source of plant-based omega 3+6 available. Ahiflower oil offers a clean, neutral sensory profile. Available in both oil and powder form, Ahiflower can be added to liquid, semi-solid and dry dairy applications to enhance functional health benefits. As consumers increasingly embrace a plant-based, wellness-focused lifestyle, ingredients such as Ahiflower oil can help dairy processors add value to their formulations without compromising taste. Blue Pacific Flavors distributes Ahiflower oil and powder and offers applications assistance for incorporating Ahiflower into dairy food and beverages.

Powdered distillates are plant-based products that affect the way consumers interpret taste by minimizing undesirable flavors and enhancing the natural essence of foods. According to ASR Group, sugar cane distillate (SCD) powder modulates bitterness at 0.05% usage. With the presence of five bitterness blockers, SCD loosely binds to the bitterness receptors in the taste buds to block the perception of the unpleasant sensation. Cane molasses distillate (CMD) powder increases the sweetness perception at 65 parts-per-million usage. With the presence of five sweet aroma compounds, CMD provides effective flavor modulation attributes. Brown sugar notes within the powder accomplish a highly perceived "sweet" aroma.

Create a better beverage with Agropur Crino deproteinized whey. Crino is a high-lactose dairy ingredient that is versatile, highly soluble and easily integrated into beverage applications. Agropur says it’s a cost-effective source of dairy solids that contributes to clean-label claims and enhances flavor. Use Crino in ready-to-mix and ready-to-drink beverages. It potentiates flavor in hot drink applications. Add Crino to boost nutrition in your product — with minerals that include potassium, calcium and magnesium. Crino deproteinized whey can also help with claims of sodium and sugar reduction. Crino is the right solution for a variety of formulation needs.

Joining ADM’s broad plant-based texturants portfolio, the Texture Solution 100 and 200 series tackles dairy and alternative dairy formulation challenges by improving key sensory attributes and optimizing labels. These dry blends of functional plant-based ingredients provide robust texture, exceptional mouthfeel and flavor release, and added body and thickness. These purposeful texture solutions make excellent stabilizers, creating unmatched consistency in various applications. Plus, they help deliver on desirable label demands. Combined with ADM’s vast ingredient pantry and technical expertise, the texture solutions help brands develop deliciously creamy, consumer-preferred dairy offerings, ADM says.