DENMARK – Arla Foods Ingredients, a leading supplier of dairy ingredients, has introduced two cheese recipe concepts aimed at enhancing the nutritional profile of cheese products.
The first concept is a cream cheese formulation that contains 50% less fat than standard recipes while still delivering a creamy texture and delicious taste.
According to the company, enriched with high-quality whey proteins, the cream cheese formulation offers all essential amino acids, appealing to health-conscious consumers seeking flavorful, nutrient-rich choices.
In addition, Arla Foods Ingredients has developed a low-fat solution for individually wrapped cheese slices, utilizing fat-mimicking proteins to reduce the need for skimmed milk cheese.
“The formulation, enhanced with milk mineral concentrate, provides the same calcium content as a large glass of milk in a single cheese slice.”
Arla noted that the innovative concepts aim at providing nutritious yet indulgent options for consumers.
By incorporating high-quality dairy ingredients to replace milk fat with healthy milk proteins, the company noted that the concepts significantly boost the protein and calcium content of cheese products.
Claus Bukbjerg Andersen, Senior Category Manager, Cheese at Arla Foods Ingredients, noted the importance of addressing consumer demand for nutritional value in cheese products.
He emphasizes the company’s commitment to developing solutions that offer a major nutrition boost without compromising taste or texture, thereby creating opportunities for health claims in the market.
“Cheese consumers are highly focused on nutritional value, in particular protein content. At the same time, they still want indulgent taste and texture,” he said.
“While this has posed challenges for manufacturers, it has also opened up new opportunities. As our new concepts demonstrate, the right ingredients can give a cheese product a major nutrition boost, creating opportunities for health claims without sacrificing taste or texture.”
Meanwhile, beyond product innovation, Arla Foods Ingredients has taken steps towards carbon reduction goals by investing in an electric heat pump facility at its primary processing plant in Denmark.
The initiative marked the company’s largest single investment in net-zero initiatives to date, aiming to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 22% compared to 2023 levels.
Scheduled to commence operations in 2025, the electric heat pump facility will convert electricity into heat, reducing reliance on fossil fuels and contributing to Arla’s overarching goal of reducing CO2 emissions from production by 63% by 2030.
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