Chr. Hansen second-generation FreshQ cultures

With Chr. Hansen’s second-generation FreshQ, dairies can rely on natural freshness and contribute to reducing food waste.

The company has developed a series of cultures even more powerful than the first generation. The cultures offers dairy manufacturers a chance to keep their products fresh and safe longer by using nature’s own resources.

The cultures are applicable to more products and applications (in addition to yoghurt, fresh cheese, kefir, quark and numerous other fermented milk products) and have stronger protective properties that make them suited to regions where the cold chain is under pressure. They offer an alternative to even more chemicals and artificial preservatives than the first generation.

The culture works by inhibiting or postponing the growth of yeast and mould in the fresh dairy product. By extending shelf life, the cultures can help reduce food waste.

Today 17% of European yoghurt production goes to waste, in 80% of cases because the use-by date expires somewhere in the supply chain. An extension of shelf life by seven days, which is a conservative estimate of the possible impact of the cultures, would translate into a potential reduction of yoghurt waste by 30% in Europe alone.

In the development of the cultures, the company focused on selecting strains that have a minimal impact on the process and help obtain the desired flavour.