Arla wins Best Beverage Ingredient at drinktec awards

Arla Foods Ingredients has won Best Beverage Ingredient at the Beverage Innovation Awards at drinktec in Munich. The company won the prize for its processing solution that enables processors of traditional Greek strained yoghurts to profit from their acid whey waste stream.

Based on Arla’s Nutrilac protein, the process enables manufacturers to use their acid whey to make value-added dairy products such as high-protein fermented beverages, whey smoothies and fermented desserts.

For every 100 kg of milk used to make traditional Greek yoghurt, only 33 kg ends up being used in the final product. The remainder is acid whey, a by-product that the processor must either dispose of or find a way to re-use.

Arla says that using acid whey with its processing solution eliminates the storage and transport requirements associated with other methods of disposing of the acid whey.

“We’re very pleased to win this award and delighted the judges have recognised the groundbreaking nature of our new acid whey concept,” said Senior Director - Functional Milk Proteins Carsten Valentin after collecting the award.

“It is an important development for the Greek yoghurt industry and winning this award reflects the hard work and skills of our superb development team.

“Until now it has simply been accepted that acid whey is an unavoidable waste product of Greek yoghurt production - but not any more. With the addition of our Nutrilac protein solution to the acid whey, what was once a waste product is now a raw material that can be used to create a high-quality product with added value.”