Arla Foods Ingredients, a supplier of whey protein isolates, has shared its potential role in what it considers a winning combination – protein and tea.
 
The company suggests that the next trend in the growing functional/fortified beverages market, which grew 51% between 2014 and 2019 and is projected to be worth $819 million, will be tea beverages fortified with protein isolates that have reached flavor profiles required to garner appeal as drink ingredients.
 
Tea as a standalone beverage has long been touted for its health benefits, such as its antioxidant properties, and many tea products now carry superfood-related claims. Arla Foods suggests that the addition of whey protein isolate (WPI) could boost its nutritional value, due to the muscle building and maintaining properties it carries, and the fact that this ingredient has been used in ready-to-drink beverage formulations for many years.
 
Creating a formulation that delivers high amounts of protein while maintaining the clean, refreshing taste profile associated with tea presents a challenge to most formulators, Arla Foods Ingredients reports. It currently offers three different processing-stable WPI ingredients that can overcome the need to maintain this profile, however, including Lacprodan ISO.Water, which can be used to make UHT-stable beverages with a clear, water-like taste; Lacprodan ISO.Clear, which can be used to make clear beverages with a natural and refreshing taste profile; and Lacprodan ISO.WaterShake, which can be used in clear and water-like ready-to-shake iced tea that delivers 20g of protein per serving with no sugar or fat.
 
“Demand for innovative functional beverages is huge and high-protein iced tea is the perfect way to tap into it,” Ulrik Bank Pedersen, general manager for North America at Arla Foods Ingredients, said. “One reason tea and protein are perfect partners is that both offer well-recognized health benefits. Tea, which has been the drink of choice for millions of people around the world for centuries, has a powerful association with wellness. Similarly, protein’s benefits in areas such as weight loss and muscle growth are increasingly sought after by consumers.”
 
Arla Foods Ingredients reports that its WPI ingredients can help manufacturers develop high-protein iced teas that don’t alter the iced tea taste, use real tea extract and protein isolates of high quality, and are free of sugars, fat, and lactose.