Yofix Probiotics, the winner of PepsiCo’s European Nutrition Greenhouse Programme 2018, launches its first dairy free, soy-free yoghurt alternative line with three fruit flavours.
The products are based on a unique, clean-label formula made from just a few natural ingredients. It is traditionally fermented and contains live probiotic cultures plus the prebiotic fibres that feed them.
The new product line is environmentally friendly and vegan, and leaves a low carbon footprint as there is no use of cow milk; and, unlike almond or cashew, does not require a great amount of water.
Most importantly, the production process is carefully designed to ensure zero waste. All raw materials utilised in production remain in the final product.
Health-conscious consumers recognise yoghurt as an immune-boosting source of beneficial probiotics. But these same consumers are increasingly conforming to vegan and flexitarian diets and are seeking plant-based dairy alternatives, as are millions of lactose-intolerant and lactose-sensitive consumers.
Increasingly important to health-minded consumers is the health of the environment, driving them toward sustainable products that leave a minimum footprint. Unfortunately, Most of the yoghurt alternatives on the market can’t meet dairy yoghurt when it comes to taste, texture and nutrition.
Or, to be a good source of protein, calcium and fibre, they compromise organoleptic characteristics. Yofix offers a new-generation yoghurt alternative that hits all the marks for flavour, texture, nutrition and ecofriendliness. It has no added sugars, flavours, colours, or preservatives.
Behind Yofix is Ronen Lavee, an agricultural mechanical engineer with lactose intolerance. Lavee returned to Israel after 8 years in Asia, and could not find a dairy-free yoghurt alternative with good flavour and texture. He experimented with more than 100 fermented formulas based on natural ingredients until he found the “Bio 5 formula.”
It uses no added sugars, preservatives or colours. Yet has the texture and great flavour of yoghurt.
Typically, gums and thickeners are added to dairy free yogurts to stabilise them, but the Bio 5 formula, together with Yofix’s advanced technology, created similar texture and stability of yoghurt, without additives.
Moreover, as dairy-free yoghurts often lack key vitamins and minerals, fortification is required to match dairy yoghurt’s nutritional value.
“I did not want to compromise on taste or nutrition in the product, nor compromise on the natural aspect” says Lavee, CEO and founder of Yofix.
“The ingredients used in our products are simply grains, seeds, fruit and live cultures.”
Most dairy alternative yoghurts available are high in fat, and use a single base ingredient such as soy, almond or coconut. They have low amounts of calcium, iron and fibre. Also, almond and coconut milk are not high in protein, a nutrient in high demand by yogurt consumers. But Yofix’s “Bio 5 formula” contains all these nutrients naturally, without need for fortification.
“Yofix will be launched globally,” says Steve Grun, CEO of Yofix. “And, we will be developing new plant-based dairy substitutes for milk, yoghurt drinks, cream cheese, coffee creamers and even ice cream. Our proprietary manufacturing technology and formulations are highly flexible and require minimum investment for versatility.”