Designed to illustrate the unique features of Epi Ingredients’ offering, SoUnik is a range of on-trend finished product concepts developed to help food, beverage and nutrition manufacturers visualise what they can do with the company’s ingredients.
“Indeed, the goal for Epi Ingredients is not to sell these concepts. With this range of finished products, we are merely aiming at driving innovation, showcasing the company’s application expertise and dairy ingredients know-how as well as promoting the use of our specialty ingredients, in this case native protein Epiprot 60 UL, in new product developments”, explains Mathieu Lucot, Marketing Manager at Epi Ingredients.
What is SoBenefik? It is a protein-packed yoghurt containing 8% protein, live cultures and a rich, extra-creamy texture while being low-fat.
This is made possible with the use of Epiprot 60 UL, a native milk protein concentrate produced directly from fresh milk through a cold filtration process allowing for minimal denaturation and optimal functional and nutritional properties.
SoBenefik is indeed produced using exclusively high-quality dairy powders, cultures and water. This distinctive feature makes it particularly interesting for markets in which fresh milk may be limited, or where preserving the integrity of fresh raw milk can be challenging.
SoBenefik was developed with the end-consumer in mind, as a clean, convenient and affordable smart snacking option for increasingly time-deprived modern consumers.
Research conducted by Mintel in collaboration with SPINS reveals the ongoing decline of conventional snacking in favour of fresh snack offerings, making SoBenefik particularly relevant in today’s landscape.
Fresh snacking is also one of the main drivers of the health and wellness snacking category as consumers continue to seek "better-for-you" alternatives to fulfil their nutritional needs on-the-go. High-protein yogurt could be a healthy replacement for high energy dense snacks by improving satiety and delaying the desire to eat again, thus curbing overall calorie consumption.
Products modelled on SoBenefik and using Epiprot 60 UL will make it easy for consumers to choose a high-protein yoghurt instead of a higher energy, seemingly more attractive option.
Indeed, SoBenefik both offers a creamy, indulgent mouthfeel and delivers on the healthy attributes: high-protein, low fat and rich in native calcium. It even offers the additional benefit of supplying about 30% of the calcium RDA per 100 g.