Novozymes offers new enzymatic toolbox for oat drinks

It provides insights into how to use and combine enzymes, raw material and production parameters

Half a billion people worldwide are either vegan or vegetarian, 26% of millennials have already embraced this lifestyle and 73% among them are willing to pay more for sustainable food and drinks. The combination of these trends is giving the sale of oat drinks a boost, with an expected growth of 30% a year.

“A new market is opening up and booming. To help dairies and beverage producers expand their portfolio and create new types of oat drinks, we have developed a toolbox that can help them expand their business into this new territory,” says Alessandro Palumbo, Market Development Manager at Novozymes.

Oat drinks is the fastest growing category in the plant based beverage segment. This is mainly due to the fact that oat drinks have one of the best nutritional profiles among dairy alternatives. Oat drinks is also known for its benefits when it comes to sustainability. 

In spite of huge interest and a growing market, a study finds only 2 in 10 consumers think that plant protein is extremely good tasting. 

“The fast-growing demand gives producers the opportunity to develop and market new types of oat drinks. But at the same time, it’s also a challenge to come up with products that match the consumer’s taste and preference,” Alessandro Palumbo says.

The new enzymatic toolbox is developed by Novozymes and is the first of its kind. It provides insights into how to use and combine enzymes, raw material and production parameters to adjust sweetness, mouthfeel and nutritional profile in oat drinks. It also provides insights for producers into how to optimize the production process and save costs.

“The toolbox gives dairy and beverage producers the opportunity to develop the oat drinks consumers want. By teaming up with Novozymes, they will be able to select the flavor and nutritional profile of their drink, starting from a prototype and quickly scale it up using the perfect combination of enzymes, raw materials and equipment,” says Alessandro Palumbo. 

“This will help them to speed up the go-to-market process while reducing their risks related to new product development”. 

By working with Novozymes, producers will also have access to a team of experts, who can provide 360° technical support from raw material to finished product.