Canadian dairy cooperative Agropur has launched a new line of probiotic drinks as part of its Iögo brand.
Available in strawberry, mango, kiwi, raspberry and spinach variants, the probiotic-enriched smoothies contain 1 billion probiotics per 200ml serving. They will help Agropur meet rising consumer demand for food and drink products with functionality derived from probiotics.
They contain no gelatin; no artificial colours, flavours or preservatives; and are gluten-free, Agropur said. The company also claimed that lactose-free versions could be made.
As well as 1 million probiotic units in each 200ml serving, the smoothies contain 15% of consumers’ recommended daily intake of calcium and are also rich in vitamins B12 and B5, phosphorous, and riboflavin.
The launch represents Agropur’s intention to drive growth within its Iögo portfolio through innovation. Last month, the company debuted a range of high-protein crunchy yogurt bites that make use of a technological process that produces yogurt-based products through vacuum microwave dehydration.
Four flavours have been made available initially: sour cream and green onion, cheddar, salted caramel, and applewood smoked BBQ.
Speaking at the time, Martin Parent – general manager for yogurt at Agropur – said: “Agropur is the first company to use this process to dehydrate yogurt while preserving its benefits. There are no similar products on the market, here or anywhere else.
“Reinventing the dairy experience is one of our organisation’s priorities. We had an idea and we needed a unique technology to transform it into an opportunity.”
Agropur only acquired the Iögo brand in late-2017 as part of its acquisition of the shares it did not already own in Ultima Foods. Ultima bought yogurt processor Olympic Dairy in 2004 before launching the Iögo brand, and had annual sales of over $300 million in its last financial year.
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