Chinese dairy company Yili has launched a new ambient drinking yogurt with large fruit and cereal pieces, thanks to a technology developed by Tetra Pak.
According to Tetra Pak, the product is the first of its kind and combines the company’s expertise in ambient yogurt processing and particle heating with a new Tetra Top system.
The drink, available in peach and strawberry flavours, is packaged in Tetra Pak’s Tetra Top 200ml carton with large re-sealable screw caps and has helped Yili to extend its position in China’s fast-growing ambient yogurt category since it was launched.
Charles Brand, executive VP – product management and commercial operations for Tetra Pak, said: “We are pleased to be able to support our customer [to] deliver a premium product in a growing category. This has been made possible by our expertise in the entire processing and packaging process: our ambient yogurt processing capability, the knowhow of heating large food particles, and our ability to customise the packaging system.
“The new Tetra Pak TT/3 AD filling system has been designed to allow the particles to pass through seamlessly, and the new Tetra Top package uses a large re-sealable opening that makes it easy for consumers to drink the yogurt with large fruit pieces.”
Incorporating large fruit pieces within an ambient beverage product is a challenging process, Tetra Pak said. The heating of the product must be done carefully to ensure that the fruit pieces are not damaged or broken down during the process, and the filling and packaging stages need to ensure even distribution of the fruit particles throughout the yogurt to ensure both quality and integrity in the final product.
The global market for ambient drinking yogurt is around 12.5 billion packages today, with quick expansion from China to South East Asia and the Middle East.
The addition of large fruit pieces and cereal grains will further increase consumer interest with more premium products and help the market to continue its growth curve, Tetra Pak claimed.
The Swedish company has previously developed a technology to incorporate larger inclusions – like chocolate, nuts or caramel pieces – into handheld ice cream products.
Last month, Elsebeth Baungaard – product and concept manager for extrusion at Tetra Pak – spoke with FoodBev’s Martin White about the development of the new technology and how the innovation will affect the future of the ice cream market.
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