The Food Supplement & Nutrition (FSN) category is booming, and it shows no sign of slowing down in the years to come. This is built on the evolution of health as a lifestyle, and consumers are increasingly looking for products that align with their values, whether that’s with natural ingredients or improved sustainability. Liquid nutritional products can be formulated to specifically appeal to these preferences, so how can you get involved? It could be easier than you think.
Liquid nutritional products include sports nutrition, special nutrition, medical nutrition, and lifestyle nutrition, and this variety means you can appeal to a wide range of consumers. The high demand for these products and their perceived value and convenience can also lead to higher profit margins, so any upgrade to expand into this category has great potential.
Find your ideal FSN opportunity
Entering a new category can be as daunting as it is exciting, but with FSN it could be as straightforward as a simple upgrade. Whether you are producing dairy, plant-based beverages, juices, or powders, you likely have most of the infrastructure needed already.
Upgrading an existing processing line to a liquid nutritional processing line allows you to meet the growing demand for health-focused products while also improving process flexibility and business profitability. There isn’t one single way to upgrade your existing line to be able to enter the liquid FSN market. It depends very much on what you produce today, and what your ambitions are for tomorrow.
Key steps in any upgrade
Every upgrade will be different, but all processes will have a few things in common. You will always need to evaluate current capabilities and identify areas that need upgrading to meet your defined goals. Then you need to look at your equipment, like mixing and blending systems, homogenizers and pasteurizers, as well as heat treatment.
From there, you must consider the key optimisations and potential for automation, and the need for additional training and support for new technology and for new recipes and ingredients. While each upgrade varies based on the technology already in place, the following examples highlight how you can adapt your existing line to capture this exciting opportunity.
If you are already producing dairy and want to diversify your offering without the need for an entirely new line, entering the FSN category with a ready-to-drink (RTD) milk-based protein shake could be the answer. Whether you use recombined protein powders or add additional protein powders to your liquid milk base, it could be one way to improve the productivity and profitability of your existing equipment with just a few additions.
Mixing:
- Even if a simple non-vacuum mixer for minor adjustments to milk drinks is already in place, adding a Tetra Pak High Shear Vacuum Mixer and mixing tanks to mix the powder and liquid raw materials in a uniform and consistent manner, including proper hydration, is key.
- The Tetra Pak Vacuum High Shear Mixer provides the flexibility to handle multiple different ingredients, with different mixing requirements.
UHT Processing:
- Ambient milk producers will already have UHT equipment in place, Ambient milk producers will already have UHT equipment in place, meaning investment should be limited if needed at all, subject to the protein shake recipe and composition.
- With a modified composition compared to standard cow’s milk, viscosity and the degree of ingredient denaturation are key parameters when evaluating if an upgrade is required.
- If modifications are needed, these are typically related to a modified heat profile (increasing/decreasing holding times), adding a deaerator if not already included, and adding flow control and capacity to the hot water circuit to adapt to any changing conditions.
Homogenization:
- Subject to the recipe protein levels and addition of minerals, in an existing indirect UHT system the homogenizer may require an upgrade to work downstream from the indirect heat treatment.
- In most cases with simple recipes, the dairy-based homogenizer will be sufficient. However, operating pressures and piston components should be checked for compatibility with the recipes to be used.
CIP (Cleaning in place):
- With elevated protein levels in protein shake recipes, any existing CIP programs should be checked to ensure they are sufficient for an efficient and effective cleaning cycle.
- Adjustments can be made to the CIP system to incorporate several additional features such as an additional program for booster cleaning, backflush function and increase of CIP flows for more complex products.
If you are already working with powders, especially nutritional powders, why not explore opportunities in the liquid FSN category with ready-to-drink (RTD) beverages? The price per litre for RTD protein drinks is higher than protein powders, so there’s potential for improving your bottom line while appealing to both new and existing consumers. Expanding your nutritional powder line to produce liquid nutritional products will require a new wet processing area, although the powder handling could be common to both lines. The key upgrades required for liquid processing include:
Mixing:
- Add a Tetra Pak® High Shear Vacuum Mixer and mixing tanks to mix the powder and liquid raw materials in a uniform and consistent manner, including proper hydration.
- The Tetra Pak Vacuum High Shear mixer provides the flexibility to handle multiple different ingredients, with different mixing requirements.
UHT Processing:
- Depending on the product mix choice, the heat treatment/heat load used can be either indirect or direct depending on the desired sensory properties of the final product.
- With a modified composition compared to standard cow’s milk, viscosity, degree of ingredient denaturation, and final sensory profile are key parameters when evaluating the preferred choice of heat treatment.
- UHT Processing units are skid-mounted and come complete with all the required key components for effective processing.
Homogenization:
- Homogenization requirements are influenced by the nutritional product recipe, ingredient type used, and the heat treatment method.
- Direct heat treatment demands an aseptic homogenizer, while with most indirect systems a non-aseptic homogenizer will suffice.
- Where the recipe has abrasive ingredients and extended shelf stability is required, both non-aseptic and aseptic homogenizers will be required.
CIP (Cleaning in place):
- Given the processing transition is from powder to liquid, core equipment needs are substantially different, and there are decision choices depending on the final product mix.
