The Future of Protein: Arla Foods Ingredients Protein Possibilities

Talk about innovation! At this year’s SupplySide West conference, we had the opportunity to go on a taste tour with Arla Foods Ingredients. Preston Losee (introduced in Episode #108 of the PricePlow Podcast) and his teammates assembled a delicious platter of protein products for Mike and Ben to try out.

It was an R&D gauntlet of proteins from the future, many of which were incredibly delicious and we hope to see in finished goods in the future.

You can see the video embedded below, with a timestamped rundown of everything the team tasted listed after that.

Arla Foods Ingredients Taste-Test Lineup

Arla Foods Ingredients ran us through two primary categories: functional foods and clear whey protein products. Here’s the rundown:

R&D Protein Bars

• 0:21 – Lemon Cheesecake Bar: contains an ingredient called Lacprodan® PB-8420, which is a milk protein that improves the structured softness of the bar to last through the shelf life. The bar the group tasted was almost 6 months old, which is when competitive proteins really begin to harden.
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  ISO.WaterShake is a clear whey protein isolate ingredient from Arla Foods Ingredients that brings an incredible taste and mouthfeel without the sticky texture and astringency of other clear whey ingredients!

  0:49 – Peanut Butter Bar: Protein combined with real nut butter (peanut butter in this case) (indulgent bar), that is made possible with Lacprodan® Softbar. The bar is soft without dryness typically found in protein bars. Mike described the texture as savory and mouth watering.

• 1:30 – Protein-in-Every-Layer-Bar: A wonderful innovation that the guys couldn’t get enough of. The middle layer is a fat filling with Lacprodan MicelPure®, which uses micellar casein. The bar mass is made from an ingredient called Lacprodan® EasyBar that offers structure, texture and softness. Then there is Lacprodan® SP-7017 in the coating, which means a high protein content in every layer of the bar.

  This concept bar weighed 55 grams, 17 of which were protein. The guys loved the fat layer in the center.

• 2:30 – Protein Brownie: This product also contains Lacprodan® SoftBar and walnuts. Ben described it as light and fluffy vs. the dense and thick brownies on the market.
• 3:10 – American Cookie: Uses Lacprodan® ISO.Wheybar, and bakes like a cookie. Ben asked about selling the cookies as an inclusion.

R&D Clear Proteins

• 4:00 – ClearShake: This is the clear whey protein isolate that has been pre-acidified and is clean in taste and with minimal astringency or off-dairy notes. The flavor for the group is Lemonade. Aminos and pre-workouts are typically very acidic in profile, but ClearShake is not. A 20 gram scoop has no carbs, and no fat.
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  Arla Foods Ingredients Lacprodan® BLG-100 is a pure beta-lactoglobulin protein powder that takes clear proteins to the next level with a higher ratio of leucine than whey protein isolate!

  4:55 – BLG Neutral: along the lines of the Lacprodan® ISO.WaterShake, but in the beta-lactoglobulin form. The sample is a melon punch flavor, which has higher BCAA content. There is 45% more leucine, 26% more essential aminos, and 40% more BCAAs, making an additional amino acid supplement unnecessary. The group discusses how isolated amino powders typically don’t have the best taste.

  We covered Lacprodan® BLG-100 in our article titled Pure Beta-Lactoglobulin: Arla Foods Ingredients Lacprodan® BLG-100.

• 6:05 – Cucumber Mint Shake: This flavor shows the versatility of the clear protein utilizing Lacprodan® ISO.WaterShake, allowing brands to experiment with more offbeat flavors.
• 6:30 – BLG Shot: Using Arla Foods Ingredients’ beta-lactoglobulin, one shot has an astonishing 21 grams of protein.
• 6:55 – BLG RTD: This is low level of astringency and is virtually unnoticeable because of the purity. The group tries a strawberry Watermelon that has 6% protein content.
• 7:10 – ISO.Water: the flavor is watermelon, and it’s astonishingly light – as close to water as you can get with whey. Ben mentions that there is no thickness to it all.

  You can learn more about ISO.WaterShake in Lacprodan® ISO.WaterShake: A Better Clear Whey Isolate from Arla Foods Ingredients.

• 7:40 – Protein Tea Latte: There’s no milk in this at all! Just protein and calcium.
• 8:00 – Protein Cold Brew: A can has 20 grams of protein and 300mg of caffeine. Most protein coffee has very little protein.
• 8:35 – Protein Carbonated Beverage: contains whey protein hydrolysate that is extensively hydrolyzed – almost at the DH30. It does feature a lower dose of protein (12g in a can).

Changing the Protein Landscape

Jakob Pedersen and Preston Losee of Arla Foods Ingredients join PricePlow Podcast Episode #108 to discuss innovations in Whey Protein, including Lacprodan ISO.WaterShake (a better-tasting clear whey isolate) and Beta-Lactoglobulin

Each and every one of these concept products is a potential game-changer in the protein industry. With functional foods taking an ever-more-present spotlight, innovations like Lacprodan® SoftBar could forever change the way protein snacks taste and feel. Clear proteins, on the other hand, open up an entirely new world for protein liquid protein consumption.

With these innovations, new textures, new flavors, and new formats are sure to start dotting the shelves. We even think we may see an intra-workout clear whey isolate that tastes, smells, and performs better than an EAA/BCAA blend!

Consumer brands get the limelight, but companies like Arla Foods Ingredients provide the engine – the brass tacks that allow your favorite brands to serve the products you want to buy.

To learn more about Arla Foods Ingredients in general, see Episode #108 of the PricePlow Podcast. You can also sign up for our Arla Foods Ingredients news alerts and get contacted next time we cover one of their ingredients: