Chr. Hansen has unveiled “next-generation” premium cultures, which are touted to help producers achieve their yogurt-making goals by optimizing protein content and offering documented probiotics. This comes at a time when global consumers are more concerned with well-being and health.

“Consumers are looking for tasty and healthy food options that are affordable. With this in mind, we have developed The Perfect Partner for this in the form of our next generation YoFlex and Nutrish Premium cultures,” Thomas Skaaning, senior vice president, food cultures and enzymes at Chr. Hansen, tells FoodIngredientsFirst. 

“They enable our customers to clean up the yogurt label and optimize the protein content by providing enhanced texture attributes. This, combined with the world’s most documented probiotics in Nutrish Premium, makes it possible to make indulgent yogurt that is tasty and healthy at the same time and the perfect partner for a healthy diet.” 

According to Skaaning, this new range has been in development for three years. “Now the true partnering starts with our customers to make the perfect yogurt together to the benefit of global consumers,” he adds.  

Chr. Hansen expects to see the enhanced focus on well-being and immune health carried over into next year, and probably beyond. 

“People have become much more conscious about the quality of the food they consume, and that is of course also valid for dairy products,” Skaaning notes. 
The first culture from the company, YoFlex Premium, uses the power of good bacteria to create high texture naturally, reducing the need for expensive added ingredients, such as skim milk powder. 

With YoFlex Premium, producers can make changes they need, whether that is differentiating their offerings within the premium segment with an all-natural ingredients list or reducing costs by reducing inputs.

“YoFlex Premium is unique because it yields exceptionally high mouth thickness and mild flavor, both of which are crucial for creating new taste experiences,” Skaaning notes.

“While taste is the primary differentiator for many dairies, the most strategic players in our industry succeed because they understand that texture is the other half of the equation, as it strongly influences how taste is perceived.”

Skaaning explains that consumers have echoed this sentiment. 

“Earlier this year results from a survey we conducted in France showed that texture scored second-highest among purchase motivators for consumers buying yogurt and fermented milks, after value for money. To us, this underscores the added value of YoFlex Premium because it suggests that consumers will welcome the enhanced texture it creates, irrespective of whether producers are looking to reduce added ingredients or lower costs,” he explains. 

Probiotics for health foods
Chr. Hansen is also launching three new nu-trish Premium cultures that include the well-documented probiotics linked to immune and digestive health, Bifidobacterium, BB-12 and Lactobacillus rhamnosus, LGG.

With recent events, consumer priorities have evolved worldwide, with six out of ten stating they are more conscious of their immune health and general well-being than before, Skaaning observes.

According to the Innova Consumer Survey 2020, six out of ten global consumers are increasingly looking for food and beverage products that support their immune health. One in three raised concerns about immune health in 2020 compared to 2019. 

“Never before has the need to eat for health been more urgent. In this way, our launch of nu-trish Premium’s newest generation comes at the perfect moment, enabling producers to offer premium yogurts while helping to support the health of consumers.”

Elevating traditional yogurt
While each has its benefits, YoFlex Premium and nu-trish Premium share one promise, says Chr. Hansen.

This newest generation of premium cultures marks the beginning of a new chapter in Chr. Hansen’s collaboration with producers to ensure their products remain relevant amid a shifting competitive landscape. 

“We look forward to illustrating for our customers why these next-generation Premium cultures are The Perfect Partner for the raw material milk – but we also hope that producers continue to see Chr. Hansen as the ‘perfect partner’ in a more holistic sense,” Skaaning urges.

“With this launch, we underscore our commitment to working alongside our customers, co-creating food products whose taste, texture, and health benefits delight consumers and support their well-being. Together, we can raise the bar and advance the frontier for what is possible for yogurt-making.”