Novozymes Dairy Lab

Though rates vary drastically between regions, about 70% of the world’s population experiences some degree of lactose intolerance. Naturally, this has led to some countries having a strong milk-drinking culture, while others avoid dairy as much as possible.

Now, that’s all starting to change, and that means big opportunities for the dairy industry. As Europe and the U.S. look to lactose-free dairy for its health benefits, countries like China are adopting a more Western diet, which includes milk.

As the year comes to a close, there’s no better time for a retrospective: What trends did we think would be big in 2019? What trends ended up resonating with consumers? And what does that mean for the industry in 2020?

We’ve taken a look at what the experts are saying, and put together a summary of what you might be able to expect as the dairy industry rings in the New Year.

Consumers are integrating more plant-based foods into their overall diet, which means a reduced portion is coming from animal-derived goods.

Combine that with the majority of the global population that’s estimated to be lactose intolerant, and you’ve got a large, growing percentage of people looking for healthy, non-dairy drink alternatives in their grocery aisle.

Producing a new oat drink is not innately in the wheelhouse of most dairies. That’s why we offer the most comprehensive toolbox for oat-based drink production.

What are the processes used to create low-lactose milk, yogurt and flavored dairy products? How can reducing lactose enhance sweetness and reduce added sugar?

Two of Novozymes’ dairy industry experts tackle these questions and many more in this four-module webinar.

For those interested in the more technical, R&D side of low-lactose dairy production, this free webinar offers a wealth of insight — from dosing requirements to application information and how to reduce added sugar using enzymes.

Sugar refers to a variety of ingredients — lactose and glucose, to name two. But the truth is that these carbohydrates are quite different from one another, and each has their own relative sweetness. Typically, we measure this sweetness against the standard of sucrose, or common table sugar.

For dairy  producers, taking sweetness into account is especially important when reformulating products. Lactose, for instance, is not particularly sweet on its own. But, when broken down with the lactase Saphera into glucose and galactose, the resulting sugars become almost 50% sweeter.

With the help of lactases, dairy producers can reduce added sugar while taking advantage of consumer trends — trends that are making sales of low-lactose dairy the fastest-growing segment in the dairy market worldwide.

Download our application sheets for Novozymes Saphera® to get a closer look at the technical specifications in a variety of applications.

According to Natasha Kumar, Food & Drink Analyst for market intelligence agency Mintel, India's retail yogurt market is set to be one of the fastest growing in the category. And that means significant opportunities for those who can capture consumer interest with value-added products.

Check out the Dairy Lab podcast from Novozymes, the show dedicated to all things dairy. In the first episode, dairy industry experts Mary Wilcox and Craig Sherwin zoom in on lactose reduction.