Mupy, a reference brand for soy drinks with fruit juice, and SIG, a leading solutions provider of packaging for better, recently signed a partnership for SIG to provide carton packs and filling services to Mupy via a copacker.
Mupy is projecting growth for the coming years and packaging solutions from SIG will play an integral part in achieving their target of doubling turnover by 2025. Mupy, under the new management of Alexandre Moreno, had revenues of 115 million reais and produced 11.7 million liters of soy drinks with fruit juice in 2023.
In order to achieve future growth with soy and juice beverages, Mupy relies on the high speed and flexible filling machines from SIG. The efficiency rate in the production process is very high, with a waste rate of just 0.5 %. In addition, SIG’s filling machines provide maximum flexibility and make it possible to fill products of different categories and viscosities in different volume sizes on one and the same filling machine.
Mupy offers its soy and juice drinks in the flavours grape, pineapple, apple, passion fruit, strawberry, orange, and peach in two SIG carton formats: SIG MiniBloc 200 ml and SIG MidiBloc 1,000 ml.
The combination of juice and soy milk allows Mupy to diversify its product offerings within the juice or plant-based drinks category, catering to a health-conscious market while at the same time tapping into the growing demand for plant-based alternatives, thereby enhancing market competitiveness and meeting the evolving preferences of consumers.
The South American market for plant-based products has been growing in recent years, according to The Good Food Institute Brazil (GFI). The plant-based drinks market grew by 15 % in 2022 and is expected to have an average annual expansion of almost 12 % by 2027. According to data from Bloomberg Intelligence, Brazil is the largest consumer of plant-based foods in Latin America, followed by Mexico, Chile and Argentina.
Today’s consumers are seeking more balanced and nutritious beverage options. The beverage blend of soy and juice offers a unique fusion of fruity flavours from the juice, the creamy texture of soy milk and notable health benefits of soy. Soy is a rich source of plant-based protein, making the beverage an excellent option for individuals looking to increase protein intake. Additionally, soy contains essential amino acids, fiber, and various vitamins and minerals, contributing for instance to immune health. The combination of the nutritional advantages of soy reinforces the appeal of the juice for both health-conscious consumers and producers aiming to offer a wholesome beverage option.
Renata Kasahara, Head of Marketing America South at SIG: “With our agile and flexible filling system, customers are well positioned to respond efficiently to any trend that is shaping the market.”
Consumer demand for plant-based products has been driven by the search for a healthier diet and products that are more sustainable. “Carton packaging is among the most sustainable packaging options. 75 % of its composition is paperboard from renewable sources and at SIG, 100 % of the paperboard we source is FSCTM-certified. All of the aluminum we purchase for SIG aseptic carton packs is certified against the Aluminium Stewardship Initiative Standards and we produce all our cartons with 100 % renewable electricity. In other words, opting for SIG means responsibly sourced and sustainably produced packaging to meet the demands of Mupy’s consumers”, Renata adds.
With success in 2023, Mupy’s ambitions for the coming years are high. Alexandre Moreno, the company’s CEO, is optimistic about 2024: “In 2023 we grew by more than 22 % compared to 2022 and our plan is to double our turnover by 2025. For this, the partnership between Mupy and SIG is fundamental.”
The Frankfurt Future Institute called fusion “the culinary globalization of daily life” in its Food Report 2023. Fusion food combines influences from different international cuisines. Ginger and turmeric refine fruit smoothies, coconut milk and kaffir lime leaves lend a special flavour to kale curries. Whether soups, curries or desserts, fresh-made or convenience, coconut milk gives many foods and beverages an exotic touch. This has made it a firm part of fusion food. And not just that – as a plant product, it’s perfect for the booming plant-based trend.
Today, consumers expect natural foods to taste good and support their wellbeing. Vegan coconut milk powder is excellent for making purely plant-based drinks and desserts, as a functional alternative to traditional milk products. With coconut milk powder from the SternCream series, Sternchemie has the appropriate product for every application, whether conventional, vegan or organic dishes, for industrial customers as well as the out-of-home market.
The new SternCream Vegan is versatile and simple to work with. Its very high coconut milk content gives it a natural, authentic coconut flavour and a light sweetness. The creamy mouthfeel is especially noticeable in ice cream, praline and wafer fillings, and sweet and hearty snacks. SternCream Vegan also improves the consistency of soups, sauces, creams and dips. Thanks to its very good instant and flow properties, this coconut milk powder quickly dissolves in lukewarm water to attain a smooth consistency. Another plus point is that as a natural product, unlike coconut flavourings and extracts it is very declaration-friendly, either as coconut cream or coconut milk powder. It’s also easier to dose and keeps longer than regular coconut milk.
Gentle manufacture brings product benefits
SternCream products are made exclusively from selected ripe coconuts, whose meat is first washed, then minced and pressed. To ensure the highest purity of the final product, the extracted coconut milk is doubled-filtered. It is then pasteurized and spray-dried for consistently high quality, which is confirmed by sensory panel testing. With its low water content and oxidation stability, SternCream powder has a shelf life of at least 24 months. It also has higher microbiological stability than coconut milk or grated coconut. Another advantage is that due to the gentle drying process, all of its valuable ingredients are retained. Furthermore, SternCream needs no preservatives, colourings or flavourings.
“Together with our customers, we work to refine our products and adapt them to current and future market requirements,” explains Katrin Baumann, SternCream Technical Product Manager. “The focus is on nutritional, trend and ethical considerations, with protein enrichment, fat reduction and added fibre, as well as organic products and plant-based alternatives to dairy.” This coconut milk powder offers manufacturers across the food industry a way to improve existing products, and develop highly attractive new ones for growth markets like the plant-based category.
Longstanding relationships with raw materials suppliers
With the current bottlenecks in raw material supplies and the general economic situation, factors like cost control, dependable suppliers and raw materials availability play a central role. Here, Sternchemie customers benefit from longstanding relationships with suppliers in Sri Lanka and Southeast Asia. “Close coordination and detailed information exchange with our partners in the source countries are the basis for our ability to proactively meet the rising quality demands of the market,” says Svea Rahlf, Sternchemie Quality Manager. “Sensitized consumers, improved analysis methods and ever-stricter regulatory requirements are driving an increased focus on raw materials quality and process control.” With SternCream, Sternchemie offers a versatile natural product that combines functionality with dependable quality.
Groundbreaking micro-algae formula eliminates allergies while providing complete nutrition
Sophie’s Bionutrients, a Singapore-based next-generation sustainable urban food production technology company, announced that it had developed the world’s first-ever pure micro-algae-based milk replacement that promises to eliminate allergies making it safe for consumption for people with lactose-intolerance.
The milk alternative dairy replacement was made with Sophie’s Bionutrients signature micro-algae protein flour with the same essential amino acids as micro-algae. The flour is then homogenised with water to create the dairy-free milk alternative.
The dairy alternative is comparable in nutritional value to cow’s milk. However, the protein value can be elevated by up to 50 percent by altering ratios in the water-soluble micro-algae flour. The sample alt-milk produced has a similar texture to nut-based milk. However, it can be further refined to mimic the creamy texture of dairy.
Sophie’s Bionutrients is the world’s first food tech company to use microalgae and patent-pending technologies to develop 100 % plant-based and sustainable alternative protein with the core vision that micro-algae is the superfood of the future.
“We believe in harnessing the power of nature to build a sustainable, greener future through environment-friendly alternate food solutions. We believe that micro-algae is the best place to help us achieve this. It is the superfood of the future. Through further refinement with food and beverage producing partners developments like this one, the world’s first allergen-free micro-algae milk, we believe we can transform the way we live, produce and consume food for the better,” said Eugene Wang, Co-Founder & CEO of Sophie’s Bionutrients.
It’s been 15 years since the first Starbucks soy latte (and soy chai tea latte and soy cappuccino) was served. The company launched its first dairy alternative in 2004 just as plant-based milks were starting to gain in popularity.
Starbucks added coconutmilk to its lineup in 2015 and almondmilk in 2016. The company’s Research & Development team also began creating new beverages to highlight the flavors of the non-dairy milks like Coconutmilk Mocha Macchiato and Horchata Almondmilk Frappuccino® blended beverage.
Now, the first new Starbucks beverages of the decade feature these plant-based milk alternatives with the arrival of the Almondmilk Honey Flat White and Coconutmilk Latte. The beverages join the permanent menu in stores in the United States and Canada as part of the new winter food and beverage lineup. This also marks the regional introduction of oatmilk as a new non-dairy option as the Oatmilk Honey Latte arrives in select U.S. markets in the Midwest.
At this year’s Gulfood Manufacturing in Dubai, Hydrosol is focusing on sugar-reduced milk beverages.
Less sugar, same enjoyment
Given the worrying increase in obesity around the globe, reducing the amount of sugar in foods and beverages is a major issue worldwide. More and more governments are demanding low sugar products or introducing sugar taxes. But sugar isn’t just a matter of taste. It also gives products body, texture and a pleasant mouth feel. These are the effects that Hydrosol’s individual stabilising and texturing systems address. They are suitable for many different applications – yogurt, drinking yogurt, pudding, refreshing fruity drinks, energy drinks, ketchup, whippable plant cream with reduced sugar content, and more. Natural flavourings round out the flavour profile. Hydrosol’s sister company OlbrichtArom, also exhibiting at Gulfood, offers its SugarBooster for reduced-sugar products. This natural flavouring amplifies the delicate taste profile of the final product without influencing its characteristic flavour.
New to the product range are stabilising systems for very diverse milk mixed beverages, from conventional varieties like cocoa, vanilla and strawberry to trendy flavours like cappuccino, walnut and pistacio. These proven systems are offered in a carrageenan version, which enables stable products without high-pressure homogenisation, as well as in an alternative version with gellan. This lets milk beverages be filled at high temperatures, up to 40°C. The stabilising systems in the Stabiprime MFD Range are soluble in water as well as in sweet whey. They can be used for the manufacture of sugar-reduced as well as low-fat or lactose-free milk beverages. High-protein milk drinks are also possible.
Demand for flavoured milk beverages is seeing steady growth worldwide, and the product variety in the markets is correspondingly large. There are trendy flavours like cappuccino, coconut and walnut that also appeal to adults, plus the classic cocoa beverages and milk drinks with vanilla, strawberry or banana flavour. In addition to tasting good, they address a wide range of consumer wishes, from low fat and reduced sugar to lactose free to high protein. With the new Stabiprime MFD range from Hydrosol, it’s easy to make all kinds of milk beverages.
Stabiprime MFD consists of carefully selected hydrocolloids. These stabilising systems are soluble in water as well as in sweet whey. They are easy to use, and make it economical to produce milk mixed beverages. In addition to the proven system with carrageenan, Hydrosol also offers a gellan alternative, Stabiprime MFDG. Its advantage is that it enables milk beverage filling even at high temperatures, up to 40°C. The main property of Stabiprime MFDC with carrageenan is that it lets manufacturers make stable products without high-pressure homogenisation, preventing sedimentation even with cocoa. Thanks to the special combination of hydrocolloids in both Stabiprime MFD versions, producers can make high-quality milk beverages easily and profit from the worldwide growth in this category.
