NOVEMBER 20238By Ram Kumar, Director, Cheese R&D (and Technical Services), Agropur USDAIRY CONTINUES TO INNOVATE AS NEW OPTIONS ARRIVEDairy products have always been an important part of our diets, providing exceptional nutrition, great flavor, and versatility at an affordable price. They are part of our family traditions and everyday meals, whether served on their own or as part of our favorite recipes. Yet as a staple food, many may not realize that we're still developing new ways to harness dairy's vast potential. Through science and technology, our industry continues to expand the boundaries of what can be accomplished from the starting point of fresh, wholesome milk.Agropur is a top 20 global dairy processor and we are proud of the innovative spirit that shines throughout our teams. Our food scientists and technologists are driven to get the most from every drop of milk that comes through our seven state-of-the-art U.S. manufacturing facilities. We pro-duce more than 1 billion pounds of high-quality cheese every year, and we are one of North America's largest whey protein producers.Agropur's teams work with some of the world's most prominent CPG companies in food, beverage, and nutrition. We can assist manufacturers as they develop new products using dairy components and ingredients. We also devise and deliver solutions to their formulation challenges, whether they are looking to improve on flavor or texture, extend shelf life, or lower costs. Our commitment to innovation has led to better nutrition. For instance, Agropur's manufacturing processes include a proprietary ion exchange method that results in the highest purity whey protein products on the market. Manufacturers rely on Agropur for highly purified whey protein fractions used in medical nutrition products and infant formulas. Our high-purity Alpha-lactalbumin allows our cus-tomers to create infant formulas that closely emulate human breast milk.Agropur's drive to innovate also applies to our excep-tional cheese. Our cheeses consistently earn top awards in prestigious competitions, including the World Champion-ship Cheese Contest. As a B2B cheese supplier, our team can create unique products that meet the precise needs of our customers. They might want a particular color intensity in American-style cheeses or a particular flavor profile in Italian-style cheese. A customer may ask for a mozzarella that offers just the right level of stretch or chew when melted. We can develop custom recipes that meet those specifications.Agropur's Cheese Technical Services team works closely with our customers through the product development pro-cess. Creating a custom cheese involves lab testing, sensory analysis, and pilot plant production to ensure our customers ultimately receive the product just as they envisioned.The possibilities offered by dairy continue to grow at a time when the marketplace continues to change. Today's consumers have more options available than ever before. Non-dairy imitation products attempt to meet the consumers' desire for options but may not meet nutritional needs.It is, therefore, important to be reminded that authentic dairy is a staple food for good reason: it has all of the essen-tial nutrients required for human health and well-being.Plant-based food items created to mimic the flavor, tex-ture, and functionality of milk, cheese, and yogurt continue to grow and gain acceptance. These types of products certainly fill a niche in the market. There have always been portions of the population that avoid dairy, whether due to lactose intoler-ance, allergies, personal tastes, or vegan lifestyles.Yet for the vast majority who have no particular aversion to dairy foods, authentic products hold significant advantages IN MY OPINION
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