Non-Dairy Solutions for Cold Beverages

Cold drinks are hot. Fortified smoothies, trendy iced coffees and meal-replacement beverages are among the products luring consumers away from soft drinks. Although dairy ingredients go a long way in providing mouthfeel, flavor and creaminess to such products, they also provide unwanted cholesterol and saturated fatty acids, and often have a short shelf life.

A new addition to the Richmix line from ACH Food Companies, Inc., offers a solution for product developers. The company’s Richmix Cold Water Soluble Beverage Base is a non-dairy powder made with high-oleic sunflower oil, a nonhydrogenated oil with no trans fatty acids and low saturated fat.

“Most importantly, this product offers excellent shelf life,” says Steve Stewart, senior research scientist. “We target a one-year shelf life, which is extremely important, because manufacturers can order, ship and maintain an inventory before the finished product goes to the consumer.” Stewart notes other healthy oils, such as nonhydrogenated soybean oil, lose up to half of their shelf life when converted to powdered form. The beverage base also is more convenient than fluid dairy products, which require refrigeration during both shipping and storage.

“Non-dairy powders are used to replace milk,” Stewart says. “If you were to use rancid milk or a rancid powder product, it would be very evident in the finished application.”

The beverage base offers many of the same functional properties as dairy products, as it is essentially a fat source in powder form. “The product contains sodium caseinate,” Stewart notes. “This dairy-derived protein provides flavor, mouthfeel and emulsification properties that enhance creaminess.”

Convenient to use, the nondairy powder can be hydrated at 50ºF to 70ºF, which is the temperature of cold tap water. Other non-dairy powders need to be hydrated at 140ºF to 160ºF, which can be a problem when working with production metering tanks, as they often don’t have hot water available, or their hot water cools as it sits.

“The product is designed specifically for cold-water applications,” Stewart says. “It hydrates quickly and requires only moderate agitation to disperse.”

In working with customers, ACH Food supplies a sample of the product and provides support to ensure the product is performing to expectations. “We want to make sure the product is conducive to the application,” Stewart notes. “If you have a pH below 4.5, the product might not perform correctly. The ideal pH range for this product is 6.0 to 7.0.” Usage levels in most applications average 15% to 25% on a dry mix basis, although Stewart notes some applications include as little as 5% or as much as 40%.

Richmix Cold Water Soluble Beverage Base is OU-certified kosher dairy. 

ACH Food Companies, Inc.
7171 Goodlett Farms Parkway 
Memphis, TN 38016 
Phone: 800/344-8656, ext. 3059 
Website: www.achfood.com