White paper

Plant-based
yoghurt-style products
The role of ingredients and process control

General
CONTENTS

Introduction _______________________________________________________________________________3

Who is this white paper for? ________________________________________________________________ 3

Why the interest in plant-based products, and fermentation in particular? _________________ 4
Three major challenges when producing yoghurt-style products from a plant base _________ 5

General overview – Producing yoghurt-style products from plant-based material_________6

Creating a base in the plant world __________________________________________________________6

Oat base ____________________________________________________________________________________7
Soya base___________________________________________________________________________________9
Almond base ______________________________________________________________________________ 10

Challenge 1 – Optimizing viscosity and other characteristics with the right ingredients __ 11

Other ingredients__________________________________________________________________________ 12
Mixing and formulation technology ________________________________________________________ 12

Challenge 2 – Optimizing heat treatment to ensure food safety and quality ______________ 14

Heat treatment essential for food safety and quality _______________________________________ 14

Heat treatment depends on recipes and ingredients _______________________________________ 14
Choice of heating technology ______________________________________________________________ 15

Challenge 3 – Optimizing fermentation parameters ______________________________________ 16

The role of fermentation ___________________________________________________________________ 16

Adding culture ____________________________________________________________________________ 16
Fermentation time is critical _______________________________________________________________ 16

Post-fermentation steps also essential for quality and safety_____________________________ 18

Smoothing or homogenization ____________________________________________________________ 18

Cooling ____________________________________________________________________________________ 18
Adding fruits and particles _________________________________________________________________ 18
Heat treatment after fermentation ________________________________________________________ 19
Final cooling and effects on texture ________________________________________________________ 19

Summary_________________________________________________________________________________ 20

Three major production challenges _______________________________________________________ 20

Getting the technology right ______________________________________________________________ 21

Tetra Pak – An innovation leader in fermented plant-based products ___________________ 22

We’re ready to help _______________________________________________________________________ 22

Technology and line expertise ____________________________________________________________ 22
Contact persons __________________________________________________________________________ 23

General
INTRODUCTION

Who is this white paper for?

This white paper provides a general background on preparing plant-based

yoghurt-style products, which are winning popularity among some consumers. We
address the needs of R&D managers, production managers, marketing managers,
business developers, procurement managers, CEOs, and food technology
specialists who are considering expanding their product portfolios in this direction.

We recognize that there are many diverse industry groups who are interested in
broadening their knowledge of fermented plant-based foods and beverages.

If you are already well established in traditional dairy production, you have already
mastered many of the hygienic aspects, and have a good sense of dairy yoghurt
production. Hopefully this white paper will fill the gaps involving the specific food
chemistry knowledge that is required when working with plant-based foods. You
may find that working with plant-based foods is challenging, and that the industry
hasn’t yet achieved the degree of standardization and efficiency that you are used
to in dairy.

If you are already running fruit, still drinks, or vegetable-based lines for beverage
production, then you are used to processing steps involving water, and much of
the hygiene involved. But if your experience is mainly with high-acid production,
you may encounter challenges in running low-acid processes, which present
special Issues with cleaning, etc. Making the leap to fermented plant-based
products will also involve understanding the special roles of thickeners,
fermentation and heat treatment.

Finally, if you are a newcomer to the food industry, but have creative ideas for new
fermented beverages and foods, especially fortified and functional products, this
white paper should provide the overview you need to forge ahead with your plans.
There aren’t yet any books to learn from in this area, and very few consultants to
hire. We’ll welcome your questions.

3
Why the interest in plant-based products, and fermentation in
particular?

Fermented plant-based products are increasingly available around the world,

and the range of such products is increasing every day. This document will focus on
products that look, taste and feel like
“stirred yoghurt”, the type eaten with a spoon; we'll refer to them as plant-based
yoghurt-style products to avoid any confusion.

The market is growing for plant-based

Terminology and the law
alternatives, for reasons that range from
nutritional and economic to regulatory When we write “yoghurt-style

and environmental. From the food products” in this white paper, we

manufacturers’ perspective, it is all about mean “fermented plant-based

providing consumers with an optional products that are similar in taste,

nutritional source. appearance, and texture to

traditional dairy-based yoghurt”.
As health concerns rise globally, the main
consumption drivers of plant-based products But please note that the term

are perceived health benefits and the “yoghurt” is reserved in many

opportunities to explore new flavours and markets for dairy products. So you

tastes from around the world. A preventive should verify your own market

approach focused on strengthening our own and legal requirements before

and our families’ immune systems has reached deciding which term to use in

a new height. This approach favours nutrients communications and advertising,

from natural sources and less calorific sources, when referring to plant-based

as plants are seen by many as a powerful yoghurt-style products.

alternative to artificial supplements.

Another driver is environmental sustainability and its positive impact on water and
energy consumption, climate change, waste and pollution. Many countries are
increasing environmental restrictions on dairy farm pollution and enacting stricter
animal welfare regulations. Greenhouse gas emissions in animal food chains are
under particular scrutiny.

Consumers have increasingly integrated thinking about sustainability into some of

their purchasing decisions and are increasingly willing to pay for brands that are
known as environmentally friendly.

At the same time, some plant-based proteins are more favoured than others, and it
is important to consider the full value chain when evaluating a food product’s
impact on the environment.

Consumers can currently choose among many different plant-based ingredients in

the marketplace, from the more traditional soya, to oats, coconut and even peas.
Mouth feel is paramount: consumers look for a smooth texture and pleasant taste
and will not compromise.

We are seeing the confluence of several trends here: tasty products targeting
health concerns, plant-based diets, veganism, sustainability, and animal welfare.
Plant-based products may be consumed as breakfast food supplements or snacks.

4
In many markets they command premium prices over ordinary milk products. And
fermentation is often regarded by consumers as an added value – both for
spoonable and drinkable products.

At Tetra Pak we have seen an increased interest in production of fermented plant

based products, while at the same time there is little knowledge generally available
on a commercial basis. As you will see in the following pages, testing recipes,
formulations and processing parameters is a wise course to follow.

Three major challenges when producing yoghurt-style products from

a plant base

In order to illustrate successful production, we have identified three major

technology and production challenges:

1. Optimizing viscosity and other characteristics with the right ingredients,

including thickeners
2. Optimizing heat treatment to ensure food safety and quality
3. Optimizing fermentation parameters, including the culture addition

Most importantly, it is also about making sure that the solutions to these
challenges – viscosity, heat treatment, and fermentation – are coordinated in a way
that optimizes the whole production process. Essentially, your ingredients
(especially thickeners), heat treatment, and fermentation time and culture are the
keys to a successful design.

Throughout our discussion of ingredients and processing, we will return again and
again to these three challenges, why they occur, and how they can be met.

But before we go into these challenges, we should get acquainted with the general
overview of how to produce plant-based yoghurt-style products, as well as how to
create the base from plant ingredients.

5
GENERAL OVERVIEW – PRODUCING YOGHURT-
STYLE PRODUCTS FROM PLANT-BASED MATERIAL
There are numerous ways that processing fermented plant-based products differ
from dairy-based products, and these differences increase as you consider the
many formulations that are possible. Fermented plant-based products have to be
optimized for taste, texture and nutrition by adding additional ingredients and/or
adapting processing methods.

Figure 1 shows the process of producing yoghurt-style products from a plant-based

base, which we describe step-by-step in the following pages. This white paper will
give you a quick overview of some important differences, why they present
challenges, and how they can be overcome or compensated.

Figure 1. The major steps in producing yoghurt-style products from plant-based

material

In dairy yoghurt the viscosity is mainly built up from a protein network created by
the pH drop during fermentation. But in plant-based products the main texture
often comes from starch or other thickeners, even though some products get some
texture from the protein network. In general, the higher the protein level, the
higher the contribution is to the texture. For example, a soya base is often rich in
protein, perhaps 3% protein compared to about 1% for an oat base. This means that
the proteins in the soya-based fermented product will contribute more to the
protein network than in an oat-based product.

Getting all these process parameters balanced is where the technology and food
know-how play a role, but since this plant-based yoghurt-style production area is
still new, there are no off-the-shelf solutions. Combining food application
knowledge with recipe and process expertise is currently the best way forward, as
this white paper will demonstrate.

Creating a base in the plant world

Plant-based means that the product is based on plant material such as oats, soya
beans, almonds, rice, peas, coconuts, buckwheat, etc.

The base you create can be used to formulate many different products, where
yoghurt-style products can be one, beverages or cooking cream could be another.
The technology principles are the same for most starch-rich materials, which
means that the principles for using oats can also be applied to rice and other
starch-rich ingredients. The principles for nuts and nut-like products are the same
as for almonds. That said, there can still be a big difference in processing
parameters, even when the technology principles are the same.

Starch-rich materials can be enzymatically treated to give the sugar needed for
fermentation, while other materials like almonds need added sugar.

6
Protein-rich materials like soya will have a relatively high buffering capacity, which
means the fermentation time might be longer than for oats or rice.

The base for a plant-based yoghurt-style product can be made from a variety of
different plant raw materials. For our purposes here, we will focus on the three
most common base ingredients: oats, soya beans and almonds. We will begin by
comparing their basic composition, as in Table 1, before going into more details.

Table 1. Differing composition of oats, soya and almonds, showing percentages by

weight (wt%)

Oats Soya Almond

Proteins (wt%) 17 38 19

Fats (wt%) 7 18 49

Carbohydrates (wt%) 66 30 26

Moisture (wt%) 10 14 6

Oat base

Oats are available in a variety of forms. For example, some forms of oats might have
an extra-high fat level or an extra-high beta-glucan level.

The oat base comes from an extraction line with enzymatic treatment. There are
three alternatives for the raw material, as shown in Table 2. The first option is to use
oat kernels or oat flakes and continuously feed them into a grinding unit together
with hot water. The second option is to mix oat flour into hot water. In both cases
the result is a hot oat slurry. The third option is to buy a ready-made oat compound,
where the ingredient supplier has already performed the extraction and enzymatic
treatment, so all you have to do is add water to the desired level. That is by far the
easiest choice, but the raw material cost might be rather high.

7
Table 2. Advantages and disadvantages among oat ingredients for oat base
creation

Raw material Advantages Disadvantages

Oat kernels or oat flakes Low raw material cost Largest
continuously fed into a investment cost
grinding system together and the most
with hot water complex
operation

Oat flour mixed with hot
water in a high shear
mixer
Lower investment cost and Higher raw
easier operation than kernels material cost
or flakes. Might be a little more than kernels or
flexible. Easier to reach higher flakes
dry matter levels, above 20%.

A ready prepared oat Very convenient. Highest raw

compound from an Fast path to market. material cost
ingredient supplier Lowest investment cost.

The oat base can be tricky to handle. What we have demonstrated in our
laboratories and in customer installations is that the processing design and
parameters for the oat base must take into account the raw materials (kernels,
ground flour, or ready-made compositions); the need to enzymatically control how
starch and proteins behave during processing; and using specialized equipment for
high shear mixing, fibre separation and deaeration.

Figure 2 below shows the most common way to create an oat base.

Figure 2. Overview of the process for making an oat base

(For more detailed information on oat preparation and processing, see the 2020
white paper from Tetra Pak entitled “Oat-based beverages – processing challenges
& techniques” – downloadable at White paper: Oat-based beverages – strategies &
processing challenges | Tetra Pak )

The first step is to create a hot oat slurry from oat and hot water. It can be done
either by high-shear mixing of oat flour into hot water, or by continuously grinding
oat grains or flakes with hot water. The temperature of the slurry is normally 60-
65°C. The oat-to-water mass ratio is typically 1:5 but can also be higher.

8
The oat starch swells immediately, and the viscosity increases. To decrease the
viscosity, enzymes (alpha amylases) are added to cut down the starch into smaller
molecules (dextrins) and access the sugars in the starch. It is beneficial to add
these enzymes as early as possible, preferably before the starch swelling has taken
place. When starting from grains or flakes, the enzymes are added in the grinding
unit together with the water. When starting from flour they are added to the
enzymation tanks. When the enzymes have been added, the viscosity goes down
very rapidly.

After the grinding/mixing a second enzyme is added directly into the enzymation
tank. This is typically a glucosidase or maltase, which will further cut down the
starch and dextrins into sugar molecules. Depending on the enzyme, the resulting
sugars will be either glucose or maltose. The activity of the enzymes needs to be
controlled in order to achieve the desired sweetness. To stop the enzymatic activity,
the enzymes are deactivated with a high temperature treatment, usually up to
100°C depending on the enzyme. The insoluble fibres are then removed with a
decanter, and the result is an oat base that can be used for a large variety of
beverage or yoghurt-style products.

Soya base

Soya consumption styles and preferences vary around the globe, due to a variety of
agricultural traditions and climate influences. In some regions, it is considered a
main protein base, while in others, it is regarded as a healthy alternative.

Soya beans are alive and nature helps them with enzymes (lipoxygenase) that
protect the seeds and give the young plants a safe start. However, these enzymes
also cause processing problems and must be controlled to achieve the right taste
(beany or low-beany taste) and other properties in the final product.

The raw materials commonly used for producing a soya base are:

• Extraction of soya beans, whole or dehulled, ground with hot water, fibre phase
removed.
• Mixing soya isolate, soya concentrate or powder with hot water in a high-shear
mixer to formulate a soya base.

The first alternative, using wet grinding, is shown in Figure 3. It has the largest
investment cost and the most complex operation, but the raw material cost will be
low (similar to oat extraction, without the enzymatic part).

Figure 3. Overview of the process for making a soya base

9
Trypisin inhibitors (TI), which are naturally occurring in soya, retard the absorption
of protein by the human body. To de-activate them, the soya base is heat-treated
before it is further processed.

The second alternative, using a concentrate, has a lower investment cost and easier
operation, and might also be a little bit more flexible, but comes with a higher raw
material cost.

More information can be found in the Soya Handbook, available at

https://www.tetrapak.com/insights/handbooks/soya-handbook

Almond base

As with soya beans, there are options when making an almond base, as Figure 4
shows. The most common way starts with almond paste, which may be made from
roasted or unroasted almonds, depending on the desired taste profile. The almond
paste is generally highly viscous, so some preheating of the paste is advisable
before adding it to the mixer.

Some producers start from whole almonds, making the paste themselves by dry
grinding the almonds (roasted) in two steps to a fine paste or slurry, with particle
size less than 50µm. If unroasted almonds are used, a wet grinding is performed
similar to the grinding process for oats, but with a different final grinder. This is
followed by removal of the fibre phase via separation (decanter).

Due to the low starch/high fat content in almonds (and other nuts), no enzymatic
process is required.

Figure 4. Overview of the process for making an almond base

Beyond base creation

Now that we have examined the fundamentals of base creation with three different
plant origins, we can look more deeply into our three primary challenges:

• Optimizing viscosity and other characteristics with the right ingredients,

including thickeners
• Optimizing heat treatment to ensure food safety and quality
• Optimizing fermentation parameters, including the culture addition

10
CHALLENGE 1 – OPTIMIZING VISCOSITY AND OTHER
CHARACTERISTICS WITH THE RIGHT INGREDIENTS
Consumers want a certain viscosity, texture, mouth feeling and appearance in the
plant-based yoghurt-style products they prefer. Viscosity is one of the central
drivers here. When the protein content is not high enough to ensure that
fermentation alone will achieve the desired viscosity (consistency) of the plant-
based products, other ingredients must be added to achieve the desired
characteristics.

Generally, thickeners play a key role in plant-based yoghurt-style formulations, and

these are most commonly starches. Depending on the choice of ingredients at this
stage, there may be additional requirements for particular heat treatment and
fermentation parameters.

Starch

A wide range of native and modified starches are available, which all have their
advantages and disadvantages. Modifications of starches are often made so that
they will work under certain processing conditions, for example, high temperature
or high shear. These modifications will also decide what is required for the starch to
develop high viscosity, and when and where in the process it will happen. Some
starches will create high viscosity before fermentation, while others will have an
effect after cooling in the package.

The development of viscosity is also a challenge from a technical processing point

of view, as the equipment must be designed to handle the increased viscosity.

Starch is dispersed in the base before heat treatment and the starch granules swell
during heat treatment. The starch thus binds water and increases the viscosity of
the product. Swelling temperature depends on the type of starch used, but can be
as low as 50-55°C. Mechanical treatment – such as pumping or mixing – of the
swelled starch granules can reduce the effect of the starch on final stability and
viscosity, so it is important that your homogenization temperature takes into
account the type of starch and swelling temperature.

Pectin

Pectin comes in two forms, LM and HM (low and high degree of esterification). LM
pectin is often used in plant-based yoghurt-style products to increase viscosity and
water-holding capacity (stability). The LM pectin interacts with the protein network
and calcium (often added) in the base.

Gellan gum

Gellan gum interacts with itself to create a network in the plant-based product
base that increases the viscosity and/or suspends particles. It also increases water
holding capacity (stability). It is often used in combination with pectin; the two can
be dry mixed and added together, preferably with some sugar, if that is part of the
recipe.

11
Other ingredients

Sugar

Depending on the raw plant material, sucrose, glucose and maltose are commonly
added sugars. If the raw material already contains a lot of starch (e.g. oats or rice),
the sugar is produced from the starch with an enzymatic process while
manufacturing the plant base.

The sugar composition can be further controlled by the choice of enzymes. The
fermentation culture is often dependent on a specific sugar for its functionality, so
recipes need to be adapted accordingly.

Fat

Raw plant materials contain varying amounts and types of fat. Oats contain little
fat, so it is common to add rapeseed (canola) or sunflower oil to oat products, while
for almond and other nut-based products, additional fat may not be required.

Emulsifiers

Emulsifiers are commonly used, mixed separately with oil and then added to the
hot base as a single mixture during formulation.

Flavours and aromas

Sometimes the product is flavoured with aromas, alone or as a taste enhancer, e.g.
vanilla and different liquid fruit aromas. These are often added in the base before
heat treatment.

Proteins and total solids

To increase the protein content it is common to add high-protein powders. To

increase the Total Solids, the easiest way is to add more flour in the mixing, or
higher amount of grain/flakes to the grinding unit.

Yet another way to increase the protein content – or the total solids – is to use
membrane filtration. For example, the base can be concentrated with ultrafiltration
(UF) or reverse osmosis (RO), depending on the desired composition.

Mixing and formulation technology

For mixing it is recommended to use a high-shear mixer with a connected tank.

The high shear is needed to dissolve ingredients like stabilizers, thickeners and
minerals, rapidly and efficiently, and to emulsify added fat. To minimize air
incorporation, a vacuum mixer is recommended, but not critical.

Before mixing, the dry ingredients are normally dry-mixed, and the emulsifier
added to the fat (temperature 60-70°C).

12
The base (oat, soya, etc.) is normally warm, typically 60-70°C. The ingredients are
added and mixed into the base, which is circulated over the connected tank.

Below are examples of recipes for yoghurt-style products based on oats (Table 3),
soya (Table 4), and almonds (Table 5).

Table 3. Oat-based recipe (example) Table 4. Soya-based recipe (example)

Oat yoghurt-style Soya yoghurt-style

product – Stirred product – Stirred
type % by weight type, chilled % by weight

Oat base 93 Soya base 91

Oil 2 Sugar 8

Sugar 1 Pectin 0.1-0.2

Starch 4 CaHPO4 0.1-0.3

Culture Culture

Flavour & colour Flavour & colour

Table 5. Almond-based recipe (example)

Almond yoghurt-
style product –
Stirred type % by weight

Almond base 10

Sugar 9

Water 76.75

Starch 4

Lecithin 0.25

Culture

Flavour & colour

13
CHALLENGE 2 – OPTIMIZING HEAT TREATMENT TO
ENSURE FOOD SAFETY AND QUALITY
Plant-based raw materials differ a lot from milk in protein structure, protein levels
and carbohydrates, among other things. So even if heat treatment, fermentation
and packaging may seem similar to dairy yoghurt production, these processes
have to be adapted for plant-based materials. Depending on the plant origins and
the recipe, one or more heat treatments may be necessary, and they must be
closely coordinated with the choice of ingredients and fermentation parameters.

Heat treatment essential for food safety and quality

When all ingredients are mixed, the product base should be heat-treated, for four
principal reasons:

1. Killing all pathogens to ensure a safe product for the consumer.

2. Killing microorganisms that might compete with the starter culture that is
going to be added to ferment the base.
3. Coagulating proteins so that they give a better contribution to the product
network. This point is important for milk yoghurt, but not fully investigated for
plant-based products. It is likely to be more important for high-protein products
where the proteins have a high contribution to the final structure and viscosity.
4. Swelling the starch or other added stabilizers/thickeners.

Heat treatment depends on recipes and ingredients

The heat treatment is strongly determined by the recipe, especially the type of
starch and any other thickeners and stabilizers. Some thickeners cannot tolerate
high temperature, while others need a very long holding time to be activated. A
very common temperature and time combination is 95°C/5 minutes, but this must
be adapted to develop the functionality in the thickener while still maintaining
food safety requirements.

Establishing the right thickening system is critical to the heat treatment. It is

important to know what the thickeners require in terms of temperature and
holding time, and what it cannot handle. It is also important to know when the
desired viscosity will develop. There are starches and other thickeners that do not
develop viscosity until they are cooled down after fermentation. In these cases, the
viscosity is designed to develop in the package. Other thickeners will develop their
full viscosity already after the heat treatment that is applied before the
fermentation.

It is important to design the heat treatment to fit the thickening system, but never
go below what is acceptable from a food safety point of view.

14
Choice of heating technology

Because most plant-based bases develop high viscosity during the heat treatment,
both plate and tubular heat exchangers can be used. However, this must be
evaluated case by case, as different thickening systems behave differently. The
homogenizer position (upstream/ downstream), configuration and pressure
settings can all play a role in crafting the final product.

A deaerator is recommended, but is not necessary; some starter culture strains do

ferment faster with less oxygen.

After the heat treatment, the base is cooled down to the fermentation
temperature, normally around 40°C, depending on the culture used, and pumped
to the fermentation tanks.

You are welcome to consult with us at Tetra Pak for additional guidance.

15
CHALLENGE 3 – OPTIMIZING FERMENTATION
PARAMETERS
Fermentation is a complex challenge, because it must take place under controlled
conditions and it must be stopped in time. These conditions must be specified in
product development and coordinated with the thickening system and other
parameters.

The role of fermentation

Bacteria cultures, also known as starter cultures, are added to the heat-treated
base (inoculation) and allowed to grow under controlled conditions (fermentation).
These cultures might be traditional dairy yoghurt cultures, consisting of a mix of
Streptococcus thermophilus and Lactobacillus bulgaricus, but other cultures are
also commonly used for plant-based products.

During fermentation, the bacteria consume the sugars in the base and produce
lactic acid, lowering the pH level, and changing flavours and aromas. But there’s an
important difference: with a plant base, this pH drop does not contribute as much
to the viscosity of the product as in dairy-based yoghurt. This leads to the necessity
of adding ingredients to improve viscosity.

There are plant-based products with live bacteria, and others where the bacteria
have been inactivated in a heating step after fermentation. The benefit of
inactivating the culture is a more stable product with a longer shelf life.

A third option is to inactivate the culture but add probiotic bacteria before filli ng,
although these products are commonly sold as chilled.

Adding culture

After the heat treatment, the product is inoculated with a starter culture before
fermenting to the desired pH. The culture can be added either inline before the
tank, yielding better hygiene, but resulting in a higher cost; or it can be added via
the manhole.

The high viscosity of the base can make it difficult to blend the starter culture
homogeneously into it, so the agitator needs to be running during the culture
addition. To minimize the risk of unwanted microbial growth, it is important to add
the starter culture as soon as possible, and it is recommended to start the addition
as soon as the level is high enough to start the agitator. The agitator should be kept
running until all the base has been pumped into the tank.

Fermentation time is critical

During fermentation, the added starter culture microorganisms create organic

acids that lower the pH. Different products will have a different final pH. To ensure
food safety the final pH must be below 4.6; below that level there are no remaining
pathogenic (dangerous) microorganisms that can multiply. Typical pH values are
4.3-4.5.

16
The fermentation time of plant-based products varies a lot, depending on the type
of base, protein content, initial pH, desired final pH, oxygen level, etc. Typical
fermentation times are 4-10 hours, and the fermentation progress is tracked
through sampling and measuring pH or titratable acidity. Long fermentation times
may require higher initial heat treatment.

NOTE: There is a risk for Bacillus cereus growth if the fermentation time is long.
In that case, a heat treatment with a higher heat load is necessary. You are
welcome to consult us at Tetra Pak for additional guidance.

Choosing an optimal culture together with the right fermentation time and
temperature is the key to success in this step. We always recommend working
closely with us and the culture supplier to optimize the parameters. The line
capacity and design, including the number and size of fermentation tanks, are also
of great importance for both food safety and quality. To be able to scale up the
fermentation to commercial operation, we strongly recommend product trials at
pilot scale. You are welcome to consult us at Tetra Pak for additional guidance, or
to arrange product trials at one of our Product Development Centres.

17
POST-FERMENTATION STEPS ALSO ESSENTIAL FOR
QUALITY AND SAFETY
Depending on the recipe and the desired shelf life, additional steps after
fermentation may be required to ensure the right levels of quality and safety,
before the product is distributed.

Smoothing or homogenization

After fermentation the product is generally jellified and syneresis may occur. It is
normal to agitate the product to make it more homogenous and pumpable.
Smoothing is used to break up small protein clusters and lumps. By applying shear
to the product at a warm temperature, the clusters are disintegrated, and the
result is a smooth and shiny product. Both commercial production and pilot scale
tests have shown that most plant-based fermented products benefit from
smoothing. The smoothing device can be a dynamic component, designed for
smoothing, or a simpler solution such as a back-pressure valve or a strainer.

Drinkable plant-based yoghurt-style products are often homogenized before

cooling down to packing temperature.

Cooling

The fermented product is cooled down and packed, possibly with the addition of
fruit compounds or other flavourings before cooling. It is cooled through a plate
heat exchanger typically to ~10-25°C and pumped to a buffer tank before the filler.
As the viscosity changes with temperature, the temperature is often decided by
the viscosity limitation in the filling machine. The cooling is an important step, as it
stops, or at least slows down the fermentation.

The pH development at the end of the fermentation depends on the culture. Some
cultures slow down close to the target pH, while others continue down to a lower
pH. It is important that the cooling capacity matches the batch size, in order to
prevent the pH from dropping too low, and thus over-acidifying the product.

Adding fruits and particles

The plain product can be mixed with a fruit preparation containing fruit and water,
often mixed with a large quantity of sugar, and sometimes stabilizers. The
stabilizers normally ensure that fruit pieces remain well-distributed throughout the
entire volume of the preparation during storage. The fruit preparation might also
contain stabilizers to influence the final product quality (stability, viscosity, texture).

Fruit compounds are commonly delivered in aseptic containers and are dosed in-
line between the product storage tank and filler. The fruit preparation used for
plant-based yoghurt-style products should be aseptic, even if it is a chilled product.

Fermented products today may include other particles such as nuts, grains,
crumbs, pieces of chocolate, etc. These can be added as particle slurries, similar to
fruit preparations.

18
Heat treatment after fermentation

Some producers heat-treat the product after fermentation, before filling. If the
purpose is to inactivate the culture, a low heat treatment is enough, typically 63-
75°C/15 sec. If the purpose is to inactivate microorganisms that might have
contaminated the product after fermentation, e.g. when adding additives, a higher
heat load is recommended, typically 95°C/15sec.

If the heat-treated product is filled in an aseptic package, it can be

distributed/stored at ambient temperature, but these products are normally
distributed and sold as refrigerated.

Final cooling and effects on texture

After filling, the product is transported to cold storage, where it is further cooled to
<8°C.

If the production line has been correctly designed, the texture and viscosity of the
yoghurt-style product will improve during the first 1-3 days due to a rebuilding of
the protein network and interactions with stabilizers. It is recommended to keep
fermented plant-based products at least 24 hours in the cold store to achieve
optimal texture and viscosity before distribution or evaluation.

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SUMMARY
This white paper has described some of the basic processes involved in production
of plant-based yoghurt-style products. While currently riding on a wave of popular
interest, this industry hasn’t yet achieved the degree of standardization and
efficiency that is well-established in dairy production, and there are numerous
factors that interact with each other to influence the final form, quality and safety
level of the product.

We selected oats, soya and almond for illustrative reasons. The technology
principles are stable for most starch-rich materials, so the principles for using oats
can also be applied to rice and other starch-rich ingredients. The principles for nuts
and nut-like items are the same as for almonds. Although the same principles can
be applied, there is still a big difference in processing parameters.

Exploring the new opportunities in plant-based yoghurt-style products involves

understanding the special roles of starches, heat treatment and fermentation,
because only some texture is provided by the protein network (which varies
depending on the plant used). The main texture comes from starch or other
thickeners.

Three major production challenges

1. Optimizing viscosity and other product characteristics with the right
ingredients, including thickeners.
Depending on the thickener used, different heat treatments and mechanical
processes are required for the thickener to develop the specified viscosity,
texture, mouthfeel and appearance within the specified time limits. Some
thickeners achieve high viscosity before fermentation, while others achieve it
after cooling in the package.
2. Optimizing heat treatment to ensure food safety and quality.
Heat treatment is required to:
a) Kill pathogens to ensure safety
b) Kill microorganisms that might compete with the starter culture that is
chosen for fermentation
c) Coagulate proteins so that they give a better contribution to the network
d) Swell the starch or other added stabilizers/thickeners
In addition, the heat treatment must fit the thickening system.
3. Optimizing fermentation parameters, including the culture addition.
During fermentation, microorganisms create organic acids that lower the pH. To
ensure food safety the final pH must be below 4.6, signifying there are no
pathogenic microorganisms that can multiply.
The fermentation time of plant-based yoghurt-style products varies a lot,
depending on the type of base, protein content, initial pH, desired final pH,
oxygen level, etc.
Typical fermentation times are 4-10 hours, and longer fermentation times may
require higher initial heat treatment.

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 Choosing an optimal culture together with the right time and temperature is
key to success in this step.

Please keep in mind it is essential that the solutions to these challenges – viscosity,
heat treatment, and fermentation – are also coordinated in a way that optimizes
the whole production process.

Getting the technology right

Every step of the production process also requires special attention to equipment,
often because of the increased viscosity and time sensitivity.

• For mixing, it is recommended to use a high-shear mixer with a connected

tank. The high shear is needed to dissolve ingredients like stabilizers, thickeners
and minerals, rapidly and efficiently, and to emulsify added fat.
• Because most plant-based bases develop high viscosity during heat treatment,
it is common to use either plate or tubular heat exchangers – but this depends
on the behaviour of the thickening system selected.
• The homogenizer position (upstream/downstream), configuration and pressure
settings can all play a role in crafting the final product.
• The equipment used for inoculation, cooling, adding ingredients and heat
treatment may also have special requirements to ensure that hygienic
standards are met, and that processing specifications are followed correctly.

Because of the many parameters involved in producing a high-quality product, we

strongly recommend product trials on a pilot scale. You are welcome to consult us
at Tetra Pak for additional guidance, or to arrange for product trials at our Product
Development Centres.

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TETRA PAK – AN INNOVATION LEADER IN
FERMENTED PLANT-BASED PRODUCTS
Tetra Pak has long been a trusted partner of the dairy, food and beverage
industries. As an innovator, we are dedicated to not only serving the current needs
of these industries, but helping them explore new opportunities for growth. We
collaborate with customers, universities, and other business partners to develop
new technologies and solutions for producing products while keeping safety, cost-
effectiveness and flexibility in mind – along with high regard for environmental
sustainability.

We’re ready to help

We are a global market leader in providing line solutions for plant-based products.
Our strong application expertise within low acid, aseptic technology, as well as
years of experience with oats and soya (over 30 years!) – combined with a broad
portfolio, covering extraction, in-line blending, mixing, UHT treatment, aseptic
storage and filling – has enabled us to capture and optimize new plant-based
trends.

Ingredients and plant-based protein vary endlessly, and it is only your creativity
that sets the limit. Based on your product ambitions and formulations, we can
configure a complete line from product formulation to heat treatment and
packaging – to secure your product quality, running time and efficiency. Our ten
Product Development Centres (PDCs) around the world can help you develop new
recipes as well as optimize different process parameters.

You can also start developing your product concepts at one of our six Customer
Innovation Centres (CICs) and acceleration laboratory. In an inspirational and
creative environment together with our experts, you can innovate product ideas
while incorporating insights on global and local trends – and in harmony with
packaging linked to your business needs.

Technology and line expertise

We offer complete line concepts and technology support for beverage, dairy and
food producers, including fermented plant-based products, based on:

• Extensive knowledge of food processing technology and ability to support its

implementation
• Processing solutions (extraction units, in-line blending, high-shear mixers,
pasteurizers/UHT, homogenizers, and more) and best-practice line concepts
based on proven technologies
• End-to-end offerings – from raw materials through processing, and all the way
to filling, packaging and palletized products.

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Contact persons

Maria Norlin, Manager Centre of Expertise JNSD, Plant-Based & Other Beverages
Maria.Norlin@tetrapak.com

Anders Löfgren, Technology Specialist, Centre of Expertise JNSD, Plant-Based &

Other Beverages
Anders.Lofgren@tetrapak.com

Katarina Ternström, Manager Centre of Expertise Dairy Chilled & Fermented

Katarina.Ternstrom@tetrapak.com

Katarina Lindgren, Technology Specialist, Centre of Expertise Dairy Chilled &

Fermented
Katarina.Lindgren@tetrapak.com

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 © Tetra Pak International S.A, Tetra Pak Processing system AB, 08-07-21

Tetra Pak and Protects What’s Good are trademarks 24

belonging to the Tetra Pak Group. www.tetrapak.com