ICL Food Specialty Markets: Beverage Product Development

Unique processing challenges are common with protein beverages. The higher the level of protein in a beverage, the more difficult it is to stabilize during processing and over its shelf life. High-heat treatments (UHT, retort) and the low pH parameters needed to produce ready-to-drink products can adversely affect the final product texture.

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Ready-to-drink beverages are typically processed using ultra-high temperature (UHT) or retort technologies. These types of processes expose the beverage to extreme heat, which can destabilize the proteins and cause a reduced shelf life, increased age gelation or thickening, and sedimentation. These issues are generally caused by a pH drop and/or not properly sequestering the minerals found in the formulation. Phosphates act as a buffer to stabilize the pH during processing and throughout a product’s shelf life, while certain long chain polyphosphates can prevent the minerals from interacting with destabilized protein.

Plant-based proteins are not as soluble as dairy proteins and can easily precipitate if not correctly buffered and protected from certain minerals. When proteins are stable, the result is a product with exceptional mouthfeel and optimal shelf life.