21 May 2025, Denmark: A year ago, Novozymes and Chr. Hansen became Novonesis. The company is reaping the benefits of the combination within its plant-based business, enabling plant-based dairy customers to meet the increasing consumer demand for high protein vegurts.
With consumers demanding more protein — 62% of global consumers rank high protein content as an important factor in their purchasing decisions — brands are racing to deliver . High-protein claims in plant-based yogurts (‘vegurts’) have also surged, with 15% of new vegurt launches in late 2024 making this claim . In Europe, “high/added protein” was the number one trending claim in vegurt launches last year, surpassing even vitamin fortification and low-fat positioning.
Boosting protein in plant-based yogurt is, however, not easy. Higher protein levels often wreck the texture, making products thick, lumpy, and difficult to process, while legume proteins can leave an unpleasant beany aftertaste. This is where Novonesis comes in, and Birgitte Borch, Head of Plant & Food at Novonesis, explains how the company is combining the innovative solutions from the legacy companies to solve that challenge.
“We’re able to unlock the potential of plant-based dairy products across the entire value chain by bringing together our Vertera® Smooth and Culture Kit solutions. Vertera® Smooth improves texture, making products visually appealing and easier to handle during production. Meanwhile, Vertera® Culture Kit cultures cut down the green, beany notes and bring more dairy-like flavors to plant-based recipes. Together, they offer customers a way to meet the demand for high protein vegurts without compromising taste or mouthfeel. We now have the capabilities to support customers along the whole process – from extraction of beans to drinks to fermented end product. It’s a prime example of how we are delivering real value for our customers and reaping the benefits of our combined biosolutions competencies. This is evident through our unified, Vertera® plant-based innovations,”
says Birgitte Borch, Head of Plant & Food at Novonesis.
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