increase font size
Miraka chief executive, Richard Wyeth has welcomed a partnership with AgResearch and Plant & Food Research to develop a new family of shelf-stable beverages.
Wyeth says the healthy whole-food-based beverages will be aimed at high-value segments of Asian markets and could create significant new value for the New Zealand food industry.
“This is an exciting next step in our journey to develop value added products for consumers. Our strategy has been to add more value to our milk and this project gives impetus to Miraka achieving this goal with partners who share the same values.”
AgResearch science team leader Dr Brendan Haigh, who leads the research, says the aim is to develop new scientific knowledge and technology around manufacturing of dairy-based UHT milk products that contain plant or vegetable materials.
“This knowledge then provides the basis for the development of natural shelf-stable products that taste great, yet retain all of the natural health benefits that the dairy and plant material ingredients bring.
“There is strong consumer interest in whole-food-based products providing balanced nutrition with minimal processing,” says Haigh.
Haigh says the team’s role is to find combinations of fresh milk and plant-based ingredients that will be stable without the addition of highly refined stabilisers, emulsifiers or thickeners.
However, he says to achieve these benefits, they need to better understand how these diverse ingredients interact together so they can overcome any stability and compatibility issues. Finally, he says it will be a matter of manufacturing the products on a large scale and create a product with strong customer appeal.
“Developing new dairy foods with consumer appeal and that also deliver the wellness characteristics of plant ingredients is a technical challenge,” says Dr Lee Huffman from Plant & Food Research.
“The strength of this project is the combined expertise of AgResearch and Plant & Food Research along with the processing and market knowledge of Miraka. We’re excited by the potential that this new collaboration between the three organisations presents.”
The project has been funded in the recently announced Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment’s 2015 science investment round which helps boost New Zealand’s productivity and competitiveness.
An innovative idea for transforming mechanically deboned meat (MDM) into a meat flake for seasoning has taken top honours in the Meat Industry Association’s (MIA) first-ever Dragon’s Den competition.
The Government's plan to merge the seven crown institutes presents exciting possibilities for plant technology company Grasslanz Technology, says chief executive Megan Skiffington.
Māori-owned milk processor Miraka is looking for a new chief executive following the resignation of Karl Gradon last week.
The chief executive of Taupo-based dairy company, Miraka – Karl Gradon - has stepped down from the role for personal and family reasons.
Precision application of nitrogen can improve yields, but the costs of testing currently outweigh improved returns, according to new research from Plant and Food Research, MPI and Ravensdown.
Among this year’s Primary Industry NZ (PINZ) Awards finalists are a Southlander who created edible bale netting and rural New Zealanders who advocate for pragmatic regulation and support stressed out farmers.
Rockit Global has appointed Ivan Angland as its new chief operating officer as it continues its growth strategy into 2025.
Nominations are now open for the Horticulture New Zealand (HortNZ) board.
A Mid-Canterbury dairy farmer is bringing a millennial mindset to his family farm and is reaping the rewards, with a 50% uplift in milksolids production since he took over.
OPINION: People have criticised Christopher Luxon for the time he’s taken to appoint a new chief science advisor.
A new Indonesian school milk programme is expected to significantly increase the country's total dairy consumption, creating opportunities for New Zealand and other global dairy players.
