The National Dairy Foods Research Center program, supported in part by the Dairy Research Institute, marks 25 years of providing dairy, food and beverage companies with research, education, pilot facilities and technical assistance to improve and develop new products and dairy ingredients. America’s dairy farmers established the program in 1987 through the dairy checkoff. Today, there are six-university affiliated centers available to the industry at strategic locations across the U.S.

These resources and technical expertise have resulted in technological advancements and applications for dairy to help food and beverage companies develop new products that meet changing trends and consumer demand.

“The fingerprints of the Dairy Research Centers can be seen in a great number of advancements made in dairy, food and beverage products over the past 25 years,” said Bill Graves, senior vice president of product research at the Dairy Research Institute.

The Dairy Research Centers’ results include improved quality and consistency, product performance aligned with consumer needs and trends, enhanced product value, increased assurance of product safety and product specific innovations for:

Cheese

  • Improvements (e.g., stretch, melt, shred) in natural cheeses have been made possible through research, education and training and have played a role in almost doubling consumer consumption over the last 20 years.
  • Center short courses and technical training helped meet consumer demand for artisan/ specialty cheeses, resulting in almost 1 billion pounds produced annually in the U.S.

Yogurt and cultured products
Research, application and technical training on specific processes and ingredients have played a role in manufacturing Greek yogurt, kefir and frozen smoothies with higher protein concentrations, matching increased consumer interest in protein.

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Whey

  • Processing, functionality, sensory and application research on whey protein has improved quality and performance, enabling processors to develop new food and beverage products. Its increased use in foods and beverages has resulted in whey consumption more than doubling over the last 20 years.
  • Efforts to improve whey flavor have prompted the launch of new beverages, smoothies and bars formulated with higher protein levels.

Milk Protein Concentrates (MPCs)
Progress made to increase MPC functionality, improve solubility and uncover new application opportunities has led to the development of functional milk protein ingredients used in a variety of beverages, bars and yogurt products.

Permeate
Center research has helped identify permeate’s ability to replace salt in formulations, reducing the amount of added salt in foods by 30 to 75 percent and providing a potential solution for companies seeking salt-reduction alternatives to improve sodium levels in products.

Milk
Product research combined with industry innovation efforts helped dairy companies develop flavored milk that meets the National School Lunch and Breakfast Program’s requirements. Today, the average flavored milk has 134 calories – 31 calories more than white milk – the result of new formulations that reduced added sugars in flavored milk by 38 percent. PD

—From Dairy Research Institute news release