Picking the Right Non-Dairy Creamers
While Tapping Into Coffee and Tea Trend

If you don’t like your coffee too bitter, or your tea too astringent, non-dairy creamers could be your answer. Having been known for years to be a more economical and dairy-free alternative to dairy milk, these creamers are getting more versatile these days and are now ready to take the food and beverage industry by storm.

The Growing Coffee Culture

Coffee market in Asia has never shown a sign of slowing down. From then until now, drinking coffee has become a part of people’s daily routine before starting their day.

The rising popularity of coffee has triggered the prominence of coffee shops where Asians are always seen heading to, whether it is international or just local brands. Increasing purchasing power and refined taste buds of consumer cause significant surge in the consumption of premium coffee.

This is a challenge for coffee shops owners, who feel the need to stay on top of the competition by making innovations in order to achieve customer satisfaction.

Vietnamese egg coffee is one of the recent trends originated from the cafes and coffee houses in Vietnam which has successfully spread and catapulted to fame throughout the world.

The trend began when there was a milk shortage that led a barista to try using a combination of egg yolk and condensed milk as an alternative to dairy milk.

Surprisingly, the combination resulted in a light and fluffy mixture that became a perfect match for a cup of regular coffee.

In the instant coffee segment, white coffee and specialty instant coffee are also gaining momentum among younger consumers. The consumption of white coffee has been increasing in the recent years due to the convenience it offers, as well as the fact that it’s very easy to prepare and consumed anywhere and anytime.

Additionally, the western cultures and the ideas of exploring new flavors and aromas among younger generation in Malaysia have led a rising demand for more variety of instant coffee.

Answering the demand, Nestle has partnered with Starbucks under for a global coffee alliance to develop a new product line – a premium Starbucks instant coffee that enables consumers to enjoy their Starbucks coffee even when they’re at home.

Another coffee manufacturer, Thailand’s Ajinomoto, recently also joined the coffee battle by launching a latte coffee drink with a well-balanced combination of coffee and creaminess, but with 25% less sugar to meet the needs of health-conscious customers in the country.

Take a Look Inside the Cup

NON-DAIRY CREAMER AS ONE OF THE MAJOR INGREDIENT

Non-dairy creamers have been widely used in beverage industry for decades. Their typical smooth, indulgent, and creamy taste is the main reason why non-dairy creamers are loved by consumers around the world.

Supporting its growth, innovations for non-dairy creamers are constantly made to meet the evolving trend and consumers demand.

Here is a deeper look about what is inside a non-dairy creamer and how it can create more opportunities for the growing beverage market.

Non-dairy creamers, also known as coffee creamers or coffee whiteners, are complex oil-in-water emulsions manufactured with the intent to substitute dairy milk or cream as whitener and taste enhancer in beverages, especially coffee and tea.

They are commonly available in liquid and free-flowing powder form, and have the ability to dissolve easily and create a good whitening effect in beverages.

The taste they create is also what makes non-dairy creamers a popular option. Providing the desired creaminess, milkiness, mouthfeel, and balance taste, non-dairy creamers can bring out the sense of indulgence and enjoyment from a cup of coffee or tea.

But the physical and organoleptic quality of a non-dairy creamer is very determined by its ingredients. Hence, a careful selection of ingredients and excellent processing technology is essential when it comes to creating a good quality non-dairy creamer.

Key Ingredients in Non-dairy Creamers

Taste is one of the most critical factors and one of the primary reasons that affects consumers’ acceptance and purchasing decision. As an ingredient meant to deliver indulgence in food and beverage, non-dairy creamers must have the ability to catch the complexity of desired taste. To achieve that, combining several source of macronutrients with the addition of food additives is required. Each ingredient making up a non-dairy creamer has specific functions which play an important role in determining the quality, taste, and visual appeal of the end products.

Non-dairy creamers are mainly composed of glucose syrup or maltodextrin which takes almost 60% of the total ingredients. It is used as a bulking agent that helps control or modify total solids content. It also gives a slight sweet taste and contributes to mouthfeelness in the finished product. The second major ingredient used in the production of non-dairy creamers is vegetable fat which may be derived from palm or coconut source.

Fat is needed in non-dairy creamers to add creaminess as well as improve the texture and opacity. And based on how it’s processed, there are two types of vegetable oil typically used for non-dairy creamer manufacturing. The first category belongs to oil that has undergone hydrogenation process to increase the melting point and extend shelf life, whereas the other category belongs to oil that  doesn’t have to undergo hydrogenation process and is free from trans-fatty acid.

Meanwhile, non-dairy creamers rely on sodium caseinate to provide the creamy, dairy-like flavor and to help stabilize emulsions. A protein source, sodium caseinate is a derivative of dairy milk. However, it contains no lactose and is safe to be consumed by people with lactose intolerance.

Emulsifiers and stabilizers are important addition to make a good and stable emulsion. The right combination of both is a necessity in order to make non-dairy creamers disperse easily without causing oil separation in beverages. Additionally, anti-caking or free-flowing agent is used to prevent the formation of lumps in powder, which may affect its shelf life.

How Non-dairy Creamer is Processed

The production process of non-dairy creamers begins with mixing and emulsifying all the ingredients, followed by homogenization and pasteurization to reduce the number of microorganisms present in the mixture. Next, the mixture is spray-dried to transform the liquid into powder. The powder is then sieved, screened through metal detector, packed, and stored in the warehouse.

NON-DAIRY CREAMER BY PT LAUTAN NATURAL KRIMERINDO

PT Lautan Natural Krimerindo (LNK) is a leading company of food and beverage ingredients, specialized in spray dried ingredients and powder premixes. PT LNK was established in 2010 and is located in East Java, Indonesia.

With more than 10 years of experience especially in manufacturing non-dairy creamers, we are highly dedicated to crafting and formulating our non-dairy creamers to meet and exceed our customers’ requirements. Our R&D experts, supported by the latest technology machineries and certified quality management system, allow us to achieve our vision – creating value for customers and shareholders around the world.

The Bottom Line

Coffee and tea have become a part of many people’s daily routine, those in Malaysia and Vietnam are no exception. Therefore, the trends in coffee and tea do not seem to be fading away anytime soon. Instead, there will be more and more developments and innovations made in response to the market needs.

As a non-dairy creamer manufacturer that focuses on creating value for our customers, we commit to building a mutual relationship by helping our customers choose the right non-dairy creamers for any purposes and requirements.

Should you have any inquiry or want to know more about our products, feel free to contact our non-dairy creamer specialists at PT Lautan Natural Krimerindo.