Axiom Foods unveils AvenOlait 2.0 oat ingredient
"We hope that dairy alt manufacturers who may be gun-shy having worked with oat-based ingredients will take a second look," said Axiom Foods' director of food technology, Rick Ray, who has worked for big food companies including General Mills and Coca-Cola.
Lab testing has uncovered functional and nutritional advantages to AvenOlait 2.0 vs oat flour, according to Ray, adding that the first generation of non-dairy oat ingredients was commonly stripped down and for oat-based milks and yogurts to compete with their dairy competitors, a significant amount of nutrients, oils, gums, added sugars and flavors were often formulated back in.
According to Axiom Foods, AvenOlait 2.0 has a similar nutritional profile to whole, uncooked oats, containing many of the essential vitamins and minerals, protein, and fibers.
"Our innovation and quality teams have seen some surprising lab and functionality test results beyond just an enhanced consumer experience in dairy alts. For example, in addition to testing over 10% more beta glucan in AvenOlait than in oat flour, the maltodextrin levels have taken bread to the next level, between a maillard browning reaction and an unexpected fresh-bakery aroma and taste," said Ray.
Gluten-free
AvenOlait is made from 100% gluten-free oats (even though oats are naturally gluten-free, cross contamination with wheat is still an issue when growing oats and manufacturing oat products), said the company.
"This is where Axiom's US crop sourcing comes in. The supply is steadily increasing as committed US farmers recognize the opportunity and are getting resourceful, including relocating oat and wheat fields at a distance beyond the flying radius of cross-contaminating birds," said Ray.
He added that Axiom Foods has been inundated with sample requests for its certified-whole grain AvenOlait 2.0 from food and beverage manufacturers who want to participate in the booming and evolving oat-based dairy alternatives category.
