Coconut milk powder unleashes vegan potential

The Frankfurt Future Institute called fusion “the culinary globalization of daily life” in its Food Report 2023. Fusion food combines influences from different international cuisines. Ginger and turmeric refine fruit smoothies, coconut milk and kaffir lime leaves lend a special flavour to kale curries. Whether soups, curries or desserts, fresh-made or convenience, coconut milk gives many foods and beverages an exotic touch. This has made it a firm part of fusion food. And not just that – as a plant product, it’s perfect for the booming plant-based trend.

Today, consumers expect natural foods to taste good and support their wellbeing. Vegan coconut milk powder is excellent for making purely plant-based drinks and desserts, as a functional alternative to traditional milk products. With coconut milk powder from the SternCream series, Sternchemie has the appropriate product for every application, whether conventional, vegan or organic dishes, for industrial customers as well as the out-of-home market.

The new SternCream Vegan is versatile and simple to work with. Its very high coconut milk content gives it a natural, authentic coconut flavour and a light sweetness. The creamy mouthfeel is especially noticeable in ice cream, praline and wafer fillings, and sweet and hearty snacks. SternCream Vegan also improves the consistency of soups, sauces, creams and dips. Thanks to its very good instant and flow properties, this coconut milk powder quickly dissolves in lukewarm water to attain a smooth consistency. Another plus point is that as a natural product, unlike coconut flavourings and extracts it is very declaration-friendly, either as coconut cream or coconut milk powder. It’s also easier to dose and keeps longer than regular coconut milk.

Gentle manufacture brings product benefits

SternCream products are made exclusively from selected ripe coconuts, whose meat is first washed, then minced and pressed. To ensure the highest purity of the final product, the extracted coconut milk is doubled-filtered. It is then pasteurized and spray-dried for consistently high quality, which is confirmed by sensory panel testing. With its low water content and oxidation stability, SternCream powder has a shelf life of at least 24 months. It also has higher microbiological stability than coconut milk or grated coconut. Another advantage is that due to the gentle drying process, all of its valuable ingredients are retained. Furthermore, SternCream needs no preservatives, colourings or flavourings.

“Together with our customers, we work to refine our products and adapt them to current and future market requirements,” explains Katrin Baumann, SternCream Technical Product Manager. “The focus is on nutritional, trend and ethical considerations, with protein enrichment, fat reduction and added fibre, as well as organic products and plant-based alternatives to dairy.” This coconut milk powder offers manufacturers across the food industry a way to improve existing products, and develop highly attractive new ones for growth markets like the plant-based category.

Longstanding relationships with raw materials suppliers

With the current bottlenecks in raw material supplies and the general economic situation, factors like cost control, dependable suppliers and raw materials availability play a central role. Here, Sternchemie customers benefit from longstanding relationships with suppliers in Sri Lanka and Southeast Asia. “Close coordination and detailed information exchange with our partners in the source countries are the basis for our ability to proactively meet the rising quality demands of the market,” says Svea Rahlf, Sternchemie Quality Manager. “Sensitized consumers, improved analysis methods and ever-stricter regulatory requirements are driving an increased focus on raw materials quality and process control.” With SternCream, Sternchemie offers a versatile natural product that combines functionality with dependable quality.