The increased availability of dairy products has resulted in significant changes in the consumption patterns of Indian consumers over time. Milk comes in a variety of varieties based on its composition or content. It has always been regarded as a whole food or a food with naturally functional properties. It’s versatility has expanded to nutraceuticals. K Rathnam, the CEO of Milky Mist and dairy industry expert advocates the growth of dairy industry and its various benefits to people.
As consumer awareness grows, there is an increase in demand for low fat milk and milk products such as skimmed, low fat, and double toned milk. It is highly processed to obtain these healthy variants, during which essential elements from milk are lost, necessitating the need to fortify milk with the lost nutrients. Aside from these, another trend is dairy products with a longer shelf life.
“Many new segments in the nutrition and wellness sector are emerging in nutraceuticals. Dairy-based nutraceuticals are one such segment. Milk’s macro and micro components have the potential to be nutraceuticals in and of themselves,” notes K Rathnam Milky Mist CEO. As a result of increased awareness, dairy benefits are more understandable to the average consumer, and dairy products are more affordable, even when they include value-added benefits.
In India, the dairy nutraceuticals market is in its infancy. Whereas Japan is the world’s most advanced market for dairy nutraceutical products, with nutraceutical dairy products accounting for up to 44% of the total dairy market. Ingredients provide a variety of health benefits, and many of them have nutraceutical potential. Based on dairy ingredients and their nutraceutical properties, the dairy nutraceuticals market is divided into major categories.
Many dairy ingredients with nutraceutical properties are already in commercial use. Whey proteins are dairy ingredients with commercial applications. Dairy whey proteins are widely used in the sports nutrition market. In India, sales of sports nutrition products, primarily based on whey proteins, have significantly increased. “With an increase in fitness and health-consciousness, this category is expected to grow exponentially in the coming years. Whey protein has applications other than sports nutrition, such as dry blends, infant formula, dairy applications, and other nutraceutical-pharmaceutical applications,” says K Rathnam, the CEO of Milky Mist.
“Consequently, with the increasing awareness about probiotics, the consumption of yogurt has increased widely. Not only yoghurt, but also consumption of various other related products, has increased, owing to widespread consumer acceptance of packaged yoghurt and frozen yoghurt products that meet consumers’ lifestyle and convenience needs,” says K Rathnam, the CEO of Milky Mist. The yoghurt industry in India is expected to grow at a CAGR of 40-45% in the coming years. Additionally, milk is used to transport various bioactive components or other functional ingredients. Milk-based beverages and yogurt-based products are used as vehicles to deliver non-dairy bioactives such as phytosterols and Omega-3 fatty acids. A recent advancement in this field is the use of milk proteins as bioactive encapsulation and delivery vehicles in functional foods.
Moving forward, consumers’ use of food supplements has increased in recent years. The food supplements market is critical for the dairy ingredients industry because dairy ingredients are increasingly being used in food supplements. Whey proteins, alpha-lactalbumin, lactoferrin in blends, ß-lactoglobulin in high blood pressure products, cGMP in appetite regulation, and IgG supplement to antibodies are examples. “Medical foods are foods that have been specially formulated and are intended for the dietary management of a disease that has unique nutritional needs that cannot be met by a standard diet alone,” says K Rathnam, the CEO of Milky Mist. Milk is widely used for a variety of clinical conditions, such as premature infants or infants with special inborn metabolic errors, among others.
In conclusion, K Rathnam mentions that the dairy nutraceuticals industry is on the rise. It requires a business model in order to grow sustainably. Understanding consumer demand and developing an effective marketing network will undoubtedly aid this industry’s growth.
