South Indian dairy company MilkyMist has teamed up with SIG and AnaBio Technologies to introduce what is claimed to be the world’s first long-life probiotic buttermilk in aseptic carton packs.

This development, showcased at Gulfood Manufacturing 2024 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, allows probiotics to be incorporated into shelf-stable drinks in aseptic cartons.

Probiotics are valued for their gut health and immunity-boosting benefits. Until now, incorporating live probiotics into long-life beverages has been hindered by the heat treatments used in ultra-high-temperature processing, which compromised probiotic viability.

The combination of AnaBio Technologies’ patented encapsulation technology and SIG’s gentle aseptic filling technology has reportedly overcome this challenge, enabling MilkyMist to offer probiotic buttermilk that does not require refrigeration.

MilkyMist CEO Dr K Rathnam said: “We are thrilled to offer our probiotic buttermilk, a groundbreaking product that combines health and convenience, reduces energy consumption and food waste thus helping us bringing the goodness of probiotics to the people.

“This game-changing product not only offers consumers a healthy and nutritious option but also ensures long shelf-life without the need for refrigeration. We look forward to seeing this product make a positive difference in the lives of consumers.”

AnaBio’s technology protects the probiotics with a protein coat, ensuring they withstand high temperatures during buttermilk processing and remain stable throughout the product's shelf life.

This technology, along with SIG's aseptic filling technology, ensures a homogeneous suspension of probiotic cells per pack, allowing the safe filling of probiotics into SIG's cartons.

MilkyMist’s beverage innovation is being delivered in SIG XSlimBloc 200ml packs.

SIG offers a wide range of different packaging formats and volumes.

Last month, SIG appointed Fabio Grazioli as chief supply chain officer to its executive board.