Grande Custom Ingredients Group, Lomira, Wis., introduced two new solutions for protein fortification of meal replacement bars or sports drinks.

The Grande WPCrisp Whey Protein Crisp, made with whey protein concentrate, adds crunch and protein to food products such as health cereals, nutrition bars and snack mixes. This whey protein ingredient is available with variable protein levels, and can be seasoned, coated and used as replacement for soy, corn and rice crisps. It’s said to be a clean-flavored dairy protein, with no off-taste that would require masking.

The WPCrisp is a solution for meal replacement and nutrition bars that consumers will often eat in place of breakfast or lunch. The food scientists at Grande Custom Ingredients recently used WPCrisp to create a peanut butter and chocolate chip nutrition bar. By using WPCrisp with a 50% protein level, they created a crunchy, 50 gram bar with a clean flavor and 7 grams of protein.

For sports drinks and other on-the-go products such as ready-to-drink smoothies, food manufacturers can increase protein levels using Grande Ultra Whey Protein Isolate. The Grande Ultra can be used in a variety of beverage applications without clouding, and has a bland, neutral taste that won’t affect the flavor profile or require masking. It also supports instant formulations, such as the flavor packets designed to be added to bottled water.

Grande recently used Ultra to create a high protein, ready-to-drink, yogurt smoothie that included 10 grams of protein in an 8-ounce serving. This yogurt smoothie also included Grande’s Grade A Yogurt Powder, which created the texture of yogurt, without the drawbacks of being perishable. While the powder is not an ingredient for protein fortification — though it will add some — it allows food manufactures to add or maintain the yogurt taste and texture to products.