Low Carb Dessert – Keeping Your Sweet Tooth Satisfied

As consumers become increasingly label-conscious, Dairy Management Inc.™ is answering the demand for healthful treats that deliver flavor, nutrition and functionality.

From a protein-enriched brownie to a fruit leather or bite-sized empanadas de mejido, DMI is unveiling a host of dairy formulation desserts at its Market Square Booth #1558 at the 2003 Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) Annual Meeting and FOOD EXPO at Chicago's McCormick Place from July 12-16.

Through the farmer-fueled Do it with Dairy® ingredients marketing program, DMI helps food manufacturers use dairy ingredients to improve and develop food products. This year, DMI offers three healthy desserts including a foray into the explosive Latin American food market. DMI invites visitors to a "taste run" of the dairy technology that helps food marketers nationwide capitalize on trends.

Protein-enriched Brownie

Increasingly, consumers are on the lookout for baked goods that are low in carbohydrates and high in protein. To help food manufacturers meet market demand, DMI introduces its protein-enriched brownie with no added sucrose. Although popular "low-carb" diets, such as Atkins Nutritional Approach™, have developed similar desserts, the DMI brownie provides a clear health benefit to the consumer because it contains 4 grams of protein per serving, equivalent to the protein in one-half cup of milk. This low-carb dessert was developed at the California Dairy Products Technology Center, California Polytechnic State University.

"By listening to the marketplace and seeking out a solution, we are able to create a brownie with a chocolate, sweet flavor but fortified with whey protein and nonfat dry milk," said Carolyn Podgurski, dairy ingredient specialist for CDPTC. "This is a dessert that is high on protein and low on guilt."

Nutritious Fruit Leather

With more than 80% fruit and 5% protein, the strawberry fruit leather is a healthier alternative to its commercial cousins on the grocery store shelves. The DMI fruit leather formulation uses a blend of naturally sweet applesauce and strawberries. It also delivers 40% of the recommended daily allowance of vitamin C.

This flavorful fruit leather allows parents to add more protein to the family diet through one of the most popular sweet snacks on the market. The leather, developed at the Wisconsin Center for Dairy Research (WCDR) in Madison, WI, holds promise as a fun and functional food for kids.

"Snacks like the fruit leather have always been perceived by parents as healthier than candies such as lollipops or chocolate bars," said Kimberlee "KJ" Burrington, dairy ingredients applications center coordinator, WCDR. "Now, DMI has packed the power of protein into a fruit leather, offering a healthy alternative for families on the go."

Latin American Explosion: Empanadas de Mejido

In answer to the growing craze for Latin American cuisine, WCDR also developed empanadas de mejido, a flaky pastry with a sweet filling of queso fresco cheese.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Agricultural Statistical Service, production of Hispanic cheeses rose 52% from 1996 to 2001. Specifically, queso fresco can be used in many different sweet and savory foods in addition to frozen dishes.

"We chose a dessert snack that is characterized more by cheese texture than taste," said Kathy Nelson, Applications Lab Coordinator, WCDR. "This is a sweet dessert much like tiramisu or cheesecake that leverages cheese as an ingredient while offering a convenience factor as a frozen food and bite-sized snack."

"The leather, the brownie and the empanada are examples of healthful snacks with a robust flavor and a clear benefit to consumers," said Bill Haines, vice president of business-to-business marketing for DMI. "We proudly display these products at IFT as examples of what our application laboratories can offer the marketplace."

For more information, see Atkins diet recipes.

About The Author:

Mark Harris is a successful author and regular contributor to http://www.atkins-diet-plan-n-recipes.com. Information about the Atkins diet plan and low carb cooking for long term weight loss.