New toolbox inspires high-protein dessert innovation in Latam

Arla Foods Ingredients has launched a toolbox to inspire South American brands to create indulgent high-protein desserts. 

Latin America accounted for 10% of global dessert launches in 2024, with retail sales reaching US$12.7 billion. In Brazil, the region’s largest market, value growth in the sector is rising by 9% CAGR. 

However, in a 2024 survey, 18% of Latin American consumers said they had decreased their consumption of desserts over the past year. Among this group, nearly four in ten (39%) overall, and over half in Brazil, cited “because it’s unhealthy” as a reason for cutting down.1 Furthermore, 79% of Latin American consumers say they wish healthier options were available to them in indulgent food categories. 

Winning back health-conscious consumers by reformulating to combine sensory pleasure with a healthy positioning has therefore become a common strategy, with the permissive indulgence trend now apparent across a range of categories.

Increasingly, balancing indulgence with health means the addition of functional ingredients such as protein, rather than just reducing fat, sugar or salt. Research by Arla Foods Ingredients has found that 38% of consumers in Brazil want to see high-protein dessert options in supermarkets.

The new toolkit features 12 recipes to inspire dairy, health and performance brands to create indulgent high-protein desserts. It showcases ingredients from the Nutrilac ProteinBoost range, which deliver a creamier, smoother texture, even in low-fat products.

Most of the recipes are rich in whey protein and therefore deliver high levels of branched-chain amino acids. Nutrilac ProteinBoost ingredients also provide functional benefits, improving shelf life and stability in fruity desserts, ice cream and sorbet.

As well as recipes for ready-to-eat desserts, such as ice cream, puddings and cheesecakes, the toolkit includes ready-to-mix solutions designed for health and performance brands. A low-fat instant pudding mix offers 20g of protein per portion, while a clear, gelatine solution features Lacprodan whey protein isolate, which offers a range of benefits for active and performance nutrition.

Most of the recipes can be reproduced with a standard yoghurt production line, without the need for UHT technology or additional machinery.

Ignacio Estevez, application manager, South America at Arla Foods Ingredients, said, “As elsewhere, desserts consumers in South America are increasingly health-conscious. However, that doesn’t mean they want to give up on indulgence, or that they only want options with reduced sugar or fat. They’re increasingly aware of the many benefits of high-quality protein, and they want to see it in their favorite products – especially if it gives them permission to indulge. We hope our toolbox will inspire innovative manufacturers to meet this need by creating high-protein desserts that don’t compromise on the all-important qualities of delicious taste and indulgent texture.”