Under the brand OatBella, Koya Biotech Corporation recently partnered with FJU’s Food Science Department to introduce a new type of oatmilk ice cream to the market. On December 15th, a press conference was held to announce this innovative product at the University’s reputable dairy ice cream store.
In traditional ice cream production, innovation is often limited by the low temperature requirements of raw ingredients. One of the critical challenges is maintaining the raw materials in low temperatures throughout the entire process – from supply, production, storage, to distribution. However, OatBella has successfully developed an ambient and shelf-stable oatmilk ice cream premix. This premix can be poured directly into soft-serve ice cream machines without adding any water and in a matter of minutes, the machine will produce delicious oatmilk ice cream. This innovative process solves the problems of cold chain technology and offers the world a new ice cream production process.
OatBella’s plant-based ice cream is dairy-free and can be consumed by those who are lactose intolerant or with allergies. With the oatmilk base, this ice cream has lower fat and lower calories than (cow)milk-based ice cream. It is also rich in β-glucans and dietary fiber. Not only is it delicious, but it also offers health benefits such as improvements to the gastrointestinal tract.
The first official launch of OatBella’s oatmilk ice cream occurred in FJU’s “iFood STORE”, which is an on-campus intern store for food science students. The store has a history of more than 30 years, but the environment is clean & comfortable and attracts many students to come and enjoy ice cream. New flavored ice creams are offered regularly (on a weekly Wednesday basis), and sales exceed 1,000 units.
The professors and students have extensive experience in new product development. This Industry-Academic collaboration combines the strengths of both parties, with Koya providing technology and FJU providing experience and innovation to jointly create new possibilities for the plant-based ice cream market.
