Nutritional beverages for the modern plant-based lifestyle
Explore how dsm-firmenich’s solutions can help you overcome technical and nutritional challenges in creating trending plant-based meal replacement and nutritional beverages.
News
March 12, 2025
Shaping the future of plant-based barley drinks
The plant-based drink space is evolving, and barley is ready to shake things up. With its naturally mild sweetness, nutritional profile, affordability and sustainable sourcing potential, barley provides an exciting foundation for delicious and functional plant-based drinks.
Barley-based drinks offer a unique combination of taste and convenience, making them an excellent choice for brands looking to expand their plant-based portfolios. Our solutions help unlock the full potential of barley by optimizing sweetness, texture, nutrition and stability—ensuring a premium drinking experience that meets the expectations of modern consumers.
Barley is grown in over 100 countries, providing more regional supply options than other raw materials such as oats and almonds. This allows manufacturers to source locally, reducing reliance on imports and lowering environmental impact from transportation.
With lower water and land use, barley is a more sustainable choice for plant-based dairy alternatives 1. It also ranks #2 among the healthiest grains2, thanks to its rich micronutrient profile and a macronutrient composition that closely matches oats—offering both nutritional balance and great functionality for plant-based beverages.
Beyond sustainability, barley provides a strong nutritional profile, with a well-balanced mix of micro- and macronutrients. Combined with its naturally mild and unique taste, barley is a great foundation for the next generation of plant-based drinks.
At the heart of our solutions is science-backed expertise. We don’t just recommend barley—we find the right way to make barley work for you. From selecting the best grain material to perfecting the final formulation.
Our application and technical expertise allow us to fine-tune formulations—optimizing sweetness, texture, nutrition and stability to create the best plant-based dairy alternatives. From ingredient selection to final product development, we support you every step of the way.
Download our infographic to explore how our solutions can help you create the next generation of plant-based barley drinks!
Unlock the natural sweetness and create the initial mouthfeel of barley.
Enhance mouthfeel and product stability with hydrocolloids.
Algal Omega-3 fatty acids and custom vitamin and mineral blends to boost health appeal.
Masking solutions and natural flavors to refine taste and aroma.
Supporting responsible sourcing and efficient processing to reduce environmental impact.
1: IUCN NL (2022/2023). Sustainable plant-based worldwide, water food print healable.
2: Sklad chemiczny (g/kg) Biel I in 2009, Wozniak I in 2014, Biel I in 2016, Alijosius 2016
Explore how dsm-firmenich’s solutions can help you overcome technical and nutritional challenges in creating trending plant-based meal replacement and nutritional beverages.
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