Andfoods launches fermented mung bean cream in Singapore

Andfoods has introduced its dairy-free whipping cream to professional kitchens in Singapore, using a product made from fermented black mung beans and manufactured for regional distribution in Shanghai. The New Zealand-founded food technology company is supplying the product through foodservice distributor Lim Siang Huat, targeting beverage, bakery and dessert preparation where whipping performance and stability determine how an ingredient can be used.

The product, branded Andfoods Whip, is available in Tetra Pak cartons and has a stated shelf life of 12 months before opening. The manufacturer reports a whipped output of 2.6 litres from each litre of liquid cream. That figure describes the volume of the aerated product after whipping, not an increase in the mass of ingredient supplied. It is a useful specification for production planning, but its relationship to different whipping equipment, temperatures and recipes has not been quantified in the publicly available product information.

The cream originates from pulse-protein research associated with Massey University’s Riddet Institute in New Zealand. Andfoods uses fermentation to reduce the plant-derived flavour of black mung beans and develop the ingredient’s whipping properties. The company identifies proteins and polysaccharides in the bean as important to the cream’s structure. Its exact formulation and commercial fermentation conditions remain proprietary, while the product is manufactured in Shanghai for distribution to Asian customers.

Whipping incorporates air into the liquid cream, creating bubbles that must remain distributed within the surrounding mixture. Proteins can contribute at the air-liquid interface, while polysaccharides and other components influence the viscosity that slows drainage from the foam. The balance of these mechanisms affects whether the aerated ingredient holds a piped shape or separates during service. Andfoods says its formula was designed to retain structure in the heat and humidity commonly encountered in Singapore’s kitchens.

Andfoods is offering the cream for cold foam on coffee, piped toppings on bakery products and components of mousses, ganache and layered desserts. These preparations impose different requirements on foam stability, aeration and holding time. Cold foam needs a stable surface layer, while deposited toppings must retain a defined shape and dessert fillings depend on their behaviour during mixing and setting. The manufacturer’s claim of resistance to separation in hot, humid kitchens is therefore relevant to several distinct preparation processes.

The company says it benchmarked Andfoods Whip against 30 alternative products during development and formulated it without palm oil, hydrogenated fats or artificial ingredients. These are manufacturer-reported product and formulation characteristics, rather than results from a published comparative industrial trial. In an individual bakery or beverage formulation, sugar, acidity, mixing temperature and whipping equipment can affect aeration and stability. The reported 2.6:1 whipped-volume yield accordingly describes the manufacturer’s performance claim, which professional users can test against their own processes.

Distribution is being handled by Singapore foodservice supplier Lim Siang Huat, giving Andfoods a route to commercial kitchens, bakeries and beverage businesses. Those customers use the ingredient in finished products rather than buying it as a packaged retail drink or snack. As orders develop, consistent carton handling, dosing and whipping performance will determine whether recipes can be transferred between kitchens or larger production operations. The launch establishes trade availability in Singapore through an existing specialist distribution channel.

Shanghai manufacturing supports the Singapore launch and the company’s wider Asian distribution plans. The company began in New Zealand and retains a research heritage linked to the Riddet Institute, while finished cream for this market is manufactured in China. Production capacity and factory throughput have not been disclosed. The commercial development is a new regional market for an existing manufactured ingredient, with supply arrangements built around the Shanghai base and Singapore foodservice distribution.

Whipped cream performs several functions in commercial food preparation: it can add aerated volume to a beverage, form a deposited topping on bakery products or contribute texture to a dessert filling. The required foam stability, mouthfeel and processing conditions differ between those applications. A plant-based replacement therefore has to be assessed at the intended mixing speed, temperature and holding time rather than solely on flavour or ingredient composition. Andfoods’ claimed high whipped yield gives customers one measurable parameter for that assessment.

The 12-month shelf life applies to the unopened cartons under the manufacturer’s stated storage conditions. After opening, whipping or blending into a finished recipe, temperature control and handling requirements are governed by the prepared product and its process. Structural stability during piping also has a different purpose from microbiological control during storage. These separate measures will influence how commercial kitchens evaluate the cream’s suitability for coffee toppings, filled bakery products and prepared desserts.

Commercial users in Singapore can now evaluate the Shanghai-made ingredient in their own whipping, piping and beverage preparation systems. The reported 2.6 litres of whipped cream from one litre of liquid and the 12-month unopened shelf life provide two specifications for trials and stock management. The scale of subsequent orders will depend on performance through the customers’ actual recipes, handling temperatures and distribution arrangements.