The Diversity of Alpro Vanilla Products
Alpro offers a range of vanilla-flavoured products, including a soya drink, soya yoghurt alternative, soya dessert, and in some markets, an almond drink. Each product has a unique ingredient list tailored to its form and function.
Alpro Soya Vanilla Drink: Ingredients Breakdown
The Alpro Soya Vanilla Drink is primarily made of a soya base (water and hulled soya beans) and sugar. It's fortified with calcium and vitamins B2, B12, and D2. The drink also contains natural flavourings, sea salt, an acidity regulator (potassium phosphates), and a stabiliser (gellan gum). It is naturally low in saturated fat, high in protein, and free from lactose and gluten.
Alpro Vanilla Yoghurt Alternative: What's Inside?
The Alpro Soya Vanilla Yoghurt Alternative uses a soya base with a higher percentage of hulled soya beans, along with sugar and stabilisers like pectins for thickness. It includes acidity regulators, calcium, carrot concentrate for color, sea salt, and natural vanilla flavouring with exhausted vanilla bean. Antioxidants and vitamins B2, B12, and D2 are added, as are the live cultures S. thermophilus and L. bulgaricus for fermentation.
Comparing Alpro Vanilla Products
To highlight the differences between the various Alpro vanilla products, the table below provides a side-by-side comparison of their key ingredients.
| Feature | Alpro Soya Vanilla Drink | Alpro Soya Vanilla Yoghurt Alternative | Alpro Soya Vanilla Dessert | Alpro Almond Vanilla Drink |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Primary Base | Water, Hulled soya beans (7.8%) | Water, Hulled soya beans (9.9%) | Water, Hulled soya beans (8.6%) | Water, Almonds (2.3%) |
| Stabiliser | Gellan gum | Pectins | Pectins, Carrageenan | Locust bean gum, Gellan gum |
| Live Cultures | No | Yes (S. thermophilus, L. bulgaricus) | No | No |
| Added Vitamins | B2, B12, D2 | B2, B12, D2 | B2, B12, D2 | B2, B12, E, D2 |
| Added Calcium | Calcium carbonate | Tri-calcium phosphate | Tri-calcium phosphate | Tri-calcium phosphate |
| Other notable components | Black carrot concentrate | Exhausted vanilla bean | Modified starch, Maltodextrin | Chicory root fibres |
The Role of Fortification and Stabilisers
Alpro fortifies its plant-based products with vitamins and minerals like calcium, B2, B12, and D2 to enhance their nutritional value. Stabilisers such as gellan gum, pectins, and carrageenan are included to provide the desired texture and prevent ingredient separation. Chicory root fibres add dietary fibre to the almond drink.
Ethical and Sustainability Considerations
Alpro sources its non-GMO soya beans sustainably from Europe and Canada, avoiding deforestation. This commitment aligns with their goal of producing plant-based foods with a lower environmental impact compared to dairy.
Conclusion
Understanding what are the ingredients in Alpro vanilla requires looking at the specific product, as drinks, yoghurts, and desserts have distinct recipes. While all are plant-based, primarily using soya or almonds, and fortified with essential nutrients like calcium and vitamins, they differ in stabilisers, the presence of live cultures (in the yoghurt), and specific flavourings. Alpro also emphasizes sustainable sourcing of its ingredients.