Just under two thirds of the blind tasters (64%) said they actually preferred the taste of the Aimia Foods-produced Milfresh granulated milk.
St Helens-based manufacturer Aimia Foods, which commissioned the report, said the results were good news for vending operators often torn between using fresh milk and powder milk.
“For vending operators this is hugely significant, as it highlights that not only can they use Milfresh within their machine to overcome the issues around fresh milk, but actually in many cases it will be the preferred option with their customers,” said Aimia Foods marketing executive Richard Ashton.
The ‘issues’ surrounding fresh milk are related to shelf life, cleaning, storeing and wastage, while low-cost powdered milk can lead to partially dissolved drinks and clogging.
Other findings from the experiment included that 66% of the 107 people who took part were unable to visually identify which of the two samples was fresh milk and 59% could either not tell the difference or believed that Milfresh tasted the most like fresh milk.
“This independent research should provide food for thought for vending operators, as it supports the fact that a granulated milk product, which has a longer shelf life, is easier to store and which results in less maintenance issues, provides a creamier texture and does not only taste as good as fresh milk, but in many consumers eyes is better,” added Ashton.