A smoothie beverage comprises blended fruit purée and juice drinks with a thick, smooth texture, sometimes incorporating a dairy element and/or functional elements. The present market lacks of and needs for commercially available refrigerated smoothies and smoothie-type beverages. AVOYOG Smoothie Beverage is a smooth consistency eco-friendly, ready-to-drink beverage containing avocado and strained (Greek) yogurt whey naturally rich in fibers, unsaturated lipids, proteins, minerals, and enriched with prebiotic fibers and antioxidants. High pressure processing used for the cold pasteurization contributes to the preservation of fresh-like flavor, taste, appearance, nutritional properties and microbial stability. It is free of preservatives, color additives and others, and no sugar is added. One essential characteristic is that the product is an eco-friendly product since it uses strained yogurt industry by-product (acid whey), the exploitation of which is a major issue for the dairy industry.
AVOYOG aims to fulfill consumer demands for on-the-go consumption, fresh-like appeal and health boosting properties offered by smoothies and smoothie-type beverages, and can be consumed as breakfast, workout or between-meals snacks during the day. The shelf life of the product is estimated at 60 days under refrigeration (fresh-like fruit characteristics). It can be provided in various delicious flavors such as apple and kiwi, forest fruits and more. AVOYOG product/project, developed by a group of (NTUA) chemical engineering students, won the 1st price in Ecotrophelia Greece and Europe Competitions, 2017. AVOYOG is now developing (e.g. product formulation, quality and shelf life optimization as well as business plan). Ecotrophelia Next Food Generation is a unique opportunity to interact with industry, entrepreneurs, investors, potential clients, and public.
