Abstract
The growing consumer demand for functional food products is stimulating the development of dairy snacks with improved biological and nutritional properties. Snacks represent a dynamically developing segment of the food industry, adapting to changing consumer preferences. In recent years, dairy products have become an integral part of the snack market, especially among children and adults who follow a healthy lifestyle. This review examines modern advances in the production of dairy snacks, including new formats such as crunchy cheese, functional milk drinks and frozen desserts. Taking into account the popularity of snacks and consumers' desire for a nutritious, healthy diet, changes in the structure of the snack product range should be aimed at creating snacks of high nutritional and biological value. Our task is to create an innovative product with well-known organoleptic, but modified biological properties. To date, snacks based on fruit or corn raw materials (chips) are produced that meet the requirements of a healthy diet, however, such products from dairy raw materials are not represented on the market. With the rapid growth of the global snack market, which is projected to reach US$ 152.2 billion by 2030, the development of innovative dairy snacks is a promising area that meets modern consumer requirements. Research was conducted in the form of a consumer survey in 2023-2024 in 22 cities of Kazakhstan. The survey showed that there is a growing trend in consumer interest in proven and guaranteed useful products. The importance of the following factors when choosing a snack was highlighted: high in fiber – by 4% or 1.43 times; rich in vitamins – by 4% or 1.22 times; supporting intestinal health – by 4% or 1.25 times; from whole, natural ingredients, organic – by 4% or 1.18 times; low in sugar, carbohydrates, fats, etc. – by 3% or 1.15 times; high in sugar, carbohydrates, fats, etc. – by 2% or 1.36 times. Thus, the development of new types of snacks, such as dairy and protein snacks, is a convenient solution for modern residents of megacities who lead an active lifestyle.