Dairy
Alternatives
Alternative Dairy is on the Rise, Innovate Your Products with Us!
At TFTAK, we specialize in developing nutritious and great-tasting plant-based dairy alternatives tailored to diverse consumer preferences. With over a decade of expertise in both traditional and plant-based dairy innovation, we help companies enhance their product portfolios through formulation, texture optimization, and sensory refinement
Dairy Alternatives Innovation
For improved nutrition and taste
Tailored solutions for tasty and nutritious dairy alternatives
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At TFTAK, we harness carefully selected plant proteins—such as oats, fava beans, and peas—to craft both fermented and non-fermented dairy alternatives that meet high standards of taste, texture, and nutritional value. We tackle challenges like bitterness and off-flavors using targeted enzymatic treatments and fermentation processes.​​
 
Our key areas of expertise:​
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​Versatile product development: Formulating a range of dairy alternatives including yogurts, sour creams, cheeses, spreads, and ice-cream options that combine innovative recipes with clean-label approaches.​
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Ingredient selection & processing: Leveraging diverse plant proteins, we utilize both fermentation and non-fermentation processes to craft innovative dairy formulations that maximize each ingredient’s functional potential.
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Flavor & texture optimization: Using enzymatic treatments and fermentation to enhance digestibility, reduce antinutrients, and eliminate off-flavors for a superior sensory profile.
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Advanced screening & culture selection: Implementing high-throughput methods—such as isothermal microcalorimetry, multi-parallel pH screening, and comprehensive chemical and physical analyses—to identify the best-performing starter cultures.
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Dairy hybrids research: We have extended our research to include plant-based dairy hybrid products that combine dairy milk with plant proteins. By optimizing formulation and processing parameters, we create hybrid products with enhanced taste, texture, and improved health profiles while reducing environmental impact.
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End-to-End development support: Providing full-scale services from concept (Idea) to laboratory , pilot, and industrial production, along with detailed ingredient and prototype characterization, process optimization, and shelf-life studies.
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If you’re seeking to develop plant-based dairy alternatives that are both nutritious and delicious—or if you need comprehensive support from ideation to production—we’re here to help. Let’s collaborate to redefine dairy and shape the future of food together.
Success Stories
What have we done
The products we develope have
balanced macronutrient profile, additional functional properties, they are gut-friendly, improve well-being, and healthier lifestyle.
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Some product segments we have developed in cooperation with the biggest Estonian food industries:
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Healthy functional yogurts enriched with fiber
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Functional soups enriched with vitamins and minerals
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Functional Near Water beverages
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Characterising Dairy Alternatives
Ensuring optimal performance in plant-based dairy alternatives requires precise technology and thorough product characterization.
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At TFTAK, our advanced characterisation platform ensures that every plant-based dairy alternative meets the highest quality standards. We rigorously evaluate both fermented and non-fermented formulations using comprehensive chemical, physical, microbiological, and sensory analyses.​​​​​
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​Our approach includes:
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Chemical Analysis: Determining nutritional profiles, including protein, fat, fibre, carbohydrate and antinutrient content, to ensure complete nutritional balance.
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Physical & Rheological Testing: Assessing texture, viscosity, color, and mouthfeel to optimize formulations for beverages, yogurts, cheeses, and other plant-based dairy products.
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Microbiological Assessments: Ensuring product safety and stability by monitoring microbial quality and fermentation efficiency.
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Sensory Profiling: Utilizing expert panels to map flavor, aroma, and texture, thereby refining product appeal and consumer satisfaction.
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By understanding ingredient interactions and processing effects, we provide actionable insights that drive innovation and improve performance.
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Our Services
How we can help you innovate & formulate tasty dairy alternatives
Our Dairy Alternatives Team comprises dairy technologists, food scientists, process engineers, and sensory experts dedicated to advancing plant-based and hybrid dairy innovations.
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We offer:
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Comprehensive product characterization: In-depth analysis of nutritional, physical, microbiological, and sensory attributes of dairy alternatives using state-of-the-art methodologies.
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Innovative dairy processing solutions: Expertise in optimizing traditional dairy and novel plant-based techniques—including enzymatic treatments, fermentation, and formulation refinement—to enhance taste, texture, and shelf-life..
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Collaborative development approach. End-to-end support from concept to commercialization, integrating market trends and consumer insights to deliver innovative, market-ready dairy solutions.
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Consumer-centric innovation: Incorporation of consumer feedback at every stage to ensure your products meet target expectations and drive market success.
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We bridge product development and analytics with scalable solutions that meet the highest industry standards. Partner with us to pioneer new frontiers in dairy innovation with scientific, scalable solutions that excel in quality, nutrition, and sensory excellence.
Research & Projects
​We have worked closely with industry partners to develop and bring innovative plant-based products to market.
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Together with La Muu AS, we worked on developing an oat-based vanilla ice cream with minimal off-flavors, no oat taste, and reduced sugar content, creating a dairy-like experience for consumers.
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In collaboration with Andre Farm, we have developed plant-based cheese alternatives as part of an Estonian Enterprise-funded project, supporting innovation in dairy-free product development.
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Together with GreenDairy, we are participating in the EUREKA-funded international project “Protein Goodness,” focused on developing fava bean and oat-based yoghurt alternatives with improved nutritional and sensory properties.​
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In collaboration with Tere AS, we developed the HI!Fiber yogurt enriched with dietary fibers, which was honored with two prestigious awards:​
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Estonia's Best Dairy Product (2022)​
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Estonia's Best Enriched Food Product (2022)
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We are looking forward to addressing your unmet needs!
"Developing dairy alternatives is about precision and creativity. From protein functionality to flavor optimization, we use science to transform raw materials into enjoyable and nutritious products"
Natalja Part, PhD
Principal Researcher, Dairy Dairy Alternatives