Dairy

Potato-based starch delivers creaminess and stability without added cost or complexity

Manufacturers of dairy, plant-based, or hybrid dairy products face a familiar set of pressures: rising raw material costs, growing demand for cleaner labels and consumers who will not accept any compromise on taste or texture. Avebe’s potato-based starches and proteins help you meet these demands. Whether you’re reducing fat in yoghurt, improving spreadability in plant-based cream cheese or extending the shelf life in desserts, our ingredients integrate smoothly into existing processes and deliver the mouthfeel, stability and appearance your consumers expect.

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ETENIA^®

Multifunctional, cost-efficient clean label texturizer

Our multifunctional, cost-efficient clean label texturizer for dairy products. Deliver the creaminess and mouthfeel of full-fat dairy without artificial ingredients.

Food

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PerfectaSOL^®

Full texture functionality

PerfectaSOL^® is the solution for plant-based product alternatives. These can now also be labeled as allergen-free, GMO-free, kosher, and halal, while retaining the familiar taste and texture of the original product.

Our solution for traditional dairy

ETENIA^® our multifunctional, cost-efficient clean label texturizer for dairy products

Milk fat is expensive, price-volatile and increasingly under pressure from health-conscious consumers. Alternatives like hydrocolloids and modified starches deliver texture at the cost of label friendliness and can cause processing headaches like premature thickening or line build-up. Our potato starch ETENIA^® takes a different approach. It’s a clean label potato starch with thermo-reversible gelling behaviour. You can use it to replace milk fat at a ratio of 1:3 and optimize milk protein usage at up to a 1:1 replacement ratio, increasing processability & profitability, for clean(er) label dairy applications. This allows you to integrate it into existing high-temperature dairy processes without adaptation. More importantly, it enables the production of stable yoghurts, desserts and cream cheeses with an attractive appearance, a rich creamy taste and a smooth mouthfeel.

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Our solution for plant-based and hybrid dairy

PerfectaSOL^® our proven texturizer for plant-based and hybrid food products

Creating plant-based or hybrid dairy products that consumers actually choose over their dairy counterparts is a formulation challenge, not just a marketing one. Our PerfectaSOL^® drop-in solutions help you to easily create clean(er) label, free-from allergen labelling (according to EU labelling legislation) and more sustainable plant-based & hybrid products with the best-in-class taste and texture customized to consumer expectations. Think about using our PerfectaSOL^® for plant-based fermented yoghurts, delivering optimized viscosity, live culture compatibility and extended shelf life across almond, coconut, oat and soy bases. For ice cream and whipped toppings, PerfectaSOL^® S-range designed to provide the aeration and emulsification needed for high overrun and stable texture with a neutral white profile that keeps flavour positioning clean. Our range of ingredients covers the full plant-based dairy spectrum.

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Solutions

Creaminess without the fat: ETENIA^® in low-fat Greek-style yoghurt

Dairy producers looking to reduce fat content face a familiar dilemma: cut the fat and the texture suffers. In lab trials using ETENIA^® as a milk fat replacement, a 0% fat Greek-style yoghurt with ETENIA^® nearly doubled measured creaminess compared to a commercial zero fat reference. A 4% fat yoghurt with ETENIA^® outperformed commercial yoghurts containing 5% and 10% fat on creaminess scores. In short, ETENIA^® gives formulators a precise, cost-effective lever for fat reduction without sacrificing the mouthfeel consumers expect.

The results held up where it matters most: across shelf life and processing conditions. ETENIA^® prevented syneresis, maintained the bright white appearance consumers associate with freshness, and integrated into existing yoghurt lines without process adaptation. For manufacturers navigating volatile dairy commodity prices, the combination of fat reduction, clean label positioning and production stability makes ETENIA^® a practical rather than merely interesting solution.

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The plant-based and hybrid opportunity

Potato-based ingredients for the flexitarian mainstream

The shift towards plant-based and plant-forward diets is no longer a niche story. Flexitarians now represent the largest consumer segment globally. They set a high bar. Plant-based products need to meet their values and taste and feel right. Avebe’s potato-based starches and proteins are well-positioned to meet their demands. With a DIAAS score placing potato protein in the ‘excellent protein quality’ bracket, above soy and pea, and a neutral taste that eliminates the need for masking ingredients, potato-based formulations can hold their own against their dairy counterparts when it comes to quality as well as sustainability.

Discover potato's potential

“Consumers may try plant-based yoghurt once, but repeat purchase depends on taste, texture and stability. Potato starch can replace hydrocolloids or modified starches while delivering reliable functionality, different textures and allergen-free labelling.”

Akkelien Vermüe Strategic Marketing Manager

Case studies

Solutions in practice

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Thursday, 20 August 2026

Build dairy-like melt, bite and mouthfeel without dairy proteins

Plant-based cheese is difficult to formulate because the casein network that naturally creates structure, elasticity and melt is absent. Starch, protein, fat, water and emulsification therefore have to work together to recreate the expected cheese experience.

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Creamy , clean-label, and cost-effective: how to solve dairy’s toughest challenges with potato starch

Thursday, 11 June 2026

How one ingredient solved a multitude of problems

Is it possible to simultaneously stabilise texture, retain live cultures and clean up the label? A European plant-based dairy producer managed just that, and all it took was one ingredient.

Thursday, 18 June 2026

Potato starch in practice: from dairy to processed cheese

More information

Frequently asked questions

How are potato-based ingredients used in dairy products?

Potato-based starches and proteins can be used to improve creaminess, mouthfeel, viscosity, stability and water binding in dairy products. Depending on the ingredient and formulation, they can also support fat reduction, partial protein replacement, whey binding and syneresis control in applications such as yoghurt, cream cheese, dairy desserts, processed cheese and dairy spreads.

Which dairy products can be made with potato starch?

Potato starch can be used in a wide range of dairy applications, including stirred and set yoghurt, Greek-style yoghurt, drinking yoghurt, cream cheese, dairy spreads, puddings, desserts, processed cheese, ice cream and whipped products. The most suitable starch depends on the required texture, processing conditions and finished-product specifications.

Can potato starch improve the texture of yoghurt?

Yes. Selected potato starches can create a smooth and creamy yoghurt texture while improving viscosity and stability. They can also bind water and whey, helping to reduce syneresis during shelf life. Depending on the formulation, textures can range from drinkable to spoonable and Greek-style.

How can dairy manufacturers prevent syneresis in yoghurt and dairy desserts?

Syneresis can be reduced by using a texturizing ingredient that binds water and whey within the product structure. Avebe’s potato-based starch solutions help maintain a stable, homogeneous texture and reduce visible liquid separation in yoghurt, dairy desserts and spreadable dairy products. The final performance depends on dosage, protein level, pH, heat treatment, shear and storage conditions.

Can potato starch replace fat in dairy products?

Selected potato starches can partially replace milk fat while helping maintain creaminess and mouthfeel. In the right formulation, ETENIA^® can replace milk fat at approximately a 1:3 ratio, although the achievable reduction depends on the application, recipe and required sensory profile.

Can potato starch replace milk protein in dairy formulations?

Potato starch can support partial milk protein replacement in selected dairy formulations by contributing texture, water binding and gel structure. ETENIA^® can support up to 1:1 replacement in certain applications, but the achievable level depends on the product, protein system, process and target texture. Application trials are recommended before commercial production.

What is the difference between potato starch and modified starch in dairy products?

Potato starch is the botanical source of the ingredient, while “modified starch” describes starch that has been treated to deliver specific processing or product functionality. Avebe offers potato-based ingredients for both clean-label and more demanding processing applications. The best choice depends on factors such as heat, shear, acidity, shelf life and the desired declaration on the finished-product label.

Are potato-based dairy ingredients suitable for clean-label formulations?

Selected Avebe potato starches can support clean-label or cleaner-label dairy formulations, depending on the product, market and applicable labelling legislation. For example, ETENIA^® is a clean-label potato starch that can help manufacturers create creamy and stable dairy products without relying on some conventional hydrocolloids or modified starches.

Can potato-based ingredients be used in plant-based dairy alternatives?

Yes. Potato-based starches and proteins can be used to improve texture, creaminess, emulsification, viscosity and stability in plant-based dairy alternatives. Relevant applications include plant-based yoghurt, cheese alternatives, cream cheese alternatives, desserts, ice cream, whipped toppings and dairy-free beverages.

How can manufacturers improve the creaminess of plant-based yoghurt?

Creaminess can be improved by balancing starch, protein, fat, emulsification and processing conditions. A suitable potato-based texturizer can provide viscosity and smooth mouthfeel while reducing graininess or excessive gel firmness. The exact solution depends on whether the desired texture is drinkable, spoonable, Greek-style or dessert-like.

Avebe’s potato-based starches and proteins deliver the creaminess, stability and clean label credentials your dairy formulations need. Are you looking to reduce fat, optimize cost, simplify labels or all of these at once? Our team is ready to help you achieve your goals.