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Beyond fermented products: Expanding functional dairy in Asia-Pacific
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Friday, 23 October, 2026, 08 : 00 AM [IST]
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Lois Mo
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Across Asia-Pacific, dairy takes many forms, from milk at breakfast to cheese in meals and snacks, and convenient dairy beverages on the go. However, functional dairy remains closely associated with yoghurt and fermented drinks positioned around digestive health and often chosen for a specific purpose. This creates an opportunity to bring health benefits into a wider range of familiar dairy products, particularly as more than half of consumers in Asia-Pacific expect food companies to help them lead healthier lives. This appetite for healthier choices is reflected in the 38 per cent of APAC consumers willing to pay more for food and beverages containing probiotics, as well as the same proportion for products with added dietary fibre. Prebiotics, probiotics and postbiotics can all play a role. Used in the right applications, they can help extend functional benefits beyond yoghurt and fermented drinks into more dairy formats and consumption occasions.
Starting with how dairy is consumed
Dairy habits differ across Asia-Pacific, so functional innovation needs to reflect how products are consumed in each market. In India, dahi, lassi, buttermilk and paneer are already part of everyday diets, with recent research pointing to familiarity as an important factor in encouraging Indian consumers to try functional food and drink products. This makes established dairy products a practical starting point for introducing health benefits that are easy to understand and relevant to the occasion.
In Southeast Asia, although consumers have increased their dairy intake over the past year, it remains more occasional than habitual. Low-sugar, high-protein and probiotic products designed for breakfast, tea time or on-the-go snacking could give consumers more reasons to include dairy in their day. China offers a different example, with cheese and other dairy ingredients being used in new ways across bakeries and tea and coffee chains. Cream cheese, for instance, is now appearing as a whipped topping on tea, a format that originated in southern China and has spread across the region.
These differences matter when deciding what to develop for each market. Manufacturers need to consider when and why consumers would choose the product, then identify the benefit, format and positioning that make sense for that occasion.
Choosing the right microbiome solution
With 48 per cent of APAC consumers looking to improve their digestive health in the past 12 months, growing interest in digestive health and broader wellbeing has expanded the range of microbiome solutions available to dairy manufacturers.
Prebiotics, probiotics and postbiotics work in different ways. Prebiotics are substrates selectively utilised by host microorganisms, probiotics are live microorganisms, and postbiotics are preparations of inanimate microorganisms and/or their components. Each can offer specific health benefits and has different formulation considerations, so the choice depends on the intended benefit, dairy application and manufacturing conditions.
ADM’s Fibersol, for example, is a soluble prebiotic dietary fibre that can be incorporated into dairy products without compromising taste, aroma or texture. BPL, its proprietary probiotic and postbiotic strain for metabolic health, and Esflorin, its proprietary probiotic and postbiotic strain for digestive health, are also suitable for dairy applications including fermented milk.
Postbiotics add another option. Because they do not depend on live microorganisms remaining viable, they can offer greater formulation flexibility, including in applications involving challenging processing conditions. Its postbiotic portfolio includes clinically studied solutions supporting areas such as digestive health, metabolic health, stress, mood and sleep, and more.
Although the postbiotic market remains nascent, interest is growing quickly. Postbiotics accounted for just 0.1 per cent of global food, beverage and supplement launches in 2025, but launches grew at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 69 per cent between 2021 and 2025. Asia-Pacific accounted for 39 per cent of global launches in 2025.
While supplements still dominate, accounting for 48 per cent of global postbiotic launches, postbiotics are increasingly appearing in beverage categories. Dairy represented 9 per cent of launches, led by yoghurt and fermented beverages. As familiarity with postbiotics grows, they could find their way into a broader range of dairy formats. Together, its prebiotic, probiotic and postbiotic solutions form part of its Functional Health growth platform, which focuses on proactive, everyday wellness through science-backed ingredients.
From scientific evidence to a viable product
Turning these solutions into viable dairy products requires more than choosing an ingredient. Manufacturers also need to ensure that the ingredient works in the formulation, remains suitable throughout processing and shelf life, and supports an appropriate claim in the market where the product will be sold. Taste and texture are equally important. Consumers may want products that support their health, but they still expect milk, yoghurt and cheese to deliver the flavour and mouthfeel they know. A functional benefit will not compensate for a product that falls short on the overall experience. Bringing consumer insight, microbiome science and application expertise together from the outset can help manufacturers make better product development decisions. It also keeps development focused on solving real consumer needs rather than adding another claim for its own sake.
More occasions for functional dairy
Fermented products and probiotic drinks will continue to be important parts of functional dairy. The wider potential lies in matching different microbiome solutions with a broader range of dairy products and consumption occasions. This could mean supporting digestive wellness through a familiar breakfast product, adding a relevant benefit to a convenient dairy snack or developing a nutrition beverage for a particular life stage. The best approach will vary by market and consumer group. Manufacturers should therefore begin with the need and occasion, then select the ingredient and format that can deliver against them. In some cases, a prebiotic or probiotic will be the right solution. In others, a postbiotic may offer the formulation flexibility required. As microbiome science develops, manufacturers will have more ways to bring credible health benefits into dairy products that fit naturally into consumers’ diets.
(The author is marketing director - Health & Wellness - APAC at ADM)
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