You can’t swing a reusable shopping bag these days without hitting a plant-based dairy alternative. Almond, oat, soy—these drinks and yogurts promise eco-friendly sustainability without animal exploitation. Admirable goals, indeed. Yet anyone who's tried them knows the bitter truth: many of these products taste disappointingly weird and fail to match the nutritional punch of actual milk.

Now, a group of researchers from DTU and Novonesis has taken a systematic dive into this dairy-free dilemma, showing how humble microbes—specifically, lactic acid bacteria (LAB)—could transform these underperforming plant milk into something consumers actually want. Published in the March 2025 issue of Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety, the study meticulously sifts through existing literature to map precisely how fermentation with specific bacterial strains can drastically enhance flavor and nutritional quality.

“Our review of current research shows that fermentation with lactic acid bacteria can improve flavor perception and help make products more nutritionally complete,” says Claus Heiner Bang-Berthelsen, Senior Researcher at DTU National Food Institute.

Microbes That Make Plant Milk Palatable

Fermentation, of course, is not new. Humans have long employed it—from beer to yogurt—to transform food, enhancing both flavor and nutrition. But applying LAB fermentation specifically to plant-based dairy alternatives offers novel opportunities. Many plants naturally contain unappealing flavors—earthy, grassy, or bitter notes from compounds like aldehydes and tannins. Remarkably, certain LAB strains, particularly those adapted to plant environments, effectively convert these unwanted substances into milder or neutral-tasting compounds. The result: plant-based dairy alternatives that actually taste good.

But taste isn’t everything; there's a nutritional dimension too. Plant-based alternatives often contain anti-nutrients like phytates, which bind to vital minerals such as iron, zinc, and calcium, reducing their bioavailability. You might be drinking almond milk enriched with iron, but your body isn't necessarily absorbing much of it.

Breaking Down Barriers To Better Nutrition

The DTU researchers emphasize that selected LAB strains can degrade these troublesome anti-nutrients. These microbes naturally produce enzymes that break down anti-nutrients, making previously locked-away minerals accessible to the body. The result is not just tastier alternatives but genuinely healthier ones too.

It turns out that not all LAB strains are equal, either. Strains originally isolated from animal-based sources like milk don’t always perform well on plant substrates. Evolution plays a critical role—plant-adapted bacteria are genetically primed to handle plant sugars and complex compounds efficiently, making them far more effective in improving both taste and nutrition.

This microbial strategy isn't confined to soy or oat milk. Researchers argue that fermentation could revolutionize other alternative foods suffering similar sensory and nutritional problems—think insect proteins, fermented yeasts, or ingredients derived from food production side streams.

“We see food fermentation as a platform technology that can support the creation of alternative foods which taste better and have higher nutritional value, allowing the use of more sustainable raw materials,” explains Guillermo-Eduardo Sedó Molina, a PhD student at DTU National Food Institute.

For food manufacturers, then, the clear takeaway is that achieving tasty, nutritious, plant-based dairy alternatives hinges on a deeper understanding of fermentation and microbiology. Rather than clever marketing, perhaps the real secret ingredient is microscopic.

The researchers haven't launched new products here; instead, they've provided something arguably more valuable—a detailed synthesis of evidence that pinpoints which microbial solutions have consistently worked. If plant-based producers heed this microbial wisdom, perhaps soon we’ll have dairy alternatives worthy of both ethical ideals and discerning palates.