Milk meets plants as Dutch researchers kick off hybrid food program

A new applied research program focused on hybrid foods made from dairy and plant-based ingredients has officially launched in the Netherlands, bringing together academic researchers, food manufacturers, and technology providers to study how milk–plant mixtures perform in processing, nutrition, and product functionality.

• A four-year applied research program on hybrid dairy and plant-based foods has launched in Leeuwarden, the Netherlands.
• The project is led by Van Hall Larenstein University of Applied Sciences and funded by Nationaal Regieorgaan Praktijkgericht Onderzoek SIA.
• Research will focus on processing, health impact, functionality, and pilot-scale production of hybrid food products.

The Hybrid Food program was formally kicked off on January 26 at the University of Applied Sciences Van Hall Larenstein in Leeuwarden. The initiative is led by Professor Peter de Jong and his research group within the Food Technology department, with the aim of generating applied scientific evidence on how combining dairy and plant-based ingredients affects product performance and health outcomes.

During the launch event, Professor Kasper Hettinga of Wageningen University highlighted the novelty of the work. “This is the first scientifically based study investigating the impact of processing milk–plant mixtures on health and functionality,” Hettinga said.

The program is structured as a large-scale, multi-year collaboration between industry and academia, reflecting growing interest in hybrid food concepts that combine animal and plant-derived ingredients rather than fully replacing one with the other.

A broad consortium of partners is participating in the project, including Royal A-ware, Royal Cosun, Danone, dsm-firmenich, Fascinating, NIRAS Food and Beverage, Lely, Tetra Pak, Vreugdenhil Dairy Foods, Wafilin Systems, Jongia Mixing Technology, Farm Dairy, Kaasboerderij Mathijssen Tilburg, and Time-travelling Milkman. Academic and research partners include Hanze University of Applied Sciences, NIZO, CSIC, and Wageningen University and Research.

The program is funded by the Dutch Nationaal Regieorgaan Praktijkgericht Onderzoek SIA, which supports practice-oriented research. Program management is led by Dr. Franciska Woudstra-van Lune.

According to the organizers, the research will focus on understanding how hybrid formulations behave during processing and how those processes influence taste, functionality, cost, greenhouse gas emissions, and potential health contributions. A key objective is to develop a model that evaluates hybrid products based on their composition, allowing trade-offs between sustainability, cost, sensory performance, and nutrition to be assessed more systematically.

The program will also apply advanced processing technologies to improve ingredient functionality and product quality. These technologies include advanced heating and membrane separation, which will be used to process hybrid products at pilot scale.

Another central research focus is the potential for synergistic effects between dairy and plant-based ingredients, particularly in relation to health and nutritional performance. Rather than treating hybrid products as simple blends, the program aims to investigate whether interactions between milk and plant components can deliver added value beyond their individual contributions.

Pilot-scale production will take place at FACT, the food-grade pilot plant where the consortium will process and test hybrid model products under controlled conditions. The facility will enable partners to translate laboratory insights into more realistic production environments.

At the kick-off event, consortium members toured the pilot plant and discussed the program’s objectives and collaborative structure, setting the stage for four years of applied research intended to inform both product development and processing strategies for hybrid foods.

The Hybrid Food program reflected a growing interest within the food industry in partial substitution approaches, as manufacturers explore ways to reduce environmental impact and diversify protein sources without fully abandoning familiar dairy-based formats.

(Main photo courtesy of Stefan Martens)