Culture replacement

Find an alternative to the culture you use today

Most manufacturers arrive here with a culture already in the vat. Tell us what it is and what you make with it — this tool shortlists the closest LACTOFERM® candidates by culture type and application, and hands the shortlist to a dairy technologist who confirms the match against your actual process.

Your current starter culture

Manufacturer / brand

Product name or code

What do you manufacture with it?

Describe the culture in your own words Optional but useful — e.g. "thermophilic yogurt culture, ropy, mild", "mesophilic aroma blend for Gouda", "protective culture for mould"

How this works

We match on culture type and application, not on brand cross-reference tables.
You get a ranked shortlist with the reason each candidate was chosen.
A dairy technologist reviews it against your make procedure and confirms.
You trial the candidate side-by-side with your current culture on the same milk.

No supplier can promise a drop-in replacement for a live culture. Strain composition, dose and enzyme activity all differ. The honest answer is a shortlist plus a properly designed side-by-side trial — which is exactly what we will help you run.

Skip the tool

If you would rather just describe the situation to a person, that works too — and it is the faster route when the answer is not obvious.

Ask a Dairy Technologist

Before you switch

Run the trial properly, or the result means nothing

Same milk, same day

Compare current and candidate on the same line on the same day. Comparing this week against last month measures seasonality, not culture.

Measure the curve

Record the full acidification curve, not just the endpoint. Curve shape is where cultures actually differ.

Hold to end of shelf life

Bitterness, post-acidification and body loss appear at week three, not on day one.

Read the full switching protocol