Since the appearance of FOSHU foods in the early 1980s, a new group of products began to be developed: functional foods. These present health benefits, and depending on their processing, compounds are added or subtracted from the food. The present review sought to establish a reference framework on the research in the development of functional foods from the dairy matrix in Colombia, in the years 2010 to 2017, against the international context. There were 18 documents identified at the national level that met the inclusion criteria established for this review. Over time, publications on functional foods have increased, with varied authors in which the Food Engineer and the Dietitian Nutritionist predominate. The most commonly foods used to develop functionals are fermented milk drinks. Different compounds are added to the milk matrix, with an adding preference on prebiotics and probiotics, followed by fibers and antioxidants. In the Colombian market there are around 150 dairy products; 27.7% have some type of modification classifying them as functional. In most cases, its components were modified, mainly by fat reduction and degradation of lactose. The development of functional dairy foods is evolving: while the current Colombian market focuses on the reduction of fat and the addition of vitamins, the original research publications of the last decade show a tendency towards the addition of bioactive compounds.