R&D Radio: Colleen Cottrell, Independent Consultant at C Cottrell Consulting

In this episode of R&D Radio, hosted by food scientist Adam Yee, Adam sits down with Colleen Cottrell, independent consultant at C Cottrell Consulting. With over a decade of experience spanning ingredient suppliers, finished CPG brands like RXBAR, and now independent consulting, Colleen breaks down one of the most underappreciated forces in product development: ingredient functionality — and why understanding it early is the difference between a product that scales and one that falls apart at the co-manufacturer.Colleen explains why the same protein can behave completely differently depending on how it's been processed — heat, pressure, and shear all play a role — and walks through simple, low-cost assays that founders can run themselves to compare ingredients before committing to a formula. She also shares the inside story of helping RXBAR expand beyond bars into oats and other categories by working closely with ingredient suppliers to engineer egg white functionality at scale.Listen in as they discuss:What ingredient functionality actually means — and why it impacts your product more than you thinkHow heat, pressure, and shear change protein behavior (using eggs as the perfect example)Liquid vs. dried egg whites: shelf life, moisture content, and functional tradeoffsWhy two pea proteins with the same label can perform completely differentlySimple DIY assays for foaming, gelling, and solubility — no lab requiredThe RXBAR oats story: engineering egg white functionality for new categoriesHow to set your non-negotiables before you scaleCurrent trends: protein and fiber maxing, the return to whole/real ingredients, and food-as-healthPDCAAS scores and why protein quality matters more than protein quantityWhy soy is dominating the protein trend — and what fibers are showing up mostEpisode Links:Colleen Cottrell — Independent Consultant, C Cottrell Consulting 🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/colleencottrell 🔗 Email: [email protected]'t forget to leave a five-star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify if you enjoyed this episode. For potential sponsorship opportunities or to join the Startup CPG community, visit http://www.startupcpg.com.Show Links:Transcripts of each episode are available on the Transistor platform that hosts our podcast here (click on the episode and toggle to “Transcript” at the top)Join the Startup CPG Slack community (35K+ members and growing!)Follow @startupcpgVisit host Adam's Linkedin Questions or comments about the episode? Email Daniel at [email protected] music by Super Fantastics