IFT Sci Dish

Description:In this episode of Sci Dish, host Matt Teegarden is joined by a team of experts from Ingredion to discuss the critical role of food scientists in promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) within the science of Food Community. Guests Maruja Harris, Alex Cummins, Taylor May, and Aaron Hill share their insights on the importance of giving voice to diverse cultures, fostering community, and driving change through inclusive practices. They explore how DEI initiatives can enhance brand reputation, build trust with customers, and create a more collaborative and innovative workplace. Tune in to hear inspiring stories and practical strategies for making a positive impact in the science of food.Speakers:Aaron HillSales representative with a background in food science. I manage a growing sales territory of small and emerging brands and provide technical support as they seek to make their mark on the food industry. I currently lead our local ABLE (Alliance of Black Employees) chapter at Ingredion.Alex CumminsAlex is a principal technologist in the dairy applications group at Ingredion. She explores new technologies to improve the sustainability of dairy and plant-based foods. She also enjoys supporting the local community through volunteering. Maru Harris Maru is a classically trained chef with a background in food product development. She worked various stations within the brigade de cuisine for 10 years prior to pursuing an Applied Science degree in Baking & Pastry Arts and a Bachelor of Science in Culinary Nutrition from Johnson & Wales University in Providence, RI. Maru began her career as a Research & Development Chef within the newly formed Culinary group at National Starch. She later moved to Omaha to work for ConAgra Foods as a Food Scientist for Healthy Choice Frozen Ready Meals and spent time as a chef consultant before returning to New Jersey and Ingredion/National Starch.Her work at Ingredion focuses on translating and articulating Ingredion’s messaging for our customers in the form of consumer-ready, holistic food concepts. She supports a wide range of Global and Regional functions including Customer Co-Creation and Innovation, Go-To-Market support, and Texture Elevation.Taylor MayTaylor has worked on holistic product development over the past four years, specializing in sugar-reduction and front-end Innovation. She combines an understanding of market and consumer needs with a passion for trendy and impactful solutions.Taylor holds a Bachelor of Science in Food Science with an emphasis in Culinology from Clemson University bringing a unique blend of scientific and culinary knowledge to her role. Outside of her professional life, Taylor enjoys traveling and exploring the outdoors, participating in fitness-related activities, and reading thriller novels.

Join podcast host Matt Teegarden and guest Claudia Fabiano from the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as they discuss food waste management. In this episode, we explore the collaborative efforts from the EPA, USDA, and FDA in formulating a national strategy to halve food loss and waste by 2030. Discover the innovative funding programs, educational … Continue reading EP 25: The EPA’s Recipe for Food Sustainability →

Low and no-calorie artificial sweeteners have a long and controversial history. Originally developed to reduce caloric intake, these sugar substitutes have become a hot topic for consumers. Join host Bruce Perkins and guest experts, Drs. Gavin Thompson, Ray Matula, and Jim Coughlin, as they unravel the intricacies of artificial sweetener safety. Beginning with a look … Continue reading Episode 24:The Sweet Side of Toxicology: Exploring the Safety of Artificial Sweeteners →

Join host Matt Teegarden and guest speakers Erica Jenkins, Emma Topps, and Kurt Callaghan as they explore the interconnections between accessibility and the future of the food ecosystem. Discover how Ingredion leverages diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), supplier diversity and well-being, pipeline programs, and community-driven initiatives to drive innovative solutions within their organization, helping create … Continue reading Episode 23: DEI’s Role in Supporting a Sustainable Food Ecosystem →

Plastics have been a popular choice for food packaging for a considerable time, but the resulting accumulation of non-biodegradable plastic waste has caused growing concern about its detrimental effects on both the environment and human health. In this enlightening discussion, our host Bruce Perkin and guest speakers Dr. Maya Al Sid Cheikh from the University … Continue reading Episode 22: Plastic on Your Plate: Exploring the Effects of Micro & Nano Plastics on our Health and Food →

This is the second podcast in a sensory sciences series in collaboration with the Sensory & Consumer Sciences Division. Host Bruce Perkin and guest speakers Becky Bleibaum and Anna Leachman will be discussing tools to get rapid and reliable consumer feedback on products. This conversation highlights the advantages of consumer research, what consumer acceptance is … Continue reading Episode 21: Sensory Science Series- “Fast & Early” – An approachable path to the valuable consumer voice- Part 2 →

This podcast is the first episode in a Sensory Sciences series in collaboration with the Sensory & Consumer Sciences Division. Join host Bruce Perkin and speakers Becky Bleibaum and Heather Thomas as they discuss Quantitative Description Analysis (QDA.) QDA is a sensory tool that was developed in the mid-1970s to correct perceived problems with flavor … Continue reading Episode 20: Sensory Science Series- “Culinary Quantitative Description Analysis QDA” – New data from an old tool- Part 1 →

Bird Flu is a term that is used to describe the highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI). The first instance of HPAI in 2022 was confirmed in a commercial turkey flock in Indiana on February 3 and since then, over 50 cases have been identified across 17 states, in both commercial and backyard flocks. The records … Continue reading Episode 19: Bird Flu – Sorting Fact from Fiction →

Join the Sustainable Food Systems Division along with host Bruce Perkins and guest speaker Sue Klapholz as they discuss her passion about addressing climate change by moving away from animal agriculture, while ensuring nutrition and public health are not compromised. In addition to sharing her passions Sue shares her insights as one of the original … Continue reading Episode 18: Alternative Meat and a More Sustainable Food System →

Ancient grains have become a buzzword in the food and nutrition industries – and there’s a reason that humankind has cultivated and utilized these grains for centuries. AB InBev founded EverGrain to explore the potential of an ancient grain it knows better than anyone else – barley – and how through upcycling, it could eventually unlock an opportunity to reform the food sector’s approach to nutrition and sustainability. Through innovations from the EverGrain team, upcycled barley is the only source of plant-based protein at scale that can deliver high levels of nutrition, a low carbon footprint, and optimal taste and functionality in product development. During this podcast, you’ll hear from some key members of EverGrain’s showing how upcycled barley protein can truly revolutionize the plant-based market.

Are you looking to start a career in the food space? Join Bruce Perkin, Armetha Pihlstrom (Senior Director of U.S. and Canada Foodservice Sales at Future Farms) and Dr. Owen Carryl (Executive Recruiter/Head of the Food Industry Practice at Kaye/Bassman International) as they discuss tips and tricks on how to nurture your career! Learn tips and tricks on how to stand out in the job market, what companies are looking for in a candidate, the importance of internships, your digital footprint and more. During this episode discover how you go the extra mile during the recruitment process. In addition to tips and tricks join an important conversation about DEI in the work space.

Wellness and personal health is on our minds now more than ever. That is why Virginia Dare has named Wellness Flavors the most influential taste trend of 2022, as physical and mental health takes priority and becomes the dominant driver behind new product launches and consumer goods. During this episode, host Bruce Perkins, Philip Caputo (Virginia Dare) who leads marketing and consumer insight development, and Robert Verdi (Virginia Dare) Vice President of Business Development discuss what we see as some of the most intriguing functionally-inspired taste profiles emerging, and the inherent therapeutic properties or associations they carry. To learn more about Virginia Dare please click here. ( https://www.virginiadare.com)

Join host Bruce Perkin and guest Dr. Brendan A. Niemira as they examine and explain cold plasma technology. Listen in to find out advantages cold plasma has over traditional methods, the environmental impact, benefit of cold plasma and food packaging, food preservation and more. Dr. Niemira has also reached out to a grower cooperator to build a large rig for spraying plasma-activated water directly onto growing crops.

Join host Bruce Perkins to learn more about the student group who won the Don’t Spoil It! An International Digital Hackathon in March 2021. The students share their motivations for joining the competition, the benefits from the competition, how they overcame obstacles, what they are currently working on and more. Marcela Silva: Zamorano Pan-American Agricultural School, Nigel Kang: University of Minnesota, Sofia Sierra Zamorano Pan-American Agricultural School, Fawaz Bagoudou: Shinshu University, Chandrima Shrivastava: Empa

Did you know it has been over 30 years since genetically modified crops were introduced for consumption? In this episode, guest Dr. Haven Baker joins us to talk about a relatively new form of gene editing technology called Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats, or CRISPR. Listen in to find out how CRISPR repairs faulty genes, benefits farmers, improves crop diversity, and more. Haven Baker co-founded Pairwise and serves as Chief Business Officer. Haven is the former Senior Vice President / General Manager of Simplot Plant Sciences, where he led the team that launched the innovative, non-browning Innate® potato. He holds a PhD in chemistry from Northeastern University, an MBA from Harvard University, and a BS in biomedical engineering from Yale University.

Water is a critical resource for growing and processing food. This episode discusses the challenges we face regarding water, and present and future solutions to resolve them. Host Bruce Perkin and guest speakers Danielle Gallet and John Robinson examine different aspects of water, and how to ensure water quality and safety. What would the current water shortages in the southwest U.S. look like if it spread to the rest of the country? Are water-related problems taken seriously? How willing are consumers to reuse water? Listen as the guest speakers answer these questions and more! Speakers: Danielle Gallet, Founding Principal, Waterwell, LLC John Robinson, Partner, Mazarine

African Swine Fever (ASF) continues to be hot topic to those working in food. ASF has been spreading across the globe, killing millions of pigs and is a viable threat to the US pork industry as it has recently reached the Dominican Republic. In this podcast, you will learn what ASF is, what the US is doing to protect its hog population, and how the Covid–19 pandemic has compounded the problem. You will also learn what consumers and someone working in the science of food can do to help the situation. Speaker: Derrell Peel is the Charles Breedlove Professor of Agribusiness in the Department of Agricultural Economics. He has served as the Extension Livestock Marketing Specialist since he came to Oklahoma State University in 1989. He also has his own podcast, Farm to Market Podcast (libsyn.com).

Fresh fruits and vegetables are a delicious part of any meal and are the area of focus for our next discussion. As the episode unravels, we will learn about increasing fresh produce consumption in school–aged children, using genetics to make delicious fruits into manageable crops, and how “new” produce is introduced to the market. From romanesco to watercress, join us as we explore the world of fresh produce. Speaker: Max Teplitski, Chief Science Officer, Produce Marketing Association

The global pet food market is worth over $90 billion a year. As the pet food field continues to grow, many may be surprised to learn about the level of science that goes behind developing our furry friend’s favorite meals. How can one meal a day provide complete nutrition for a pet? Do animals need to sample the finished product? Do those working in pet food sample the pet food themselves? Listen in to hear from those working in the field to answer all these questions, and more!

Humans have been eating microalgae for thousands of years. With consumers looking for innovativeand sustainableproducts, microalgae ispopping up asauniqueingredient in modern timesas well.In this episode, we will hear the ways microalgae production is becoming more efficientand what the environmental impact of commercializing microalgae productionis. We will also learn what ingredients can be replaced by using microalgae. Listen in to hear how this microscopic organism is shaking up the food system. Speaker: Alexander Mathys, ETH Zurich

It wasn’t long ago that the generally accepted view of growing food indoors was not commercially viable. As technology improves and input costs decrease, growing food indoors vertically is becoming more common and more efficient. Our speaker, Jim Pantaleo, speaks on his own experience as an indoor farm manager and advisor. Listen in to hear about the challenges and opportunities of indoor farming, how an indoor farm is like Costco, and to find many resources on the topic.   Guest Speaker: Jim Pantaleo

How do you create apple pie flavoring when everyone has their own memory of their favorite apple pie? This episode’s guests will help! Dave Franz, Vice President of Sales and Marketing at FlavorSum, and Lisa Jackson, Director of Marketing, join us to talk about the flavor industry. We explore why consumers may like or dislike a certain taste, and the challenges that product developers may experience when launching new flavored products. We also discuss guardrails to consider when launching foods and beverages and get insights into the end-to-end process of product development. This podcast is brought to you by FlavorSum.

How human connection drives trends. Where do businesses start when they want to develop a new product and how do you know this product will be a hit with consumers? This episode dives into the difficulties that occur at the beginning of product development, and how important it is for consumers to connect with a product to transform a hip fad to a lasting trend. Our guest, Amy Shipley shares her insights on how to get past the difficult beginnings of product development.   Speakers:  Amy Shipley, Managing Director and Partner, Sterling-Rice Group 

With up to 40,000 products in a grocery store, many consumers are on auto–pilot when deciding what products to buy. Most management consultants would say their greatest challenges are the ones that involve change management. When consumers find a set of products and foods they like, they typically don’t want those things to change. Yet we are seeing more change in the space of consumer wants and needs than ever before. This podcast we hear from a food scientist and anthropologist about what the plant–based food industry can learn from Tesla, or about the importance of understanding the ‘Job’ consumers are hiring your product to do.   Speaker: Kevin Ryan, CEO & Founder, Malachite Strategy and Research, LLC

The importance of pivoting and how the covid-19 pandemic is helping create a more equitable food system The Covid-19 global pandemic has changed everything, and the food system is no different. In this episode, we listen to how various companies adapted to the rapidly changing health crisis, including creating entirely new products, and how diversity, equity, and inclusion are critical components of the future of nutrition.     Speakers:    1: Julie Meyer, RDN, Founder of Eatwellglobal, a nutrition consulting company https://eatwellglobal.com/   2: Tim Goulette, Ph.D., BERS Analytical Lab Manager, Anheuser-Busch 

How integrating sensory science in the collaborative process contributes to product success. As many companies are often looking for a competitive advantage to improve product success, it is critical that sensory scientists become an integrated part of the conversation. Sensory evaluation can help predict product success when implemented appropriately. This podcast will help listeners understand the value of sensory science and how it can help their organizations succeed. It will also help sensory and other food professionals better position themselves to contribute to product success as members of cross functional teams.  Speakers:   Chow-Ming Lee, PhD., Consumer Sensory Lead, Bayer  Cindy Ward, PhD., Owner, Sensation Research