Overview
Agenda
| April 18, 2023 | Event | Speaker | Location |
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| 8:00am - 8:30am | Networking Breakfast | ||
| 8:30am - 8:45am | Welcome Remarks | ||
| 8:45am - 9:30am |
General Session: FDA Policies on Food Standards and Labels: A Historical Perspective
The FDA has been using food standards for over eight decades to address evolving public concerns about food safety, quality and health; yet, since the 1970s, the agency has largely turned away from setting standards and instead has focused on informative labels, such as Nutrition Facts and ingredients statements, as its primary tool for shaping food markets and ensuring consumers are properly informed. In this talk, Dr. Frohlich explains the history behind this “informational turn” in food politics, and what it means for government-mandated food standards today. </br> Speaker: <b>Xaq Frohlich</b>, Assistant Professor of History of Technology, Auburn University
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| 9:30am - 10:15am | General Session | ||
| 10:15am - 10:45am |
Networking Break
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| 10:45am - 11:30am | Ice Cream Tech: Concurrent Session | ||
| 10:45am - 11:30am |
Yogurt & Cultured: Formulating Yogurts to Meet U.S. FDA Recommended Guidelines for Healthy Food Designation
Under the current recommendations by FDA, defining requirements for making a "Healthy" claim, many existing yogurts in the market would not comply because of the proposed requirement of less than 2.5 grams of added sugar per serving. As dairy products are a crucial part of a healthy diet, it is important that key dairy products, like yogurt and other cultured products, are able to use the "Healthy" claim to promote the benefits of consuming dairy products. In this presentation, we will explore ways to formulate and produce yogurts that meet FDA requirements for making such a claim without compromising flavor or texture. </br> Speaker: <b>Neeraj Kamath, CFS</b>, Associate Principal Scientist, Technical Services, Dairy & Plant Based Dairy Alternative Solutions, Tate & Lyle
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| 11:30am - 12:15pm | Ice Cream Tech: Concurrent Session | ||
| 11:30am - 12:15pm |
Yogurt & Cultured: Bioactives in Bovine Milk: Chemistry, Technology, and Application in Fermented Foods
Worldwide, consumers are seeking wholesome, nutritious foods to fulfill their health and wellness needs. Dairy plays a pivotal role in fulfilling consumers' health and wellness needs due to the presence of essential nutrients required for growth and development. It also provides a broad range of bioactive components that play an indispensable role in managing human homeostasis and immune function. In recent years, milk bio actives, including alpha-lactalbumin, lactoferrin, glycomacropeptide, milk fat globule membrane, and milk oligosaccharides, have been intensively researched because of their unique bioactivity and functionality. Challenges for applying these bioactive components in food and pharmaceutical formulations are associated with their isolation and purification on an industrial scale and their instability during processing, storage, and digestion. In this session, the current knowledge about the chemistry, separation, and encapsulation technology of major milk bioactives and their application in fermented foods will be discussed. Modern, sophisticated micro or nano-encapsulation technologies that offer stability and bioactivity when used in fermented foods will also be reviewed. </br> Speaker: <b>Hari Meletharayil, Ph.D</b>, Vice President of Product Research, Dairy Management Inc.
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| 12:15pm - 1:30pm |
Networking Lunch
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| 1:30pm - 2:15pm | Ice Cream Tech: Concurrent Session | ||
| 1:30pm - 2:15pm |
Yogurt & Cultured: A Tale of Two Products: FDA’s Yogurt Standard and Yogurt Parfaits
ogurt has been at the center of two challenging regulatory issues facing the industry. In late 2022, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) finalized its work to produce a new standard of identity for yogurt, after many years--decades, in fact--in the making. This new standard allows for greater innovation by the industry and will now define yogurt produced and sold in the U.S. for decades to come. This presentation will provide an overview of the long journey taken to get to this point and provide clarity in an area that has been murky for decades. Another, more recent challenge facing states regulators, FDA and the industry relates to whether parfaits and similar combination foods, made with Grade "A" yogurt, should be regulated as Grade "A" milk products or in the same way as any other food. More generally, where exactly should the jurisdiction of the Pasteurized Milk Ordinance end? The answer to this question could have significant impacts on current and future uses of yogurt and other cultured products as ingredients in other foods. </br> Speakers: <b>John Allan</b>, Vice President, Regulatory Affairs and International Standards, International Dairy Foods Association</br> <b>Sharon Balhorn</b>, Food Safety and Quality, Product Manager, General Mills, Inc.
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| 2:15pm - 3:30pm |
Innovative Ice Cream Flavor Contest, Part I: Most Innovative Flavor and Most Innovative Novelty
Taste the latest and most interesting flavors and novelties and vote for your favorites of 2023. In Part I, attendees will judge for the Most Innovative Ice Cream Flavor and the Most Innovative Ice Cream Novelty Product currently in the market.
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| 3:30pm - 4:15pm | Ice Cream Tech: Concurrent Session | ||
| 3:30pm - 4:15pm |
Yogurt & Cultured: Ultra-filtered Milk: What is it and How it is Used in Yogurt and Other Fermented Products
Ultra-filtration is a type of membrane filtration commonly used to reduce the lactose content of milk and increase the protein content, which can then be used by yogurt or other cultured product manufacturers to formulate products with low sugar or no sugar claims. Ultra-filtered (UF) milk comes in an easy to use liquid form, which eliminates the need for blending powder Milk Protein Concentrate (MPC). This session will discuss in detail how UF milk is made and the ins and outs of using UF milk to optimize end product characteristics and performance to meet consumer expectations. </br> Speaker: <b>Sudeep Jain</b>, Director of Quality Assurance, Michigan Milk Producers Association
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| 4:15pm - 5:00pm |
Innovative Ice Cream Flavor Contest, Part II: Most Innovative Prototype Flavor
Part II of this year’s Innovative Ice Cream Flavor Competition is devoted to the Prototype Ice Cream Flavor category. Entries are new products that are not yet in the market. Come taste and judge the samples for yourself and help choose the winner.
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| 5:30pm - 7:00pm |
Networking Reception
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| April 19, 2023 | Event | Speaker | Location |
| 8:00am - 8:30am | Networking Breakfast | ||
| 8:30am - 9:15am | General Session | ||
| 9:15am - 10:00am | General Session | ||
| 10:00am - 10:30am |
Innovative Cultured Dairy Product Contest
Taste the latest new products — including cultured milk, yogurt, sour Cream, cottage cheese, and dips — and vote for your favorites. Winners will be featured in an upcoming edition of Dairy Foods magazine.
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| 10:30am - 11:00am | Networking Break | ||
| 11:00am - 11:45am | Ice Cream Tech: Tech Talks | ||
| 11:00am - 11:45am |
Yogurt & Cultured: Designer Milk: Using Membrane Filtration to Modify the Texture of Yogurt or Create Novel Cultured Milk Products
Membrane filtration is a tool that allows for the fractionation and concentration of solids within fluid products and its use is increasing across the food industry. The primary components of milk can be separated, based on size, and the streams may be recombined in limitless possibilities to create novel “designer milks” with unique functionalities. Filtration is primarily used in yogurt production to concentrate proteins and reduce the lactose content, but filtration can also be used to alter the ionic composition of milk which can have a large impact on the yogurt gel. Generally, a high concentration of salts mute the charged interactions which drive protein coagulation in milk, leading to a weaker yogurt texture. These general ion effects differ for yogurts prepared at low and high protein levels, and also between the different milk salts. Gel formation can be enhanced or prevented entirely based on the balance of proteins and ions present in milk prior to acidification. </br> Speaker: <b>Daniel Wilbanks, Ph.D.</b>, Assistant Coordinator – Dairy Ingredients and Processing, University of Wisconsin
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| 11:45am - 12:30pm | Ice Cream Tech: Tech Talks | ||
| 11:45am - 12:30pm |
Yogurt & Cultured: How to Optimize Your Recipe Cost with Natural Texturizing Cultures
With current economic challenges, customers are constantly looking for solution to increase their productivity. The selection of the right starter culture can help to save on production or recipe cost. Streptococcus thermophilus is extensively used for decades to design dairy starter cultures. Some strains can produce polysaccharides which will naturally thicken the body and smooth the texture of yogurt. At IFF, we have developed highly texturizing starter cultures that will enable dairy producers to decrease the amount of added protein in their process to optimize the recipe cost without compromising yogurt quality for the consumers. Through examples, we will illustrate how these natural texturizing cultures can help improve dairy producers’ productivity by developing premium texture. </br> Speaker: <b>Manon Duquenne</b>, Senior Application Specialist, IFF
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| 12:30pm - 1:30pm |
Lunch & Presentation of Innovative Ice Cream & Cultured Products Awards
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| 1:30pm - 2:15pm | Ice Cream Tech: Concurrent Session | ||
| 1:30pm - 2:15pm |
Yogurt & Cultured: Reducing Cost and Improving Texture in Cottage Cheese: An Enzymatic Approach
Inflation has put a heightened focus on operational efficiencies in the dairy industry with consumers putting greater focus on affordability amid stubbornly high food prices. Utilizing an enzyme technology, cottage cheese manufacturers can improve cheese yield and product quality, thereby reducing operational costs and creating a more desirable product in the market. Using market insights and lab scale results, Novozymes will show why this technology is relevant today and how it can help reduce milk consumption, decoupling from varying milk prices. Other benefits include increasing cheese yield, improving texture by preventing shattering, improving curd size and firmness and potentially creating a cleaner label by replacing hydrocolloids or thickeners in low fat recipes. </br> Speakers: <b>James Cheston</b>, Marketing Manager, Novozymes</br> <b>Ron Heddleson, Ph.D.</b>, Staff Scientist, Novozymes
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| 2:15pm - 3:00pm | General Session |
General Session: FDA Policies on Food Standards and Labels: A Historical Perspective
Xaq Frohlich
Xaq Frohlich joined Auburn University’s Department of History in the fall of 2017. His research focuses on the historical intersections of science, law, and markets, and how the three have shaped our modern, everyday understanding of food, risk, and responsibility. His work explores questions relating to consumerism and the changing relationships between the state, experts, and the public in the production of everyday knowledge: how do we “know” what we know about food and its relation to health? In what ways has our informational environment for food changed with the industrialization of food production and retailing?
Frohlich is currently completing a book manuscript, From Label to Table: Regulating Food in the Information Age, which explores the history of efforts by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to manage food markets through the regulation of food labels in the second half of the twentieth century. The book explores the evolving policy debates between government officials, food industry representatives, consumer advocacy groups, and medical professionals over what kinds of expert information should the public, or even does the public need to know about the foods American consumers purchase at the supermarket.
Frohlich earned his PhD in history, anthropology, and STS at MIT in 2011. He was a 2016–2017 visiting fellow at the Institute for Historical Studies in the Department of History at the University of Texas at Austin, a Fulbright scholar in Spain, a visiting professor at the University of Vienna and Paris Dauphine University, and a postdoc at KAIST in South Korea. He teaches the Technology & Civilizations I & II core sequence and also teaches courses on food and power, the intersections of science, technology and the law, and the history of business and capitalism.
Networking Break
Yogurt & Cultured: Formulating Yogurts to Meet U.S. FDA Recommended Guidelines for Healthy Food Designation
Neeraj Kamath
Neeraj Kamath is an Associate Principal Scientist working at Tate & Lyle based out of Sycamore, IL. He has over 10 years of experience in Food Industry and over 6 years in Dairy and Plant based ingredient solutions. He has Bachelor's and Master's degree in Food Engineering and has expertise in Sensory Evaluation, Sugar Reduction, Texture Development, Fortification and Stabilization of Dairy and Plant-based dairy alternative products. In his current role he supports Technical Services to Dairy and Dairy alternative customers in North America. His previous experience includes working at Tate & Lyle's Singapore location on international assignment as well as prior work at Nestle in India.
Yogurt & Cultured: Bioactives in Bovine Milk: Chemistry, Technology, and Application in Fermented Foods
Hari Meletharayil, Ph.D.
As Vice President of Product Research at Dairy Management Inc., Hari leads various product research programs in cheese , fermented products and dairy beverages. Hari also coordinates activities across the different dairy centers and application labs that are a part of the nationally coordinated network of technical centers to drive dairy innovation and sales on behalf of America’s dairy farmers.
Hari has more than 16 years of experience in academia and industry, most recently at PepsiCo leading beverage innovation efforts. He also has experiences with Nestle and the National Dairy Development Board in India.
Hari received his B.S. in dairy technology followed by his M.S in Dairy chemistry from National Dairy Research Institute, Karnal, India. He has a Ph.D. in dairy manufacturing from South Dakota State University.
Networking Lunch
Yogurt & Cultured: A Tale of Two Products: FDA’s Yogurt Standard and Yogurt Parfaits
John Allan
John Allan helps lead all dairy food safety efforts for IDFA and has responsibilities in federal, state and international regulatory, technical and scientific affairs. He engages on behalf of IDFA members with 3-A Sanitary Standards, Inc., and the National Conference on Interstate Milk Shipments (NCIMS). Allan also helps represent IDFA’s international interests through engagement with the International Dairy Federation and the Codex Alimentarius Commission.
Prior to joining IDFA, Allan worked for the American Frozen Food Institute and National Yogurt Association; the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization within the Codex Alimentarius Commission Secretariat; and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. He graduated from the Univ. of Georgia with a Bachelor of Science in microbiology and a Master of Science in food science and technology. See LinkedIn profile.
Sharon Balhorn
Sharon is a Food Safety, Quality and Regulatory Product Manager at General Mills where she has worked for 35 years, including 28 years of dairy experience. She engages with the Marketing and Research & Development teams on new product innovation, incorporating FSQR from early development concepts through manufacturing scale-up. She is a Council 1 member at the NCIMS Conference and serves on the Yogurt Committee for IDFA. Sharon also volunteers her technical skills to improve dairy operations in Africa through Partners in Food Solutions.
Innovative Ice Cream Flavor Contest, Part I: Most Innovative Flavor and Most Innovative Novelty
Yogurt & Cultured: Ultra-filtered Milk: What is it and How it is Used in Yogurt and Other Fermented Products
Sudeep Jain
Sudeep Jain is Director of Quality at Michigan Milk Producers Association (MMPA), Novi, MI. This milk co-operative serves farmers in Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, and Wisconsin. He leads Regulatory, Food Safety, Product Development and Quality Assurance efforts at 4 production facilities of MMPA. Prior to coming to MMPA, Sudeep held various Manufacturing and Quality Assurance positions at dairy and ready- to-eat product companies in India and the US. His most recent experience before MMPA is with Leprino Foods. He has background in Dairy and Food processing, Food Safety and supporting Quality Assurance education. Sudeep completed his Bachelor’s degree in Dairy Science from Gujarat Agricultural University, India and a Master’s degree in Food Science at the University of Georgia, Athens, GA with a focus on Food microbiology. He is a Food Safety Preventive Controls Alliance (FSPCA) Lead Instructor.
Innovative Ice Cream Flavor Contest, Part II: Most Innovative Prototype Flavor
Networking Reception
Innovative Cultured Dairy Product Contest
Yogurt & Cultured: Designer Milk: Using Membrane Filtration to Modify the Texture of Yogurt or Create Novel Cultured Milk Products
Daniel Wilbanks, Ph.D.
Daniel is the Dairy Ingredients Coordinator at the Center for Dairy Research in Madison, Wisconsin. He recently completed his PhD in Food Science at the University of Wisconsin-Madison where his research focused on membrane filtration technology to develop novel dairy products for use in beverages and high protein yogurt. Daniel received a MS in Food Science from Kansas State University and a BS in Forensic Science at Eastern Kentucky University. Before graduate studies, Daniel spent 10 years in the infant formula industry working in quality assurance and developing analytical methods.
Yogurt & Cultured: How to Optimize Your Recipe Cost with Natural Texturizing Cultures
Manon Duquenne
Dr. Manon Duquenne is a senior application specialist based in the IFF application laboratory at New Century, KS (US). She supports the development of new culture, enzyme and food protection solutions for cheese, fresh fermented dairy products, and plant-based alternatives. She also provides technical support for those solutions in North America, mainly in Canada. Manon has been working in the dairy industry for over 12 years. She has a background in process engineering and food microbiology and earned her Ph.D. in Microbiology from the National Institute of Technology for life, food and environmental sciences Agro Paris Tech (France).
Lunch & Presentation of Innovative Ice Cream & Cultured Products Awards
Yogurt & Cultured: Reducing Cost and Improving Texture in Cottage Cheese: An Enzymatic Approach
James Cheston
James has spent the last six years in various marketing roles in Novozymes’ Food & Beverage and Grain Processing industries. He spent the first 10 years of his career as a marketing consultant. James brings a passion for connecting food science to the end consumer and the role sustainability can play in shaping a better food value chain.
Ron Heddleson, Ph.D.
Ron Heddleson, Ph.D. is a Staff Scientist for Novozymes North America in their Food & Beverage Technical Services team. He has launched multiple new dairy product offerings (drinkable yogurts; stirred and cup-set products) for one of the largest yogurt manufacturers in the US. His key areas of focus are cultured dairy and plant-based dairy alternative products.
All Times Central
Registration
Registration fees for IDFA’s Yogurt & Cultured Innovation Conference are based on your company's IDFA membership status. For more information about membership, please email membership@idfa.org.
Q: Registration Substitutions
Registration is non-transferable from one company to another; however, substitutions within companies are welcome at any time. Please email registrar@idfa.org if you would like to make a registration substitution.
Q: Registration Cancellation Policy
Registration cancellations received in writing will be accepted prior to March 21, 2023 for a full refund, minus a $75 processing fee. Cancellations received after March 21, 2023, will be eligible for a 50 percent refund, less the processing fee. Your registration fee is non-refundable after April 4, 2023. Substitutions may be made without penalty. All cancellations and substitutions must be received in writing at registrar@idfa.org.
Q: News Media
Credentialed members of the news media are welcome to register at a special rate by contacting mherrick@idfa.org. News media must present credentials to qualify.
Questions: If you have questions or need assistance with the registration process, please contact IDFA at (202) 737-4332 or registrar@idfa.org.
Innovative Product Contest
This competition offers the opportunity for dairy processors, as well as flavoring suppliers, to showcase their latest cultured dairy products (cultured milk, yogurt, sour cream, cottage cheese, dip) and flavors.
All conference attendees are invited to submit one entry to compete in each of the two categories:
- Most Innovative Cultured Dairy Product
- Most Innovative Cultured Dairy Prototype Flavor
An award will be given for first place winners in each category, judged by conference attendees, and winners will be featured in an upcoming edition of Dairy Foods magazine.
To submit an entry, complete the contest entry form no later than April 4, 2023. Please contact vpender@idfa.org with any questions.
Sponsored by:
Guidelines for Contest Submissions
- A company representative must register for the Yogurt & Cultured Innovation Conference to participate.
- Limit of one (1) entry per company, per category.
- Please plan for your product submission to arrive between April 13 and April 17. If your product is received after April 17, we cannot guarantee that your entry will be included in the contest.
- Please send enough product so that 200 individuals may sample the submission. For example, if your product is a 6-10 oz. container, send 40 containers; if it is a 16-32 oz. container, send 20 containers.
- If the cultured dairy product is submitted in the original retail containers, the product will be placed in individual portion cups for the contest.
- Be sure to pack the shipment well, wrapping each container in bubble wrap or paper to help protect it from damage during the extreme cold temperature of the dry ice.
- The box MUST be clearly marked "Must Be Refrigerated" and "IDFA Product Contest".
- A shipping label will be provided – Please complete and attach the label to your shipped box(es).
- Once the product is shipped, email vpender@idfa.org with the information below. If you do not email the required information, we cannot guarantee that your entry will be included in the contest.
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- Tracking number
- Arrival date
- Submission name and product type
- Company contact attending the conference
Hotel
Austin Marriott Downtown
The Ice Cream Technology Conference and the Yogurt & Cultured Innovation Conference will be co-located at the Austin Marriott Downtown in Austin, Texas. You may make your hotel reservations online or directly with the hotel by calling 800-627-7468. When calling, please refer to the International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA) to receive the special room rate of $339 per night plus applicable taxes. The deadline to secure a room is March 24, 2023. We have reserved a large block of rooms, but once all the rooms have been booked, we cannot guarantee that additional space will be available.
Book OnlineSpeakers
John Allan
Vice President, Regulatory Affairs and International Standards | IDFA
John Allan
John Allan helps lead all dairy food safety efforts for IDFA and has responsibilities in federal, state and international regulatory, technical and scientific affairs. He engages on behalf of IDFA members with 3-A Sanitary Standards, Inc., and the National Conference on Interstate Milk Shipments (NCIMS). Allan also helps represent IDFA’s international interests through engagement with the International Dairy Federation and the Codex Alimentarius Commission.
Prior to joining IDFA, Allan worked for the American Frozen Food Institute and National Yogurt Association; the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization within the Codex Alimentarius Commission Secretariat; and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. He graduated from the Univ. of Georgia with a Bachelor of Science in microbiology and a Master of Science in food science and technology. See LinkedIn profile.
Sharon Balhorn
Food Safety and Quality, Product Manager, General Mills, Inc.
Sharon Balhorn
Sharon is a Food Safety, Quality and Regulatory Product Manager at General Mills where she has worked for 35 years, including 28 years of dairy experience. She engages with the Marketing and Research & Development teams on new product innovation, incorporating FSQR from early development concepts through manufacturing scale-up. She is a Council 1 member at the NCIMS Conference and serves on the Yogurt Committee for IDFA. Sharon also volunteers her technical skills to improve dairy operations in Africa through Partners in Food Solutions.
James Cheston
Marketing Manager, Novozymes
James Cheston
James has spent the last six years in various marketing roles in Novozymes’ Food & Beverage and Grain Processing industries. He spent the first 10 years of his career as a marketing consultant. James brings a passion for connecting food science to the end consumer and the role sustainability can play in shaping a better food value chain.
Manon Duquenne
Senior Application Specialist, IFF
Manon Duquenne
Dr. Manon Duquenne is a senior application specialist based in the IFF application laboratory at New Century, KS (US). She supports the development of new culture, enzyme and food protection solutions for cheese, fresh fermented dairy products, and plant-based alternatives. She also provides technical support for those solutions in North America, mainly in Canada. Manon has been working in the dairy industry for over 12 years. She has a background in process engineering and food microbiology and earned her Ph.D. in Microbiology from the National Institute of Technology for life, food and environmental sciences Agro Paris Tech (France).
Xaq Frohlich
Assistant Professor of History of Technology, Auburn University
Xaq Frohlich
Xaq Frohlich joined Auburn University’s Department of History in the fall of 2017. His research focuses on the historical intersections of science, law, and markets, and how the three have shaped our modern, everyday understanding of food, risk, and responsibility. His work explores questions relating to consumerism and the changing relationships between the state, experts, and the public in the production of everyday knowledge: how do we “know” what we know about food and its relation to health? In what ways has our informational environment for food changed with the industrialization of food production and retailing?
Frohlich is currently completing a book manuscript, From Label to Table: Regulating Food in the Information Age, which explores the history of efforts by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to manage food markets through the regulation of food labels in the second half of the twentieth century. The book explores the evolving policy debates between government officials, food industry representatives, consumer advocacy groups, and medical professionals over what kinds of expert information should the public, or even does the public need to know about the foods American consumers purchase at the supermarket.
Frohlich earned his PhD in history, anthropology, and STS at MIT in 2011. He was a 2016–2017 visiting fellow at the Institute for Historical Studies in the Department of History at the University of Texas at Austin, a Fulbright scholar in Spain, a visiting professor at the University of Vienna and Paris Dauphine University, and a postdoc at KAIST in South Korea. He teaches the Technology & Civilizations I & II core sequence and also teaches courses on food and power, the intersections of science, technology and the law, and the history of business and capitalism.
Ron Heddleson, Ph.D.
Staff Scientist, Novozymes
Ron Heddleson, Ph.D.
Ron Heddleson, Ph.D. is a Staff Scientist for Novozymes North America in their Food & Beverage Technical Services team. He has launched multiple new dairy product offerings (drinkable yogurts; stirred and cup-set products) for one of the largest yogurt manufacturers in the US. His key areas of focus are cultured dairy and plant-based dairy alternative products.
Sudeep Jain
Director of Quality Assurance, Michigan Milk Producers Association
Sudeep Jain
Sudeep Jain is Director of Quality at Michigan Milk Producers Association (MMPA), Novi, MI. This milk co-operative serves farmers in Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, and Wisconsin. He leads Regulatory, Food Safety, Product Development and Quality Assurance efforts at 4 production facilities of MMPA. Prior to coming to MMPA, Sudeep held various Manufacturing and Quality Assurance positions at dairy and ready- to-eat product companies in India and the US. His most recent experience before MMPA is with Leprino Foods. He has background in Dairy and Food processing, Food Safety and supporting Quality Assurance education. Sudeep completed his Bachelor’s degree in Dairy Science from Gujarat Agricultural University, India and a Master’s degree in Food Science at the University of Georgia, Athens, GA with a focus on Food microbiology. He is a Food Safety Preventive Controls Alliance (FSPCA) Lead Instructor.
Neeraj Kamath
CFS, Associate Principal Scientist, Technical Services, Dairy & Plant Based Dairy Alternative Solutions, Tate & Lyle
Neeraj Kamath
Neeraj Kamath is an Associate Principal Scientist working at Tate & Lyle based out of Sycamore, IL. He has over 10 years of experience in Food Industry and over 6 years in Dairy and Plant based ingredient solutions. He has Bachelor's and Master's degree in Food Engineering and has expertise in Sensory Evaluation, Sugar Reduction, Texture Development, Fortification and Stabilization of Dairy and Plant-based dairy alternative products. In his current role he supports Technical Services to Dairy and Dairy alternative customers in North America. His previous experience includes working at Tate & Lyle's Singapore location on international assignment as well as prior work at Nestle in India.
Hari Meletharayil, Ph.D.
Vice President, Product Research | National Dairy Council/Dairy Management Inc.
Hari Meletharayil, Ph.D.
As Vice President of Product Research at Dairy Management Inc., Hari leads various product research programs in cheese , fermented products and dairy beverages. Hari also coordinates activities across the different dairy centers and application labs that are a part of the nationally coordinated network of technical centers to drive dairy innovation and sales on behalf of America’s dairy farmers.
Hari has more than 16 years of experience in academia and industry, most recently at PepsiCo leading beverage innovation efforts. He also has experiences with Nestle and the National Dairy Development Board in India.
Hari received his B.S. in dairy technology followed by his M.S in Dairy chemistry from National Dairy Research Institute, Karnal, India. He has a Ph.D. in dairy manufacturing from South Dakota State University.
Daniel Wilbanks, Ph.D.
Assistant Coordinator – Dairy Ingredients and Processing, University of Wisconsin
Daniel Wilbanks, Ph.D.
Daniel is the Dairy Ingredients Coordinator at the Center for Dairy Research in Madison, Wisconsin. He recently completed his PhD in Food Science at the University of Wisconsin-Madison where his research focused on membrane filtration technology to develop novel dairy products for use in beverages and high protein yogurt. Daniel received a MS in Food Science from Kansas State University and a BS in Forensic Science at Eastern Kentucky University. Before graduate studies, Daniel spent 10 years in the infant formula industry working in quality assurance and developing analytical methods.
Sponsors
The Yogurt & Cultured Innovation Conference delivers high value and an opportunity to engage with more top-level decision makers than ever before — including executives, plant managers, regulatory compliance personnel, product development specialists, research and development professionals, quality assurance staff, plant engineers, and operations personnel.
Sponsorship is one of the best ways to brand your organization as a thought-leader and to highlight your commitment to advancing the dairy industry. IDFA offers a variety of sponsorship opportunities.
Please contact mlembke@idfa.org for more information.
