In this Podcast, NIZO Food Research Division Manager René Floris will be exploring some of the key issues and challenges facing the nutraceutical and food ingredient industry today.

Meeting consumer sensory expectations for “reduced” food products

Developing new formulations for familiar products is a major part of the food industry. For example, to meet consumer demands for food products with less fat, sugar and/or salt, or plant-based versions of traditional animal-based favourites. But while consumers are eager for healthier, more ethical and environmentally friendly foods, they also expect the same eating enjoyment as they get from the foods they know and love. Els de Hoog, Senior Project Manager Flavour and Texture at NIZO, explains how manufacturers can deliver the right sensory experience when reformulating food products.

In this Podcast, NIZO Food Research Division Manager René Floris will be exploring some of the key issues and challenges facing the nutraceutical and food ingredient industry today.

Scaling up plant protein production processes: 

To meet the ever-growing market for food and beverages with a plant-based claim, start-ups and ingredient manufacturers alike are reaching further afield for sustainable sources and side streams from which to extract proteins. Ruud Heshof, Senior Project Manager at NIZO, discusses the journey to prove the viability of a new plant protein and get it market-ready.

In this Podcast, NIZO Food Research Division Manager René Floris will be exploring some of the key issues and challenges facing the nutraceutical and food ingredient industry today. 

Sleep is a key promoter of emotional wellness and health in general. Lack of sleep is known to contribute to conditions such as stress, depression, obesity and diabetes. But in the modern world, sleeping well seems increasingly difficult, with up to 30% of consumers saying they often have trouble getting to sleep. 

There is growing evidence that the gut microbiome might influence our general health via the gut-brain axis, and recently studies have hinted at a link between the gut microbiome and sleep quality. To explore that link, and its potential implications for the nutraceutical and food ingredient industry, René spoke to gut microbiologist Guus Kortman at NIZO.

In this Podcast, NIZO Food Research Division Manager René Floris discusses some of the big issues in today’s food industry.

Food production processes are becoming increasingly complex. Small changes can have big impacts on everything from food safety and product quality to production output and efficiency. But finding the right production set up can be a long and costly exercise.

In this episode René spoke to Kevin van Koerten, Project Manager and Processing Scientist at NIZO, about how computer modelling can help food manufacturers optimize their production processes.

In this Podcast, NIZO Food Research Division Manager René Floris discusses some of the big issues in today’s food industry. In this episode he continues his exploration of the protein transition by looking at food safety for plant-based foods.

The market for meat- and dairy alternatives is growing at a massive rate. But while these plant-based products may deliver as close an eating experience as possible to their animal-based counterparts, the food safety challenge they present can be very different. To find out more, René spoke to Robyn Eijlander, Senior Project Manager Microbiology and Food Safety.

In this podcast NIZO Food Research Division Manager René Floris continues exploring some of the key issues and challenges facing the nutraceutical and food ingredient industry today.

During the current pandemic, customer demand for immunity-boosting nutraceutical and food products has strongly increased: according to the latest Innova Market insights, over 60% of consumers worldwide are looking for products that support the immune system. In a previous podcast, we discussed the importance of the pre-clinical stage, highlighting several in vitro technologies that can help companies build scientific evidence on the immune health benefits of their ingredients and components.

Now, we take a look at the next step in this journey: human clinical trials, with Alwine Kardinaal, Expertise Group Leader Nutrition & Health at NIZO.

In this episode we talk about smarter processing in food. Having chosen the right protein source, the challenge turns to ensuring you can maintain the desired functionality of that protein during processing and deliver the associated benefits to your customers.

In this podcast you can find out the role of processing in protein functionality. The role of processing in protein functionality was put under the microscope by asking questions to Peter de Jong, Principal Scientist Processing at NIZO. 

In addition to his role at NIZO, Peter is professor of dairy process technology at Van Hall Larenstein University of Applied Sciences and director of New Technology Development for Food at the Institute for Sustainable Process Technology.

In this episode we talk about Fermentation while its importance for developing plant-based products has quickly grown. However, selecting cultures, blending strains, and controlling the fermentation process is far from simple.

To find out how to do that effectively, René Floris spoke to Wim Engels, senior Project Manager and expert in food fermentation for NIZO, who has over 30 years of experience in the fields of fermentation, chemistry, biochemistry and cheese ripening.

In this episode we talk about Food Safety. All too often, controlling pathogenic and spoilage microbes in a new or reformulated food product comes at the end of the development process. In this podcast you can find out how a more holistic approach from the start can solve potential problems as part of the product development itself.

In this podcast, Marjon Wells-Bennik, NIZO’s Principal Scientist Food Safety with over 20 years academic and industrial experience in food safety and microbiology, explains how a more holistic approach from the start can solve potential problems as part of the product development itself.

In this episode we talk about health benefits of food. These are attracting a lot of consumer interest. However, manufacturers can’t just make unsubstantiated health claims. 

In this podcast you can find out in vitro testing can provide important evidence to create compelling stories. To find out more, René Floris spoke to Anita Hartog.

Anita is Senior Scientist in Nutrition and Health at NIZO and has over twenty years industrial experience studying the health and immunological impact of food.