The Drip by AQUALAB

We sit down with Suresh Chander, R&D lead at Arboreal Stevia! Learn more about the sugar substitute and its various implications in food production. Discover what misconceptions exist around it, plus weigh up some of the pros and cons of this unique sweetener on our latest episode of Water In Food.

Today my guest is Adam Yee, the podcast host of My Food Job Rocks! He interviews people from the food industry and discusses why they love their jobs and how they got to where they are today. With over 250 episodes and hundreds of blog posts about career advice, Adam’s goal is to show that the food industry is full of intelligent, driven, and passionate people. Today, the podcast has been downloaded over 150,000 times and his website has over half a million views, helping those interested in learning more about the food industry and helping other food scientists network and grow their skills. Let's hear what Adam has to say on this episode of Water In Food.  

This week on Water in Food is Dr. Jennifer Acuff from the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture. She's also an assistant professor of food microbiology and safety in the department of food science at Dale Bumpers College. Currently, her focus is microbial contamination in low-moisture foods, including products like spices, nuts, dried fruits, and powders. Her goal is to expand the body of knowledge about pathogen contamination in low-moisture foods and conduct applied research that provides real solutions. Then, she will also identify ways to present food safety training to help small food processors in order to comply with the Food Safety Modernization Act.  Hear what Dr. Acuff has to say on Water in Food.

Welcome to another episode of Water in Food. Today my guest is Dr. Berkley Luck, who is the Co-Founder and COO of Milkify. This was the very first company to offer a service for nursing mothers that enables them to safely powder their breast milk for storage and convenience. By understanding water activity, Dr. Luck’s team is able to prevent nutrient degradation and achieve long-term storage without refrigeration. 

Today my guest is Cael Byrd, the founder and owner of Cael Bar, a company specializing in energy bars and pet treats. Cael’s vision for his company came from his desire to provide his family with healthy, energizing snacks. So he started by building a full-scale commercial kitchen out of a garage space in western Washington. As his company began to grow, Cael realized the importance of having water activity measurements to ensure the safety and quality of his products. Let’s hear what Cael has to say on Water in Food.

Today my guest is Jeremy Basha, the Chief Revenue Officer at Sonoran Roots, a recreational cannabis company known for its large-scale cultivation, extraction, and dispensary operations throughout Arizona. Like many cannabis producers, this company has recently started using water activity measurements to implement a more regimented, structured, and formulaic approach to make key decisions like when to take product out of cure rooms, what order to trim different batches, how to store product, and how to combat and mitigate microbial issues. Let's listen to Jeremy explain his team's success with using water activity measurements in this special cannabis addition of Water in Food.

Today my guest is Melissa Coppel, who is the owner of the Melissa Coppel Chocolate and Pastry School in Las Vegas, Nevada. Many of her students have a dream of opening their own business someday, and she helps them realize that there is a lot more to chocolates and pastries than just making a delicious tasting product. From formulations to shelf life predictions, one key aspect of Melissa’s curriculum is understanding water activity and its impact on food safety and quality. Let’s hear what Melissa has to say on Water in Food.

Melissa Coppel

https://melissacoppel.com

Today my guest is Gregg Schieffer from Kemin Industries, a company that supplies specialty ingredients for human and animal health and nutrition, pet food, aquaculture, nutraceuticals, food technologies, crop technologies, and textile industries.  Since its start in 1961, Kemin’s dedication and discipline in scientific research have remained constant. This company is the science inside countless products that you probably interact with every day. Today, Gregg is here to discuss his role as an associate scientist and why water is essential to some of the things he works on.  Lets hear what Gregg has to say on Water in Food.