The Drip by AQUALAB

In today's episode, we have a special guest, Dr. Milda Embuscado, a distinguished scientist at McCormick and Company. Dr. Embuscado is an expert in materials and processing technology, with a focus on powder science and technology, flavor compounds, flavor encapsulation, and food emulsions. She shares her insights on the role of water activity measurements and moisture absorption isotherms in unde...

Today, we have a very special guest, Ian Fretheim, joining us from Cafe Imports. Ian is the Director of Sensory Analysis, where he passionately explores the depths of coffee quality. He's not just an observer but a hands-on enthusiast who dedicates his talents to ensuring the highest standards of coffee. In the quality control lab, Ian's daily routine involves processing an astounding number of ta...

We had the recent pleasure of talking with Rob Rebich, Co-Founder of AUPA, a company on a dedicated mission to provide customers with convenient, nutrition-packed meat-based snacks, all free from harmful industrial additives. Rob's vision is to champion small, local regenerative farms and ranches by sourcing ingredients locally, thereby contributing to a broader transformation aimed at enhancing t...

Today my guest is Dr. Imran Ahmad, a Research Assistant Professor at Florida International University where he is part of the Food Agriculture and Biotechnology Lab. This lab focuses on four core areas of food and beverage science including 1) studying product and process development for optimization of safety and quality, 2) developing novel microbes for commercial applications, 3) investigating...

In this episode of Water In Food, we explore two new technologies that have the potential to revolutionize food safety. The first is hyperspectral imaging, and the second is ultra-fine bubbles, which can increase the potency of antimicrobial solutions and promote the growth of probiotics in milk products. Our guest speaker is a food scientist passionate about dairy and microbiology. He teaches foo...

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 download...

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...

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 witho...

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 wate...

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 curric...

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 p...

Today my guest is Shaunti Luce from the energy foods company, CLIF Bar. From their flagship product to Luna bars and CLIF Kid Zbars, this company aims to make nutritious energy foods for every moment in your day and for every member of your family (now including your pets!). In this episode, Shaunti is here to discuss her role on the Food Safety Quality Assurance team as a Senior Innovation &...

My guest is Dr. Anne Maltais, a senior scientist and researcher at the Institute of Packaging Technology and Food Engineering, located in Montreal, Canada. The Institute develops innovative and eco-responsible packaging solutions. Let's hear what Anne has to say on Water In Food.

On this episode of Water In Food, we're joined by Nadia Hallaj of Mori. Based in Boston, Massachusetts, Mori is known as being an anti-waste company, specializing in keeping food fresher for longer by using nature-inspired protection. Let's learn about how Mori is able to better understand the effectiveness of their protective layers using water activity measurements and moisture sorption isotherm...

Today my guest is Dr. Vivian Allen who is a senior research scientist in product development at Hostess Brands. From new product conception to commercialization, Dr. Allen works in a fast-paced environment and is always looking for new solutions and technologies to improve her team’s R&D processes. One recent addition to her laboratory is the ability to create dynamic dewpoint isotherms, and i...

Beatrice Zatorska joins the podcast to discuss an emerging platform for food science professionals and researchers. As co-founder and CEO, Beatrice launched The Science Says as a site to find and exchange reliable, evidence-based information about food. Though scientists make up the bulk of content creators, anyone can participate. Let's hear what Beatrice has to say on Water In Food ...

Today we're joined by Prince Nanda of Trouw Nutrition, a global leader in innovative feed specialties, premixes, and nutritional services for the animal nutrition industry. The division provides species-specific nutritional solutions consisting of feed concepts, products, and nutritional know-how. Prince is a global program manager and he's here today to discuss why water is important in the anima...

The state of Arkansas is a major hub for rice production in the United States. As such, it's the ideal region for agricultural research on the venerable crop. Leading that research is the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture's Dr. Griffiths G. Atungulu and his graduate assistant Abass Oduola. Listen to how Dr. Atungulu and Abass use water activity and moisture sorption isotherms to advan...

Today I'm joined by Kent Keller of Keller Technologies, Inc. A lactose specialist, Kent has educated people and companies about lactose for over 40 years. He's worked for Dow Chemical and Cargill to name a few, volunteered for the Peace Corps along with his wife, but eventually went into business for himself. He is highly regarded and often referred to as "Mr. Lactose." Let's hear what Kent has to...

Today we’re joined by Zack Farrar and Quinn Keily-Finlay of Outcast Foods based in Nova Scotia, Canada. Outcast uses plant-based technology that turns rejected produce from farmers, grocers, and food processors into nutritional supplements and powders. They do this by upcycling at-risk produce that would otherwise go to waste. A critical step towards Outcast’s success has been understanding the wa...

Most of the time on Water In Food, I like to get to know our customers better and highlight their success. Though their products vary in many aspects, underscoring their success is a firm grasp on food science and knowing what hardware fits best for their application. John Russell, application specialist, joins us again for an overview of AQUALAB water activity devices.

Rami Kawsara and Maria Kasparian from Edesia Nutrition join us on the podcast. Edesia's story and mission are quite extraordinary, as key players in mitigating malnutrition and hunger issues around the world. Although Rami works as a Quality & Regulatory Manager, and Maria as the Executive Director, they both have a strong understanding of why the role of water is important to the success of t...

In this episode of Water In Food, we're joined by Evan Delahanty, founder of Peaceful Fruits based in Akron, Ohio. Inspired by his Peace Corp experience and entrepreneurial spirit, Evan is building a unique all-natural fruit snack company. His products promote healthy snacking and feature a full fruit serving in every pack. Working with fruit and developing new products can be challenging. Water a...

Welcome to another episode of Water in Food. Today, I'm joined by Research Scientist Aaron Denzler of Thorne Research, a wellness-driven leader in health technology. Aaron works closely with Thorne's Effusio line of dissolvable beverage disks. He uses high-resolution dynamic isotherms to assess shelf life and evaluate packaging needs of Thorne's products. Let's hear what Aaron has to say on Water...