|
|
|
Dr Ingrid Appelqvist joined CSIRO in 2006 within the Food and Nutritional
Science division as a group leader in food materials science. She later became
the theme leader for Designed Food and Biomaterials research program which
focuses on developing all natural manufactured food (clean label); healthier
foods (low sugar, salt, fat and high fibre, protein); the relationship of food
structures with humans and how that controls delivery of nutrition and sensory
perception. Previously she worked for Unilever in their R&D on the elucidation
and understanding of material properties and failure in complex food biopolymer
composites. She serves on a number of journal editorial boards and chairs the
food-body interaction section of the Food structure and functionality forum. She
is currently seconded to the Department of Health and Ageing in Australia as a
consultant to define the targets of salt, sugar and fat reduction in
manufactured food categories. |
 |
|
Top |
|
|
|
Andrew Collins, PhD, ScD, worked in Cambridge, England on DNA damage and repair
in mammalian cells before moving to Aberdeen, Scotland, where for 10 years he
was a principal research scientist at the Rowett Research Institute. There he
developed the comet assay as a method for measuring oxidative damage to DNA in
cultured cells and human lymphocytes, and pioneered the application of DNA
damage and repair as biomarkers in human intervention trials to investigate the
role of phytochemicals in protecting against cancer. This work has continued
since he moved to the University of Oslo, Norway, at the end of 2002, with an
increasing emphasis on the non-antioxidant effects of phytochemicals, and
especially their potential influence on DNA repair pathways. Professor Collins
is spending several months of a sabbatical year at The University of Auckland. |
 |
|
Top |
|
|
|
David joined University of Auckland in July, 2011 coming from Deakin University,
Melbourne Australia. At Deakin David lead a team examining the interplay between
nutrition, genes and signalling pathways, particularly those related to muscle
adaptation and responses to physical activity. Focusing on the actions of
proteins, these studies explore the anabolic responses, but also explore the
benefits of post-exercise protein for alleviating inflammation and muscular
damage. His research work has resulted in more than 100 scientific publications
and $3million of direct research funding. |
 |
|
Top |
|
|
Julian Mellentin is one of the world’s few international specialists in the
business of food, nutrition and health. He is the Director of New Nutrition
Business; its research and consultancy advice is used by more than 1,700
companies in 42 countries. Julian co-authored The Functional Foods Revolution,
the first-ever book on the business of functional foods and The Food & Health
Marketing Handbook. Julian was a branded product marketer for 10 years before
founding this company and has practical experience of marketing branded products
in most European countries and the US.
|
 |
|
Top |
|
|
|
Dr. Bindra has a background in science and business which includes a doctorate
in nutritional sciences as well as global sales/marketing experience with
Fortune 500 consumer goods and pharmaceutical companies such as Procter & Gamble
and Johnson & Johnson. He has also founded a U.S. functional food start-up
venture. Gursh is currently CEO of Vital Foods Ltd which is backed by Inventages
Venture Capital one of the largest venture funds in the world focused on health
and wellness. |
 |
|
Top |
|
|
|
Ralf joined Comvita in January 2006 as Chief Technology Officer and has overall
strategic and functional responsibility for research and development, new
product development, regulatory affairs. Ralf leads a team with expertise in
research and development and food technology. Ralf also supervises the Comvita
research team that is co-located at the IIB at the University of Auckland.
Originally from northern Germany where he earned a masters of bioprocess
engineering and a PhD in the same field. Ralf has worked in New Zealand for
extended periods with Massey University, New Zealand Dairy Research Institute
(now part of Fonterra) and most recently at Tatua Nutritionals. In between
assignments, Ralf was Group Manager - Probiotics for Danisco in Germany.
Although working from an industrial base over the last 15 years Ralf has kept a
very active academic interest directly supervising internships, masters
program’s or PhD’s with various Universities over the years. |
 |
|
Top |
|
|
|
Marco Morgenstern is team leader of the Food Structure & Engineering team at the
New Zealand Institute for Plant & Food Research. Trained as a physicist in the
Netherlands he moved to New Zealand and studied cereal foods processing,
rheology and food texture. His current research is on the link between food
structure and sensory perception. He leads a team of scientists and technologist
from the University of Auckland, Massey University and Plant & Food Research to
develop fundamental understanding of food breakdown during mastication and its
link to texture perception. |
 |
|
Top |
|
|
|
Indrawati Oey is a Professor of Food Science at University of Otago (Dunedin,
New Zealand). Her research focusses on enzymatic and chemical reactions
affecting food nutrition and overall quality [such as texture, flavour and
colour] – all of which can impact on consumer perception and human health.
Currently she is undertaking interdisciplinary studies to understand consumer
choice and behavior towards food, health and food processing. She explores
different food processing techniques including non-thermal process technology
such as high hydrostatic pressure and pulsed electric field to design healthy
food products and different strategies to secure adequate intake of
micronutrients . |
 |
|
Top |
|
|
|
Professor Harjinder Singh is the Co-Director of the Riddet Institute and also
holds Fonterra Chair in Dairy Foods at Massey University, New Zealand. Professor
Singh received his Ph.D. in Food Science and Technology from University College
Cork, Ireland in 1986, and has been with Massey University since 1989. Professor
Singh is a Fellow of the Royal Society of New Zealand and a Fellow of the
International Academy of Food Science and Technology, and has received a number
of international awards for his work on food colloids and structures. He has
published 250 research papers in international journals, and holds 6 patents. He
has presented over 50 keynote addresses at national and international
conferences. |
 |
|
Top |
|
|
|
Dr Denise Hunter is a scientist in the Food Innovation Portfolio at the New
Zealand Institute for Plant & Food Research. Since receiving her PhD in Botany
from the University of Otago, Denise has gained experience in validating the
health benefits of natural products, whole fruits and vegetables, and functional
foods through her work at the Centre for Phytochemistry & Pharmacology, Southern
Cross University, Australia, and Plant & Food Research, New Zealand. During the
5 years spent at Plant & Food Research she has been contract leader and
scientist for the government-funded Wellness Foods programme, which focused on
the development of functional foods from fruits and vegetables targeting several
aspects of health, including reduction of oxidative stress, improved cognitive
performance, and improved gut health. Denise has also been involved in a number
of studies investigating the influence of fruits and vegetables, particularly
kiwifruit, on immune function. |
 |
|
Top |
|
|
|
Tim Grainger completed a degree in Management at Massey University before
joining a small organic bread company called Venerdi. On seeing a gap in the
market place and with personal interest Tim developed the Gluten Free range of
breads, pizza bases and buns for Venerdi. Over the last 9 years Venerdi has
become one of the major players in the Gluten Free Bread market in NZ and in the
foodservice market supplying to Burger Fuel, Hell Pizza, and Dominos in NZ.
Venerdi’s top selling gluten free bread ‘full flavour Six Seed’ recently won the
2010 Healthy Food Guide awards for Best Gluten Free Product. Tim is currently
the GM of Venerdi and employs over 20 staff. |
 |
|
Top |
|
|
|
Dr. Lee Huffman is a scientist and technical manager with over 30 years
experience translating science into commercial ingredients and their
applications into functional foods. As the Technical Service Manager for New
Zealand Milk Products Inc she worked with key customers in the USA as part of
the global speciality ingredient market. Lee managed the ISO procedure for
ingredient development and commercialisation from lab bench to sales for the
North American office. She has also served on a Scientific Advisory Board of a
FMCG international sports nutrition company. Lee joined Crop & Food Research as
the science leader for the Food Concepts Unit in 2007. As Science Group Leader
for Food Solutions, she now leads teams of scientists and technologists at Plant
& Food Research focusing on full utilization of NZ-derived crops for food and
beverage ingredients and concepts with maximum value, and minimum waste, based
on knowledge of wellness and consumers. |
 |
|
Top |
|
|
|
Michael Collett is a senior research scientist at Fonterra Research Centre in
Palmerston North where he accepted a position in September 2000. During this
period his research activities have largely been on probiotics and include their
genomics, functional genomics, probiotic-host interactions with an emphasis on
immunology, identifying bioactive components of probiotics, screening for new
probiotics and probiotic safety. His previous research was in molecular
microbiology as a post-doctoral fellow at Dartmouth Medical School in the USA
and during his PhD studies at Massey University. |
 |
|
Top |
|
|
