Mr. Gerard Klein Essink (Bridge2Food) Mr. Gerard Klein Essink started Bridge2Food in 2002. He has worked in the international food industry for over 25 years after graduating in food chemistry and marketing from Wageningen University. His experience covers both business-to-consumer as well as business-to-business markets. He has fulfilled roles as Vice-President Sales and Business Development Manager for a FMCG company, as General Manager at an international food ingredient company, and as a researcher at Wageningen University. At Bridge2Food, he enjoys the independent and entrepreneurial environment and working with young professionals. Enabling business growth, innovation and personal development by connecting people and businesses together is one of his main drivers. Gerard is also a frequent speaker at international fora on proteins, healthy ageing and sport nutrition. Bridge2Food is an international platform company focusing on fast moving categories such as sports nutrition, healthy ageing, bars, ingredients and innovation.Dr. Aard de Jong (Wageningen University)Dr. Aard de Jong is scientist in the area of protein chemistry within the department of Food Quality & Health Effects at Wageningen Food & Biobased Research. He studied chemistry at the University of Nijmegen and afterwards he did a PhD at the department of Enzymology at the University of Delft. He started working with food related proteins at TNO in 1997 using enzymatic modification. Gradually this has expanded to other modification tools like ultra high pressure and super heated steam. Aard has been involved in projects last years with the goal to purify and characterization several types of proteins with emphasis on allergenicity and health aspects. Large part of his current research is dedicated to the digestibility of proteins from new sources and the effect of processing on digestibility. From january 1st he joined Wageningen Food & Biobased ResearchMr. Rob Vreeker (Unilever) Mr. Rob Vreeker is a research scientist at Unilever's R&D centre in Vlaardingen, the Netherlands. He has 20 years of experience in food research. His research activities include the study of food microstructure and texture, physical chemistry of biopolymer solutions and gels and the influence of food matrix on flavour release and perception. Rob holds a PhD in physical chemistry and is a member of the editorial board of Food Biophysics.
Dr. Els de Hoog (NIZO Food Research)Dr. Els de Hoog is group leader Food product technology at NIZO. She manages contract research projects for global food companies on texture related subjects leading multidisciplinary teams. Main focus areas of her expertise are mouth feel, perception, product stability, and encapsulation. She studied chemistry on the Utrecht University and obtained a PhD in Colloid and Physical Chemistry in 2001. After her PhD she started working at NIZO food research holding various functions.Mr. Hugo Streekstra (DSM)Mr. Hugo Streekstra started his academic training in Chemistry in 1978 at the University of Amsterdam. He graduated in 1983 with a specialization in Microbiology. This was followed by a research subject in Microbial Physiology at the same University, which led to the successful defense of a PhD thesis entitled "Metabolic Uncoupling in Anaerobic Klebsiella pneumoniae" in 1990.Mr. Jan Zijderveld (Bouwhuis Enthoven) Mr. Jan Zijderveld has more than 20 years experience in the field of egg products. In his position with Bouwhuis Enthoven Mr. Zijderveld is responsible for the translation of customer requirements into specific products and processes. The development team of Bouwhuis Enthoven is working in partnerships to develop the suitable applications and processes for new egg products.Mr. Hans Zijlstra (F&F Group)Mr. Hans Zijlstra is working with ingredients and application technology for over 20 years now, having worked for Cargill, FrieslandCampina, Kerry and Corbion in various R&D and application roles. Today he is Technical Director of the F&F Group in Zeist, the Netherlands. In his current role, he works together with the major dairy protein producing companies and has a good overview of their capabilities and products. Some of that will be shared during the presentations on Milk proteins, Whey and Casein.Dr. Bjorn Vergauwen (Rousselot)Dr. Bjorn Vergauwen is Senior Scientist within the R&D of Rousselot, a multinational producing gelatin products for a wide range of customers active in the pharmaceutical and food markets. Before joining Rousselot in 2014, he held appointments at different Biochemical labs at Ghent University, Belgium, running research in the fields of Enzymology and Structural Biology. He currently coordinates projects aiming at valorizing the still unmet potential of gelatin. His main expertise relates to the biophysical and biochemical principles underpinning gelatin’s behavior in food and pharma applications and to its use in pharmaceutical dosage forms.Roland Snel (ADM)Roland Snel is Director Culinary Product Development and Application at ADM, one of the world’s largest agricultural processors and food ingredient providers, with over 32,000 employees serving customers in more than 160 countries. Roland has worked at ADM since 2010, he specialises in food ingredients and currently leads the technical team for the EMEA region. He has extensive knowledge of plant-based ingredients ranging from soy, pulses and wheat proteins, fibers, colours & flavours and more, used in applications such as meat and meat alternatives, beverages, sport nutrition, dairy replacement, confectionary, bakery, to name just a few.Jaap Harkema (Avebe)Jaap Harkema is Market Manager at Avebe and graduated at Wageningen University in Food Technology in 1988. At AVEBE, he launched several innovations in the field of fat replacement and food fibres, and was closely involved with the launch of ELIANE TM waxy potato starch, a true starch innovation. Since 2007 he is a driving force behind the marketing of Solanic® potato proteins. Their market demand has increased explosively in the past years, driven rapidly growing "free from"markets such as meat-free, dairy-free and gluten-free. His passion is B2B food marketing & innovation, with a good balance between "believing in what you do" and the hard facts, both of which are indispensable to be successful.Bjoern Anderstein (Ingredion)
Mr. Bjoern Anderstein joined Ingredion Germany GmbH (former National Starch Food Innovation) in 2002 and worked in several technical functions like Market Development Technologist for meat applications, Technical Service Supervisor UK&IE and Principal Technologist for Key Accounts before moving into his current position as Technical Program Manager for the rice and pulse portfolio. In this role he is responsible for driving growth in both product ranges in close collaboration with the Go-To-Market team. He is working on projects developing fundamental technical expertise and application knowledge for these products in selected applications and associated food processes to enable the company to effectively capture business opportunities as well as driving new selected product launches.Kathrin Pieruschek (Ingredion)
Ms. Kathrin Pieruschek joined Ingredion Germany GmbH in 2016 as Senior Innovation Technologist and is accountable for NPD projects in the EMEA region. In this role, she identifies, develops and validates new products for selected applications and food processes with her current focus on co-texturizers and deep-fried applicatons. In addition, she is the Technical Program leader for plant proteins, where she is responsible of strengthening internal fundamental technical expertise and enabling innovative product development in close collaboration with the Application & Go-To-Market team.Dr. Ir. Gertjan Smolders (DSM)Dr. Ir. Gertjan Smolders has 20 years of experience in R&D in the Pharma and Food Industry. His drive is to create and develop sustainable solutions into successful commercial business. After graduating at the Wageningen University and obtaining a PhD in Biotechnology at the TU Delft, he started at Gist-Brocades working on pharma projects. As innovation manager he was involved in the startup of the Cephalosporin plant In Delft, the largest example of white biotech at that time in Europe. After moving to DSM Food Specialties he developed new ingredients and functional food and is working since 2012 for the DSM Innovation Center turning agricultural and biobased by-products into high quality nutritional/functional proteins. This has resulted in the Venture Canola/Rapeseed which is developing a novel proprietary technology to produce specialty protein from Canola/Rapeseed.
Mr. Hugo Streekstra started his academic training in Chemistry in 1978 at the University of Amsterdam. He graduated in 1983 with a specialization in Microbiology. This was followed by a research subject in Microbial Physiology at the same University, which led to the successful defense of a PhD thesis entitled "Metabolic Uncoupling in Anaerobic Klebsiella pneumoniae" in 1990.