September 2024 Kick-Off Meeting with Phi Tau Sigma

Monday, September 23, 2024

Cargill Office Center
In-Person (Plus a Virtual Option!)

On Monday, September 23rd, the Minnesota Institute of Food Technologists and the University of Minnesota Chapter Phi Tau Sigma, Honor Society for Food Science & Technology, will host a joint meeting to kick off our 2024-2025 year! Learn the newest information on Plant Foods & Proteins from our panel of speakers. Plus! Celebrate our MNIFT volunteers with the President's Award and volunteer awards presentation. We look forward to seeing everyone!

Co-Sponsored by
ΦTΣ University of Minnesota Chapter Phi Tau Sigma: Honor Society for Food Science and Technology

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Plant Proteins: Scaling for the Future

Overview: The panel "Plant Proteins: Scaling for the Future" will explore the critical roles of technology, academia, and industry in advancing plant-based proteins.

It will address the challenges and opportunities in scaling these proteins to meet future food demands sustainably. Discussions will focus on innovative agricultural practices, scientific advancements in protein texturization, and market trends in meat and dairy alternatives.

The goal is to provide insights into creating a sustainable, scalable, and profitable plant-based food system

Speakers

Nicole Atchison

CEO

PURIS Holdings

Nicole Atchison Atchison leads the ag-tech and food tech business units within PURIS’ portfolio of companies. PURIS is a leader in the sustainable food and ag movement, driving innovation across seed genetics, ingredient processing, plant-based food development, and product commercialization, all from U.S.-based organic and non-GMO sources.

PURIS™ is a family-owned company founded in 1985 in Oskaloosa, Iowa. Built with intention over 35 years, PURIS’ plant-based food system benefits every link in the chain of production: flavorful and nutritious choices for people, profitable opportunities for growers, flexible ingredients for food makers, and practices that nourish soil, the environment, and life on earth. Nicole is the daughter of the founders of the company.

Nicole holds a Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Minnesota and a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Iowa State University. She spends her free time with her husband Jordan and two children Cameron and Avery. They live in Eden Prairie, MN and enjoy the changing seasons and trialing all the new plant-based food hitting the shelves in Minnesota.

Dr. Job Ubbink

Professor and Department Head of Food Science & Nutrition Department

University of Minnesota

Dr. Job Ubbink is Professor in the Department of Food Science and Nutrition at the University of Minnesota. He was trained as a physical and polymer chemist at the University of Leiden (The Netherlands) and he obtained his PhD in Chemical Engineering and Materials Science at Delft University of Technology (The Netherlands). He has worked for 18 years in R&D positions in the food industry, including 11 years at the Nestle Research Center (Lausanne, Switzerland). Prior to joining the University of Minnesota, he was associated with the California Polytechnic State University (San Luis Obispo), the University of Bristol (UK) and the ETH Zurich (Switzerland). He was visiting scientist at Moscow State University (Russia) and he has taught as visiting professor at the School of Food Engineering, University of Campinas (Brazil).

His research interests include the phase mapping and molecular mechanisms of plant protein texturization, powder science and technology, and the encapsulation & delivery of active ingredients in foods. He has recently been highly engaged in the debate on ultraprocessed foods, proposing a novel scheme to disentangle the various factors that impact the nutritional quality of our foods.

Elena Zienda

Americas Commercial Director, Meat & Dairy Alternatives

Cargill

Elena Zienda is the Americas Category Director for Cargill Meat and Dairy Alternatives, where she has led a team to significantly advance the company’s relationship with customers in these rapidly growing and evolving sectors. Her leadership has strengthened Cargill’s relevance and expertise in the category, positioning the company as a key player in the shift toward plant-based protein and sustainable healthy food alternatives.

With a deep commitment to improving the global food system, Elena has worked at Cargill since college in a variety of roles including operations, strategic pricing, strategy, and M\&\A; and globally in over 15 countries. She also sits on the board of a local food company. Elena received a degree in Chemical Engineering with an emphasis in Bio Engineering Bio Based Products from Illinois Institute of Technology, and an MBA through Carlson’s executive program. Today she will share her insights on the critical role of Cargill in transforming the future of plant-based food.

Daniel Gertner

Business Analyst

The Good Food Institute

Daniel’s role at GFI focuses on alternative protein market research, industry landscape analysis, and identifying gaps and opportunities in the alternative protein market. Daniel earned both a Master of Science and a Bachelor of Science in agricultural economics from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, where he performed research on distillers' grains markets and agricultural production topics. Before joining GFI, Daniel worked at a dairy market intelligence and consulting firm with a portfolio of projects in economic and data analysis, price forecasts, and individual consulting projects.

Reservations

Online credit card payment is preferred, or you can pay the night of the event if needed.

Registration will stay open until September 23rd, at 6:00 PM. Early Bird registration ends on September 10, 2024.

Registration costs will include drink and appetizers. If you have special dietary needs, please email us if those options are not on the registration website.

If you have additional questions, please email Misen Luu.

NOTE: Virtual registrations will receive the Zoom meeting login information after registration.

Location

Schedule

Monday, September 23, 2024

4:00 – 5:00 PM Board of Directors Meeting**

5:00- 6:10 PM Social with Appetizers & Drinks

6:10-6:25 PM Phi Tau Sigma Introductions & President’s Award

6:25-7:25 PM Panel “Plant Proteins: Scaling for Plant Protein for the future”

7:25-7:30PM Closing Remarks

** Zoom link and meeting placeholder will be sent with agenda by MNIFT President for BOD members.

Cost:

Type	Early Bird	After September 10
In-Person Member	$25	$30
In-Person Non-Member	$35	$40
In-Person Student/Emeritus	$15	$20
Virtual Member/Student/Emeritus	$5	$5
Virtual Non-Member	$10	$10

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