Research & Innovation

Breakout Sessions – Niagara Food & Beverage Innovation Summit

Michael Vahabi and Kaela Lewis, both from Hela Spice Canada, formulators of custom blends and spice mixtures for the meat, poultry, bakery and other sectors of the food industry. During this breakout session, Vahabi and Lewis offered a comprehensive look at plant-based trends. They compared various plant-based proteins in terms of functionality and hydration in addition to discovering problem-solving techniques for common issues.
Photo by Josh Bacvar

Jason Mittelheuser is a scientist at FONA International, an established company that creates and produces flavours for many of the largest food, beverage, and nutritional companies in the world. In this breakout session, he explored the 3 Ms: The Challenging Functional Bases that require tools specifically formulated to mask, modify and add mouthfeel.
Photo by: Miranda Langendoen

Alan Unwin is Associate Dean for the School of Environmental and Horticultural Studies at Niagara College. During this breakout session, he discussed cannabis production hurdles, challenges and opportunities and the impact on the food industry. In September 2018, NC launched the first post-secondary Commercial Cannabis Production program of its kind in Canada.