Conference Day One | Wednesday, December 11
8.00 Registration & Morning Coffee
8.50 Chair’s Opening Remarks
9.00 The Need for Functional F&B: Understanding the Microbiome, the Mitochondrial Axis, & the Role for Food as Medicine
- Chris Damman Associate Professor of Medicine & Gastroenterology, University of Washington
Synopsis
- Discussing the Food-Microbiome-Mitochrondria-Health axis and the importance of the functional F&B industry’s role in providing broader benefits to consumer health
- Investigating the link between functional ingredient groups and specific health benefits
- Exploring the future of personalized and digital nutrition for targeted health solutions
Balancing Ingredient Concentration to Achieve Ideal Taste & Efficacy
9.30 Maintaining Desired Taste & Sensory Experience in High-Dosage Functional Health Shots
- Michael Chen Co-founder & Chief Executive Officer, Howtian
Synopsis
- Exploring methods to combat the formulation challenges associated with incorporating high doses of functional ingredients in products
- Maintaining a clean, consumer-friendly label without compromising on taste or cost
- Identifying consumer ingredient and formulation trends and rapidly adapting formulations to match
10.00 Evaluating the Science Behind Functional Ingredients to Support Effective Decision-Making in Functional Beverage Development
- Junnan Gu Principal Nutrition Scientist, Ocean Spray Cranberries
Synopsis
- Assessing role of functional ingredients and elucidating their mechanism of action
- Exploring the cross-functional insights from nutrition, formulation, and marketing required to effectively utilize novel ingredients
- Principles of seeking out novel claims for health and wellness
10.30 Speed Networking Break
11.15 Overcoming Taste & Sensory Challenges Associated with Utilizing HighProtein Alternatives for Vegan Protein Drinks
- Ariel Beverly Design Team Leader, Nutritional Beverages, International Flavors & Fragrances
Synopsis
- Discussing methods to counteract bitter taste or chalky texture when formulating high protein beverages
- Reformulating products to retain their protein content whilst achieving an appealing sensory experience using a plant-derived base content and an appealing sensory experience, but with a plant-derived base
- Exploring the potential for vegan protein drinks with the taste experience of dairy products
Next Generation Biotics to Support Consumer Gut Microbiome Health
11.45 Determining Optimal Strategies to Apply Probiotics in DTC Products
- Sarah Hansen Probiotic Research Manager, Synbiotic Health
Synopsis
- Discuss the unique benefit of using live organisms to deliver functional benefits
- Foundational principles of applying probiotics to F&B, including the selection and stabilization of candidate strains
- Overcome challenges in fermenting, stabilizing and producing probiotic products at scale
12.15 Exploring the Discovery of Novel Gut-Health Supporting Functional Ingredients
- Nina Wilson Senior Scientist, Verb Biotics
Synopsis
- Gauging the impact of specific functional ingredient candidates on the microbiome
- Elucidating the mechanism of action and complex gut-organ axis modalities
- Challenges faced and the solutions implemented during the development of novel biotic ingredients when aiming to provide both a safe and efficacious dosage
12:45 Lunch & Networking Break
1.45 Designing Functional Beverages: Co-Formulating Biotic Products for Versatile & Marketable Synbiotic Beverages
- Florian Kadler CEO & Co-Founder, Saya Suka
Synopsis
- Combining prebiotics and probiotics to provide more effective, long-lasting gut health benefits to consumers
- Discussing the efficacy, toxicity, and stability testing implications of synbiotic coformulations and how effective product design can mitigate those challenges
- Challenges of scaling synbiotic drinks from the lab to consumers and the importance of designing with functionality in mind to meet consumer demands for substantiated gut health products
2.15 Using AI to Predict the Therapeutic Effect of Bioactives for Personalized Gut Health & Longevity Innovation
- Bruno Balen Founder, Ani Biome
Synopsis
- Using AI to predict the synergistic effect of bioactives on gut metabolites and map the gut-brain axis
- Exploring the clinical data behind the bioactives solutions for Inflammatory Bowel Disease support
- Presenting the ML architecture behind pursuing research for mitigating age-related disease and promoting healthy cellular aging
2.45 Afternoon Networking Break & Poster Session
Deciphering Claim Categories & Market Segments to Diversify Product Lines
3.30 Panel Discussion: Novel Claim Targets & Market Categories for More Diverse Functional Beverages
- Bruno Balen Founder, Ani Biome
- Zohar Barbash CTO, Wilk
- Zack Abbott Chief Executive Officer, ZBiotics
Synopsis
- Identifying emerging life-stage based market categories for functional beverages such as children and learning development, pregnancy support, menopause support, and elder care products
- Discussing supporting claims in novel categories such as hangover prevention, vision enhancement, or longevity, that resonate with consumers and regulators
- Considering what strategies can be utilized to diversify product lines, capitalize on new science, and appeal to new consumers within the guidelines set out by regulatory agencies