Volac enhances nutritional and technical expertise
26 July 2010
Volac has strengthened its nutritional and technical consultancy support services for food and beverage customers with two key appointments in its Dairy & Lifestyle Ingredients division. Former R&D sports nutritionist for GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), Suzane Leser joins as Commercial Nutrition Manager, while Dr Marianthi Faka has been promoted to Commercial Technical Manager having overseen significant technical process developments within Volac.
Mark Neville, Head of Lifestyle Ingredients, Volac, comments:
“As the market opportunity for whey protein continues to gain pace, particularly for sport and active nutrition, Suzane and Marianthi have the heavy-weight scientific, nutritional and technical expertise to help our customers realise sustained competitive edge.
“Suzane’s previous role supporting the Lucozade Sport brand within GSK’s Nutritional Research & Development team, firmly underpins and enhances our already strong offering to the sports nutrition market. Her work with Compliance & Regulatory Affairs, meanwhile, will prove invaluable to customers navigating the complex legislative route of health claims.
“Marianthi’s commitment and passion to applying science to every processing step we have taken since she first joined in 2008, has helped to ensure that Volac’s whey protein is of the highest quality. Now she can take that science to advise customers on the compositional and functional characteristics of our ingredients and how these can be best utilised in a fast developing market.”
Suzane Leser
Suzane Leser has an MSc in Sports and Exercise Nutrition from Loughborough University and, prior to joining GSK, worked for more than five years as a Sports Nutritionist for Advanced Products in Brazil. Whilst working at GSK she also completed an MSc Degree in European Food Regulatory Affairs, at the University of Ulster.
She comments:
“The science behind the health benefits of whey proteins and other dairy products is both well-established and constantly expanding, as new studies see even more benefits emerging from regular intake. However, traceability, sustainability and science are crucial for the delivery of products that are legal, honest in claim and safe for consumers. Recognising that Volac adheres to all of these qualities, my role as a nutrition and regulatory advisor is already opening up exciting new challenges and opportunities.”
Dr Marianthi Faka
Prior to joining Volac in 2008, Marianthi was a Research Associate at the Department of Food Biosciences, University of Reading. She holds a PhD in Dairy Chemistry and Processing, an MSc in Food Science, and a BSc (Hons) in Microbiology with Medical Biosciences.
She comments:
“Establishing optimal performance of our ingredients, within diverse applications and at a microscopic level, will be my particular focus. Through closely monitoring consumer and market trends, as well as understanding the processing and formulation requirements of our customers, I can ensure that Volac’s quality-assured whey protein and lactose products are delivered with flexibility, reliability and insight.”
Back to news