Viji Ganesh

Food Scientist/ Product developer specializing in R&D of sustainable & innovative products

About

Viji Ganesh is a highly skilled and experienced food scientist with over a decade's experience in the food industry. She received her Bachelors in Industrial Biotechnology and went on to obtain her Masters in Food Science. Viji has worked in various roles in the food industry, from Research associate to Senior scientist. She has a strong background in food product development, formulation, and quality control. She has also worked extensively in the area of plant-based foods and has a deep understanding of food chemistry, regulations and nutrition. Currently, Viji is working as a technical consultant, responsible for developing new food products. Viji is passionate about creating healthy and sustainable food products that meet consumer demands. She is constantly learning and keeping up with the latest trends and developments in the food industry. Her expertise and dedication make her a valuable asset to any food company.

Education

University of Arkansas at Fayetteville

M.S., Food Science / December, 2013

Fayetteville, Arkansas, United States of America

SASTRA University

B.Tech, Industrial Biotechnology / May, 2007

Thanjavur

Experience

Kite Hill

Research Associate / November, 2013 — August, 2018

Hands-on in the creation of dairy-free cultured almond milk-based products: cream cheese style spreads, yogurts, yogurt in tubes and probiotic drinkable yogurts - benchtop experiments, work with enzymes, flavoring ingredients, proteins, vitamins and calcium, sensory and shelf life studies, rheology assessments • Collaborated with production, business, and R&D team of scientists to reformulate products (artisanal cheese, cream cheese, yogurts) and process, optimize and contribute to continuous improvement • Developed batch sheets, process documents and nutritional information for transfer of product prototype to production • Worked with membrane filtration processes - setup, CIP, sample runs and analyses • Sourced ingredients, developed R&D SOP documentation and test reports, purchase recommendations for laboratory equipment and software

Bobbie baby

Lead Product Scientist / December, 2018 — January, 2020

Developed base prototype recipe (cow milk-based formula) and product specifications • Tested and validated finished formula for conformance to nutritional and microbial standards and safety • Built nutrition information, product documents (technical sheet), HACCP distributor plans and scientific content for website • Co-lead and accelerate production and adaptation of a European formula in the U.S. • Collaborated with U.S. and international groups (product developers, co-manufacturers) for infant formula and dietary supplements and response to FDA claims

Compound foods

Senior scientist / January, 2021 — June, 2023

Formulated hot and cold brew alternatives for coffee using plant-based ingredients and propelled selection attributes for ingredients • Managed time sensitive projects and deadlines, sensory tastings, a new product strategy from scratch, documentation and record keeping of experiments and results and collaboration with different teams • Screened over 150+ plant-based ingredients (proteins, flours and up-cyclable materials) • Initiated connections with coffee experts, ingredient suppliers and copackers • Developed base prototype recipes that helped raise $4.5M seed round funding, commercialize and patent the technology • Generated and validated the environmental assessment (Life cycle analysis) model for product SKUs

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