Projects
Three projects spanning bioactive encapsulation, protein characterisation and product formulation — from lab scale through to pilot and manufacturing trials.
Developed a spray-dried lycopene ingredient from tomato processing waste, optimising isomerisation and microencapsulation for bioactive stability.
Objective
Tomato by-products contain up to five times more lycopene than pulp yet are largely discarded. This project developed a spray-dried lycopene ingredient from this waste stream, optimising thermal isomerisation conditions and evaluating microencapsulation as a stabilisation strategy for the more bioavailable cis isomer forms.
What I Did
- Screened time and temperature conditions (100°C and 140°C, 1–3 hours) to optimise cis isomer formation, achieving 67% total cis content at 140°C for 1 hour.
- Developed and compared two oil-in-water emulsion systems as encapsulation matrices: maltodextrin-gum arabic and maltodextrin-Tween 80.
- Scaled emulsion systems to pilot-scale spray drying, producing powders with encapsulation yields of 25–36%.
- Characterised powder properties and ran 28-day stability tests at 4°C, 25°C and 38°C using HPLC to monitor lycopene retention and isomer profile shifts.
Outcome
- Maltodextrin-gum arabic encapsulate showed stable lycopene retention at 4°C and 25°C with no significant loss over 28 days.
- Established clear links between thermal processing parameters, cis isomer formation and storage stability, providing a foundation for functional ingredient development from processing waste.
Technical Skills
Built a data-driven framework mapping TVP ingredient properties to plant-based meat alternative application outcomes, reducing trial-and-error in ingredient selection.
Objective
Selecting the right TVP variant for plant-based meat applications requires understanding how raw ingredient properties translate into final product performance. This project developed a systematic framework to map ingredient characteristics to plant-based meat alternative application outcomes.
What I Did
- Characterised multiple TVP variants across sizes and formats, evaluating water uptake, water distribution (NMR), texture and morphology as ingredient-level properties.
- Produced samples for plant-based meat alternative application trials under controlled conditions and evaluated juiciness, hardness, cooking loss and sensory performance.
- Analysed the full dataset in JMP using multivariate approaches to build a structured property map connecting ingredient characteristics to final product outcomes.
SOP Development — Image Analysis Equipment
- Developed a full SOP for a newly introduced image analysis instrument, covering measurement method, data selection and analysis parameters from scratch.
- Each trial generated 200+ data points; designed a step-by-step filtering and interpretation approach to produce reproducible, meaningful results.
Technical Skills
Independent formulation work across emulsion-based products, dehydrated instant ingredients and seasonings, from lab trials through to manufacturing scale.
Overview
This role covered formulation development across savoury categories including emulsion-based products, dehydrated instant ingredients and spice seasonings. Work spanned from initial concept and lab trials through pilot-scale validation and manufacturing transfer, with direct involvement in troubleshooting and process optimisation at each stage.
Dehydrated Instant Breakfast — Independent Project
- Led development of a dehydrated instant breakfast ingredient from scratch, with no prior reference product existing in the company.
- Resolved early challenges around solubility and dispersion through iterative formulation trials.
- Optimised drying time-temperature parameters across multiple trial cycles, achieving target moisture content, solubility and shelf-life stability, and receiving sensory approval.
Flavoured Mayonnaise — Emulsion Stability Challenge
- Worked on resolving phase separation issues across four flavoured mayonnaise variants through formulation and process adjustments.
- Identified a recurring disconnect between lab-scale stability and pilot-scale behaviour, and adapted both formulation and process approach to resolve it.
- Resolved instability in the majority of variants through ingredient substitution, emulsifier adjustments and process condition changes.
Technical Skills