An Ho, director of food science and product innovation, at International Food Products (IFPC) joins Dairy Foods for Episode 34 of the “Let’s Talk Dairy” podcast. Ho’s credentials include a bachelor of science in Food Science and Human Nutrition from the University of Missouri-Colombia and a master’s in business administration in management and marketing from the University of Missouri-St. Louis. 

Her notable job descriptions include food scientist-Givaudan; food technologist, Pinnacle Foods (Duncan Hines division); associate food technologist and quality scientist, Dairy House; as well as several positions within IFPC, including R&D food technologist, R&D manager; director of R&D, and director of food science and product innovation.

Among the customers Ho has helped include Dean Foods, Ben & Jerry’s, Edy’s, Dreyer’s Ice Cream, Prairie Farms/Hiland, Trader Joe’s, and numerous dairies across the United States and Central America.

Most of Ho’s career has focused on fluid dairy. She served on the board of the local chapter of the Institute for Food Technologists for seven years. She has brought in 10 research and development interns as director of R&D at IFPC, and hosts and travels to various schools to promote food science as a career. She also has been a guest lecturer at several universities.  

During this podcast, Ho discusses the following topics:

• The latest trends with reduced sugar and sugar-free products. Are consumers increasingly asking for these products and will this market continue to grow?
• The difficulty of meeting consumer needs while providing a quality taste.
• Advances in the lactose-free category and its growth prospects.
• The most important claims consumers are seeking in clean-label products, such as natural, organic, non-GMO, etc.
• Future trends we may see in both sugar reduction and clean-label dairy products.

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