Catalin Moraru, Ph.D., Technical Manager, Product Development, The National Food Lab, Inc.
Catalin Moraru is a Technical Manager at The National Food Lab. Catalin has extensive product development expertise encompassing the use of a variety of sweetener systems in formulating various foods and beverages. Catalin is a Certified Food Scientist and professional member of IFT, and has received his Ph.D. in Food Science from Rutgers University.
About The National Food Lab:
The National Food Lab, a premier food and consumer product development service provider for the international food, beverage and nutritional supplement industries. The NFL integrates consumer guidance, culinary ideation and “protocepting,” and product and process development to maximize speed to market and success once there.
Presentations Given at Global Food Forums Events
2020 Sweetener Systems Conference
Solving the Puzzle: Sugar Reduction Strategies
As cutting down on sugar went from trend to mainstream, food formulators have focused on identifying the best approaches to provide optimal sweetness intensity and quality, while minimizing sugar and calorie intake and keeping labels clean and user-friendly. Advances in ingredient technologies and updated regulatory requirements increase the complexity of developing the sweetening component of any given food or beverage. This presentation will discuss strategies for sugar reduction in selected food and beverage applications, considering consumer and market trend data, ingredient properties and performance, and specific application criteria and requirements.
2016 Clean Label Conference
Conventional to Emerging Natural Sweeteners: Key Properties for Product Applications
Sweetness is an important attribute in a wide range of foods, from fruits and vegetables to formulated products. Even a touch of sweetness may significantly improve the appeal of food products, as most humans are innately attracted to sweet foods. While many clean label-friendly sweetening ingredients are now available in the marketplace, formulators need to understand their functionality and properties in order to adequately select the best solution for a given situation. This presentation will review key properties of conventional and emerging sweeteners, with particular focus on some of the properties of sweeteners considered natural by many.