Ronald Visschers

Ronald W. Visschers, Ph.D.,  is principal Consultant for TNO in the area of Food and Nutrition. He is responsible for developing the research strategy ranging from understanding taste and texture of solid and semi-solid food materials for reformulation purposes to the screening and development of new processing methods for functional health ingredients.

The program is executed by several research groups within TNO and has national and international collaborative partners. The program assists many companies in developing specific innovations for their food products. Dr Visschers is also responsible for the Food Product Quality Roadmap of the dutch Topsector Agri-Food and is actively involved in the Dutch Healthy Food Composition Policies.His main expertise includes protein and polysaccharide structure and functionality, rheological aspects of oral processing as well as flavour release and perception. Dr. Visschers is co-author on more than 45 scientific publications and co-inventor of two patent applications.

2015-present        Principal Consultant Food & Nutrition
Integral responsibility for for strategic knowledge development in the area of Food & Nutrition creating new and viable research programmes with external partners

10-15             Business Line Manager TNO
Integral responsibility for strategic development, acquisition and excution of research and project portfolio focussed on Food Quality and Production
TNO, Quality of Life, Zeist

09-10            Knowledge and Program Manager TNO
08-09            Program Manager TNO
managing a research and project portfolio focussed on Food Quality and Production
TNO, Quality of Life, Zeist

05-08            Principal Scientist and Account Manager
Delivering unique texture and flavour sensations
NIZO Food Research, Ede

99-05             Project Leader WCFS / NIZO
1. Food Biopolymer Dispersions and Gels
2. Dynamics of Biopolymer Networks and Textures
NIZO Food Research,  Ede

97-99             PULS Fellow NWO
Assembly and Aggregation of Integral Membrane Proteins
Structural Biology, VU Amsterdam

95-97            EMBO Fellow
‘De-Novo’ Design and Oligomerization of Porphyrin Binding Proteins
Dept. of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia
..

Consumer confidence in processed foods is at the heart of clean label challenges. With the goal of designing clean label products, an effective multi-disciplinary approach has been developed that combines efforts to increase consumer acceptance, understand the regulatory framework and that creates friendly labels through science-based innovations. This presentation looks at the development of natural methods to eliminate, modify or replace label-unfriendly additives without losing product quality. The speaker will focus on science-based approaches for ingredient functionality in two case studies:
•  Replacement of gelatin in confectionery products
•  Challenges in formulation of meat analogues from a protein ingredient perspective