Booth 1014

Watson Inc. will be holding a series of roundtable discussions at its IFT Booth 1014.

The roundtables will provide an opportunity for learning, discussion, and the sharing of ideas and innovation. Attendees at the roundtable will be encouraged to ask questions, propose challenges, and discuss solutions to those challenges facing the food and beverage industry today.

One round table will focus on Spray Drying. Amit Sinha, Process Innovation Engineer at Watson, will lead this discussion group. The topics discussed will depend upon the interests and applications of those attending, however some of the areas covered will include an overview of spray drying technology, the benefits of spray drying in food and beverage products, processing conditions, and challenges. Applications for spray drying will also be discussed.

There will also be a roundtable discussion on granulation and agglomeration led by Gary Wada, process and technology operations director at Watson. Mr. Wada will share his knowledge from over 30 years of experience in the industry. The discussion is designed to be flexible, based on the attendees and their interests. Subject matter will include the benefits agglomeration provides, including flowability, uniform weight, uniformity in the blend, and preventing segregation of ingredients in a blend. Wada will review the technology available for granulations: fluid bed, high shear, and chilsonation. Fluid bed granulations are known for their porosity, and ability to dissolve by wicking liquid through interstitial void space, dissolving from the inside out, whereas high shear granulations and chilsonated granules are known for dissolving by erosion only. Even after compression, fluid bed granules dissolve faster than those made by high shear or chilsonation. Instantizing is a subset of agglomeration, used for the specific purpose of helping powders to mix better with a liquid.

Watson will host a roundtable discussion on microencapsulation technologies. Alice Wilkinson, vice president of nutritional innovation, and Gary Wada, process and technology operations director at Watson, will co-chair this roundtable. The discussion will cover the applications and benefits of different microencapsulation technologies, such as hot melt, solvent-based, and aqueous. Ms. Wilkinson and Mr. Wada will also answer questions regarding coating technologies and the considerations which must be made in the selection of coating materials.  The benefits of microencapsulation, including taste-masking, odor-masking, modified release, and barrier coatings to prevent ingredient interactions and degradation, will also be reviewed.

Ms. Wilkinson will also be leading a roundtable discussion on trust and transparency in the food industry. Ms. Wilkinson explains why knowing a product meets label claim is crucial to the brand manufacturer. The brand manufacturer needs a comprehensive understanding of the critical control points that influence the quality of their end product. In the nutrition industry, effective quality control is essential. When a product contains lower nutrient levels than is stated on the label, quality control procedures are failing. In this presentation, viewers will learn what factors manufacturers should be most concerned about, and what steps to take to ensure label claims are met.

Mary Watson will be leading a roundtable discussion on the use of color as visual cues in the food and beverage industry. Ms. Watson heads up Watson’s Edible Film Division. Participants in this round table will also have an opportunity to work hands-on with Watson’s Edible Glitter in a variety of food and beverage applications. Areas covered will include elimination of artificial colors in formulation.

The benefits of Custom Nutrient Premixes will be the topic of Watson’s final roundtable. The premix roundtable will be hosted by Alice Wilkinson. Ms. Wilkinson will cover topics including the selection of the best nutrient forms for the final product, as well as blending techniques. 

Watson Inc. will also host a roundtable discussion titled "What Do the New Dietary Guidelines & Nutrition Facts Label Mean for Our Industry?" The discussion will be held in a meeting room at the Watson Booth 1014 on the IFT show floor. Leading the discussion will be Alice Wilkinson, vice president of innovation at Watson.

In the roundtable, Ms. Wilkinson will cover topics including the 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, issued by U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and U.S. Department of Agriculture in January of this year. Ms. Wilkinson will also review the changes to the Nutrition Facts Label, which include updated daily values for nutrients like dietary fiber, phosphorus, and vitamin D, consistent with Institute of Medicine recommendations and the 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Daily values are reference amounts of nutrients to consume and are used to calculate the % DV that manufacturers include on their labels.

Ms. Wilkinson will also detail the change in units of measure. International Units (IU) will no longer be used for vitamins A, D, and E. These will be replaced with mcg and mg. The Institute of Medicine (IOM) Labeling Committee recommended this change in order to be consistent with the new Dietary Reference Intake reports.

Other topics discussed in this roundtable will include new mandatory label nutrients, such as choline, and changes to serving sizes. The goal of the roundtable will be to help manufacturers in the planning process, and ensure that they are ready to reformulate if necessary. The change in daily values will affect the ability of the manufacturer to make nutrient claims. In order to be considered a "good source," the product needs to contain 10-19% DV of that nutrient. Now that the daily values are changing, some products might not be eligible to continue making the same claims without reformulation.

Additional information on these events and registration can be found on the Watson website at this link http://info.watson-inc.com/ift-2016