SFC Chicago Meeting

The next Society of Flavor Chemists' meeting will take place October 19 at the Sheraton Gateway Suites, Rosemont, IL. The day will begin at 11 AM with a SFC board of directors meeting, followed by a SFC board of directors and comittee chairpersons meeting at 1 PM. Roger Mullins (First Choice Ingredients) will be the first speaker of the afternoon, and will discuss the evolution of cheese flavor development. Mullins will explore the history of enzyme modified cheese, including its early primary usese, the current state of the industry and insight into what the future may hold. The next presenter, Brian Riesterer (Thiel Cheese and Ingredients, LLC), will explore process cheese as an ingredient at 2:45 PM. Riesterer will discuss difference kinds of domestically produced processed cheese, emerging functionality that provides its unique attributes, and labeling guidelines. He will also highlight various flavor attributes and specfic flavor challenges such as flavor release, low fat, shelf stable and high-melt systems.

John Fenstermacher (PURAC America) will speak from 3:30-4:15 on an increasingly important industry concern--optimizing reduced salt, sugar and MSG systems using acids. Fenstermacher will explain the effect of various food acids and how to optimize their enhancing effects in fruit and savory systems. Keith Cadwallader (University of Illinois) will follow with his presentation on chemical and sensory characterization of food aroma. Cadwallader will present specific examples where chemical and sensory evaluation techniques have been applied to verify the importance of key odorants in foods.

There will then be a SFC membership business meeting at 5 PM, followed by a cocktail hour and dinner at 6:30. The after-dinner presenter will be Sean Taylor (FEMA), speaking on FEMA GRAS.Taylor will explain the history of the FEMA Expert Panel, outline the steps involved in the FEMA GRAS process, discuss the relationship of the Expert Panel to the flavor industry and to regulatory bodies, and highlight the future global challenges in safety assessment and approval for the flavor industry.

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