April 1/Philadelphia/Press Release -- Ottens Flavors appointed Negin Sharafbafi as senior food technologist on the company’s innovation team. She will report to David Thomson, technical director for Ottens.

Prior to joining Ottens, Sharafbafi worked in research at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, an organization that provides information, research and technology to help achieve an environmentally sustainable and innovative agricultural sector. She also served as an instructor and conducted research as part of the Sensory Team at the Guelph Food Technology Center in Guelph, Ontario, Canada.  Sharafbafi began her career at Coca-Cola in Tehran.  She has spoken at numerous scientific meetings and published research in the area of mouthfeel and fiber in dairy products.

“Negin brings Ottens a wealth of research experience and an enthusiasm for understanding the function of flavor and flavor delivery in product applications,” said Thomson. “She will be a great asset to our ongoing efforts to create innovative and novel flavors and delivery processes.”

Sharafbafi received a bachelor’s degree in food science and technology from the University of Kazeroon, Iran and a doctorate and master’s degree in food science from the University of Guelph in Ontario, Canada