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Home » Authors » Olivia Conrad

Olivia Conrad

Olivia Conrad is a product development scientist and freelance science writer in Boulder, CO, with a degree in Food Science from the University of Maine. She has extensive experience in natural foods product development in categories ranging from frozen desserts to meat snacks. She also is an expert in food safety with a strong working knowledge of FSMA and HACCP principles. She may be contacted at oconrad2013@gmail.com or through this magazine.

Articles

ARTICLES

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Formulating with Color in Confectionery Applications

Ensuring high pigment concentration from the starting material begins with precise cultivation techniques
Olivia Conrad
February 22, 2023

Unique color applications in confections are also popular today, such as the use of saturated pastels, and combining multiple colors and textures in a single format. Developers face several hurdles when formulating with natural colors in confections, and color manufacturers and suppliers are constantly innovating to develop more effective and stable natural colors.


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Trends in Natural Red Colors for Food Product Development

The rapid transition to natural sources of food colors had many color makers seeing red...in a good way
Olivia Conrad
August 31, 2022

When food color innovation turned decisively toward nature for its sources of desirable pigments, food color technologists worked overtime to develop cost-effective, clean-label colors. Some shades proved an extra challenge, with stability and fixing being major trouble spots. Red colors figured largely in that task.


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Leveraging Food Coatings to Integrate Health Attributes

Texture is one of the four compass points—along with flavor, appearance, and aroma—that determine the success of a food product
Olivia Conrad
August 24, 2022

A coating uniquely embodies all the key traits in a finished food product—texture, appearance, flavor, and even, in most cases, aroma. With the increased demand for clean-label nutritious foods, developers are leveraging food coatings as a way to take those attributes and build healthfulness into texture in products designed to meet such requirements.


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Naturally Colored Snack Chips

Bright, Natural Colors for Snacks Attract and Deliver on Novelty, Nostalgia, and Clean Label

In 2022 and beyond, food brands and product developers will need to create sweet and salty snacks with vibrant colors and cleaner ingredient lines
Olivia Conrad
July 27, 2022

When it comes to formulating sweet and salty snacks, a huge challenge is that of matching the vibrancy, versatility, and stability of synthetic food colorants. “The sensitivity of natural compounds to various stressors within the system causes them to be difficult to depend on and use effectively,” explains Ryan Erwin, food chemist and Innovation Manager for Fresca Foods, Inc.


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2022 PREDICTIONS | COLORINGS

Developers, Manufacturers Expect Continued Demand for Natural Color Additives

Developers leverage color-carrying raw ingredients to create cleaner lines and an improved perception of health
Olivia Conrad
December 16, 2021

In the world of food colorants, the anti-artificial trend governs the space today, with natural colors appearing in about 75% of new food product launches. Consumers still use their eyes to choose foods, but they want the ingredients, including (and sometimes especially) any colors, to be derived from biological sources, such as fruits, vegetables, flowers, and other botanicals. 


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Innovation in the Dairy Alternatives Retail Space is Booming

The rise in consumer demand for dairy-free products has challenged developers to mimic the unique functions of the casein, whey, lactose, and fat found in animal milk
Olivia Conrad
October 29, 2021

Since “dairy-free dairy” must deliver on a range of consumer needs, consumers who seek dairy alternatives due to an allergy or lactose sensitivity may want dairy alternatives that have comparable nutritional profiles to a dairy counterpart.


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Natural Brown, Sepia, and Dark Gold Food Colorants Show New Possibilities for Product Developers

Caramel colors account for approximately 80% of all color additives used in foods and beverages
Olivia Conrad
July 27, 2021
Caramel colors are among the oldest food colorings, used in the food industry to impart an appealing appearance to food products since the 1800s. Today, caramel colors account for approximately 80% of all color additives used in foods and beverages, appearing in products such as, spirits, sauces, baked goods, processed meats, and even pet foods.
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Events

June 20, 2023

Beef Up Plant-Based Proteins For Tasty Meat Substitutes

This exclusive webinar outlines the use of a specialty enzyme that increases the umami of plant-based protein within the fibrous meat texture of texturized plant proteins. This “must-see” webinar will graphically demonstrate how this is accomplished with hard data including meat analog graphs, sample analyses, and sensory profiles.

June 27, 2023

Turn Insight Into Innovation: Clean Label Formulating for Today’s Evolving Consumer

Consumers continue to evolve when it comes to their expectations and choices with “clean label” food selections. Webinar panelists will discuss trends and technical solutions—for both today and tomorrow—involving clean label, plant-based, and processed foods and beverages.

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