We are honored to introduce Dr. Christophe Schmitt, group leader proteins with Nestlé Research Center, as a member of the advisory board for the Bridge2Food Plant-Based Foods & Proteins Ecosystem.
We spoke with Christophe about why he joined the EcoSystem and how it has helped Nestlé to move forward in the alternative protein space.
Why are you part of the advisory board?
I have been involved in the field of protein research and applications for more than 20 years at Nestlé. Joining the advisory board is a great opportunity to actively contribute to global strategy and to drive it to a successful set of projects and challenges.
What has the EcoSystem done for you?
In the past years, we have been able to interact with partners to work on some competitive projects. More importantly, I have been involved in a pre-competitive challenge on ingredient conformity with more than 18 partners. This allowed us to identify key criteria and methods that still need to be developed or validated to allow for optimum selection and use of the plant-protein ingredients.
Why is your organization a partner?
Ensuring sustainability of the food system is a key corporate objective for Nestlé. We want to be recognized as a major player in the use of plant-protein sources for developing delicious and nutritious innovative products.
What do you think the Plant-Based Foods & Proteins EcoSystem can do for others in the field?
The EcoSystem allows you to find the best partners and to identify the most relevant topics to invest in regardless of the size of your company and your domain of expertise, it is all there.
About Dr. Christophe Schmitt
Christophe is an expert scientist leading the proteins research group in the Department of Chemistry at Nestlé Research in Lausanne, Switzerland. He founded the Nestlé R&D Protein Knowledge Network in 2012 and has led it for 10 years. Christophe has a PhD degree in Biotechnology and Food Processing from Nancy University in France. His main corporate and research interests are related to identification and characterization of protein ingredients from animal and plant sources, mastering their processability and functionality using physical and biochemical tools for product innovation and finally understanding the physiological benefits in the finished goods (taste and nutrition.) He has published 80 reviews, research papers and book chapters in collaboration with several academic researchers worldwide. Christophe is co-inventor of 60 patent applications and has contributed to oral lectures at 50 international scientific conferences. He is a member of the American Chemical Society, division of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. He also serves on the editorial board of the Food Hydrocolloids journal and the advisory board of the Bridge2Food EcoSystem and Protein Summits.
About the EcoSystem
More than 300 industry leaders from 110+ organisations have partnered since 2019 in Bridge2Food‘s Plant-Based Foods & Proteins EcoSystem to accelerate the transition towards more plant-based diets, with better foods produced in a sustainable way, as well as to increase food security with an abundant supply of proteins for food, feed and pet food markets.
Innovation, research & development leaders from food brands, ingredient & processing companies, institutes, universities, grower associations and breeders collaborate on such a future with concrete actions, deliverables and outcomes. To be involved in the EcoSystem and to join our bimonthly meetings, you can connect here. To learn more about the EcoSystem, you can look at the website page or the LinkedIn Showcase page.
