Food Technology Evolves, 3 Questions for Marie Wright, and More

COMMUNITY

Food Technology evolves—in print and online

Professional audiences increasingly want science-based information on demand, across devices, and in a variety of storytelling formats that fit the moment—quick explainers when speed matters and deeper reading when context matters most, and rich multimedia that brings it all to life. In response, Food Technology is evolving to publish six times per year starting with the January/February 2026 edition. This November issue is the last monthly; after a December pause, we will resume on an every-other-month schedule in January.

What will not change is our award-winning original editorial and analysis. Long-form, evidence-driven features remain our top priority—reporting and writing you can trust and share with colleagues. What expands is how (and how often) you will hear from us between print issues: more timely digital coverage with explainers, data visuals, Q&As, photo essays, and integrated audio and video.

We are also tightening connections across our ecosystem so insights travel farther, faster—Omnivore and SciDish podcast segments that extend coverage; curated Food News Now newsletters that surface what is urgent; and insightful and thought-provoking blogs, webinars, and event reporting that bring expert voices directly to you. This evolution reflects IFT’s digital-first priorities and our commitment to deliver trusted, science-based information in the formats professionals use most.

Next up this spring: a redesigned website with intuitive navigation, stronger search, richer multimedia, and curated topic hubs—built to help you find the right perspective quickly on mobile, tablet, or desktop.

Bottom line: we are aligning delivery with how you work today. What formats help you most? Which topics should we tackle next? Share your feedback—we are listening and building for it.

AGRICULTURE

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New analytical device identifies GM crop traits

A team at Purdue University has developed a portable, paper-based biosensor for identifying genetically modified (GM) corn and soybeans. The new tool is fast and more cost-effective than currently available methods, according to the Purdue researchers. It’s based on loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) technology.

“Farmers can use it whenever they need it,” said Bilal Ahmed, a postdoctoral research associate in agricultural and biological engineering at Purdue, who was quoted in a news article on the Purdue website.

Ahmed, Purdue Associate Professor of Agricultural and Biological Engineering Mohit Verma, and four coauthors from Purdue and the Bayer Crop Science Division reported on the new device in the November issue of the journal Biosensors and Bioelectronics. The research was funded by Bayer Crop Science U.S.

“This study was the first demonstration from our lab on the use of the biosensors on plant material,” Verma noted in the Purdue news article. The Purdue Innovates Office of Technology Commercialization has applied for a patent on the technology, which has been licensed to Krishi Inc., a company that specializes in molecular diagnostics with applications in agriculture and animal health.

One of the advantages of the Purdue-developed biosensor is the fact that it requires only a very small amount of plant leaf extract to check for GM traits. Other methods that rely on polymerase chain reaction, which is considered “the gold standard in molecular biology,” rely upon the use of a highly purified form of DNA extracted from the leaf and require costly equipment, Ahmed said. With the LAMP method, “there’s no need to harvest or purify DNA from leaf tissue,” Ahmed added.

This is not the first collaboration for Ahmed and Verma. They previously teamed up to develop a biosensor platform for fecal bacteria detection on produce farms.

RESEARCH

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Consumers balk at plant-based cheese flavor, texture

Sales of plant-based cheese haven’t taken off in the same way that sales of plant-based milk have. A group of researchers at North Carolina State University explored some of the reasons why. Specifically, their research focused on purchase motivations, consumer acceptance, and areas of potential improvements for plant-based analogs of cheddar and mozzarella cheese.

The research project included an online survey and consumer taste testing with both kinds of plant-based cheese. In a recent Journal of Food Science article, the authors summarized their findings like this: “Two major pain points remain for the plant-based cheese market: flavor and texture.”

Flavor, texture, ingredients, and protein content are the most important plant-based cheese purchase drivers, and a short ingredient list is preferred. Plant-based cheese scored points for being sustainable, ethical, and healthful in the eyes of study participants.

The majority of study participants said plant-based cheese should have an appealing taste, but it does not have to mimic the taste of dairy cheese. Participants believed that both dairy and plant-based cheeses were equally nutritious despite the fact that most plant-based cheeses contain less protein and calcium compared with their dairy-based counterparts.

The plant-based cheese category has market potential given that dairy-based cheese has a 97% U.S. household market penetration, but sensory profile barriers must be overcome, according to the study authors.

ENVIRONMENT

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Ocean warming expected to impact lobster health

Warming water in the Gulf of Maine may negatively impact the U.S. lobster industry in coming decades, research by scientists at William & Mary’s Batten School and the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) suggests. The Gulf of Maine is warming faster than 99% of the Earth’s ocean surfaces, according to the Gulf of Maine Research Institute.

VIMS Associate Professor Emily Rivest designed an experimental facility in which egg-bearing lobsters were exposed to water conditions and pH conditions that duplicated those anticipated for the Gulf of Maine in 2060. The study’s findings were published recently in the Marine Ecology Progress Series journal.

The research team tested four combinations of water temperature and acidity. The lobster embryos were able to withstand increased ocean water acidification, the research project found, but the warmer temperatures triggered a stress response, which resulted in smaller lobster larvae.

“Our experiment was unique in that we were able to study the animals over a period of five months to determine how treatment effects accumulated over multiple life stages,” Rivest noted in a press release. “We measured overall development, metabolic rate, biochemical composition, and enzyme activity and found the embryos tolerated increased acidification quite well, but they were much more sensitive to heat.”

“American lobsters are dynamic creatures that have been shown to tolerate highly variable conditions as they move from coastal waters to the deeper ocean,” the study’s lead author Brittany Jellison, who was a postdoctoral scholar at the Batten School and VIMS, said in the press release. “However, as we observe rising ocean temperatures, increased acidification, and more frequent marine heat waves, it’s important to understand how future environmental changes might impact this economically and culturally important species.”

Water temperature in the Gulf of Maine is expected to increase by 4°C by 2060. The Gulf of Maine is warming particularly fast, according to experts, as a result of a shift in the interplay between two major ocean currents in the area triggered by climate change along with the geology of the Gulf of Maine, which has a deep center but shallow boundaries.

COMMUNITY

3 Questions for Marie Wright

Longtime IFT member Marie Wright is embarking on a new career phase as cofounder of consultancy Mystic Flavours. She retired at the end of September from her role as president, creation, design & development and chief global flavorist at ADM. In that capacity, Wright led a team of 120 scientists working in human and animal nutrition. During her career, she has formulated innovative flavors across a broad array of food and beverage categories, ranging from plant-based foods to pet chews.

She has been recognized for her accomplishments with honors including the Women Worth Watching in STEM Award, the Women in Flavor & Fragrance Commerce Flavorist Recognition Award, and the 2023 Bill Littlejohn Award from the British Society of Flavourists.

Here are her responses to the three questions Food Technology posed.

1) What is one career moment you’ll never forget?

I have two very distinct moments. First, being given the opportunity to participate in ADM’s Investor Day. I was almost incredulous, thinking about where I started in my career, to then be representing the technical capability of ADM, a Fortune 500 company. It will always remain an honor to have done this.

And second, creating a global Flavor Trainee Academy, through which 30 flavorists have been trained. To play a role in launching someone’s career is truly an honor.

2) What is the biggest change you’ve witnessed over the span of your career?

When I started in the flavor industry, it was a period of discovery, and the industry was driven by unveiling the science of flavor. I think that’s what hooked me in. Companies were small, many family-run, and so it had a very different feel from the large corporations of today.

3) What are you looking forward to most?

At ADM, I was lucky to lead across many product lines and categories. My heart and DNA have always been with flavor and fragrance, and I now have the chance to express my entrepreneurial skills in the flavor industry.

Remembering Suzanne Nielsen

Suzanne Nielsen, former head of the Purdue University Department of Food Science and an active IFT volunteer leader with decades of service to the organization, passed away on Oct. 1. Nielsen was an IFT Fellow and the recipient of the 2002 William V. Cruess Award for excellence in teaching food science. She was also honored with the 2017 Carl R. Fellers Award for her dedication to IFT and Phi Tau Sigma. At Purdue, her passionate commitment to her students was recognized with numerous teaching awards.

Nielsen joined the Purdue faculty in 1982, one of the first to be hired in the newly created Department of Food Science. Over the course of her celebrated career, she advanced food science research, mentored graduate students, and created an international internship program that brought students from a Honduran university, the Zamorano Pan-American Agricultural School, to Purdue.ft