Arla Foods Team Visit KTH for Knowledge Exchange on Sustainable Food Research
On October 3rd, KTH had the pleasure of hosting the Science and Innovation team from Arla Foods for a day filled with insightful discussions and knowledge exchange. The visit focused on critical areas such as sustainability, nutrition, and gut health, with members of the KTH FOOD faculty leading presentations and dialogues on cutting-edge food research.
The event started with a warm welcome and coffee session, followed by an introduction to the work of KTH FOOD by KTH FOOD’s director Professor Francisco Vilaplana. The morning featured a series of research presentations by KTH FOOD faculty. Francisco Vilaplana discussed the importance of circular food processes and addressing the ‘dietary fibre gap’, this is, how to introduce more dietary fibres in our food products. Christofer Lendel delivered a talk on protein fibrils and their role in creating new food structures and textures. Yuvarani Masarapu followed with a presentation on the impact of personalized nutrition on gut health.
Lauren McKee then presented her work on enzymes for food applications, offering insights into how enzymatic processes can drive innovation in food production. Rounding out the session, Mark Rutland discussed emulsions and interfacial science, explaining their application to food systems.
The team from Arla Foods then took the stage to share their research strategy. Laurent Le Bellego introduced Arla Science Department and "Big Bets," which emphasize key investments in food science for future growth. Mette Bakman, Signe Rydtoft, and Heidi Kildegaard presented Arla's capabilities in food physics, food chemistry, and life sciences, while Matias Via offered an overview of Arla’s “Superior Hybrids” program.
The session continued with an open discussion between KTH and Arla representatives, exploring opportunities for collaboration. The visit concluded with a networking lunch, allowing participants to further strengthen connections and discuss potential next steps. Looking forward, the teams from KTH and Arla expressed excitement about establishing a memorandum of understanding to catalyse future collaborations and the possibility of a follow-up visit to Arla’s facilities in Aarhus.