The first time Renee Kirtman visited the Avure Test Kitchen, she was treated to a smoothie from the industrial-sized refrigerator in the corner of the room. She said the smoothie tasted fresh and fruity, as if it had just been made, but there were no banana peels, strawberry husks or dirty blenders anywhere in site. Curious, Renee asked when the smoothie had been made. About six months ago, was the reply. But through the magic of high pressure processing, it tasted like it had just been poured.
Renee knew she was hooked on HPP.
“The more I learned about HPP, the more I wanted to work with it,” Renee says. It’s such an exciting technology that will only gain in popularity, especially as companies are ditching the additives and preservatives and developing products with cleaner labels. HPP is a wonderful way to extend shelf life without adding chemicals.”
“This is a group of real problem solvers!”
No stranger to food science, Renee graduated from Northern Kentucky University with a Bachelor’s of Science in Biology, specializing in microbiology. With stints at Givaudan and Wild Flavors, Renee started working at Avure in early 2017.
“This has been a busy year in the Avure Food Lab,” Renee says. “I’ve recently had the opportunity to do some exciting work with dairy including yogurt and cheese. I’m also doing some testing on Ready-To-Eat (RTE) products, so that’s been interesting, too. Every week it seems like we’re into some new and exciting recipe or product.”
And Renee enjoys working with the other food scientists on the Avure Food Lab Team.
“This is a group of real problem solvers,” Renee says. “Everyone is always eager to help customers overcome any difficulty they’re having with a product or recipe. And often, Errol (Senior VP of HPP Science and Technology, Dr. Errol Raghubeer) can troubleshoot problems before they even arise, based on his years of experience in the industry.”
When she’s not testing recipes in the Food Lab, Renee enjoys reading, jogging and being a bit of a foodie…almost a requirement for a food scientist!
