Episode 18: Meet the Team

PMCA Research Chair Eric Schmoyer, Barry Callebaut USA sits down virtually with Allison Brown, Pennsylvania State University and Nigel Sanders, Smart Confectionery Solutions, Inc. both members of the PMCA Research Committee to discuss what the committee is all about, their take on research and how it benefits the confectionery industry.

Allison is completing the final year of her PhD degree at the Pennsylvania State University where she studies a dual-title degree in Food Science and International Agriculture and Development. With her PhD research, she continues to study chocolate along the entire cocoa to chocolate supply chain. The international development portion of her work focuses on understanding the impact of an in-country sensory panel on Honduran cocoa quality. The bulk of her research uses sensory and chemical analysis to characterize the flavor, taste and mouthfeel sensations of cocoa liquor resulting from different Theobroma cacao cultivars. She joined the Research Committee in early 2021 as a student member of PMCA.

Nigel Sanders has worked in the chocolate industry all his working life. He joined Cadbury Schweppes plc. in 1972 as a Laboratory Assistant and completed an honors degree course in Chemistry, at Bristol Polytechnic.  Over a period of years, he worked in various factory technical management roles before transferring to Cadbury’s central research division. Working in new technology assessment for a while, led to undertaking fundamental research on the physical chemistry of all things chocolate. He applied his skills to novel chocolate process technologies until 1998, when he took a position at Cadbury Canada in Toronto. He is proud to have put his creativity to good use and is the named inventor on about a dozen patents. In 2008, he set up a confectionery consultancy business in Toronto, Smart Confectionery Solutions Inc. and he is now semi-retired. His life revolves around his family, his dog, chocolate, Liverpool football club, photography, chocolate and travel (if ,only!), and did he mention, chocolate! He has been an active member of PMCA for nearly 20 years.