Keynote Speaker
Introducing our 2024 keynote speaker, Dr. Wei Zhang!
Wei Zhang joined The Coca-Cola Company’s Analytical Science Team in July 2023 as a Sr. Engineer, focusing on packaging physical performance assessment and sustainable packaging material characterization. She gained her bachelor’s degree in Ceramic Engineering at Yanshan University, then got her PhD degree in Chemical and Environmental Engineering at The University of Toledo. Before joining Coca-Cola, she worked for PTI for 8 years as a packaging sustainability manager and led numerous projects on bioplastic, chemical and mechanical recycled plastic evaluation. Wei is also actively involved in recyclability evaluation for the plastic industry. She used to work with 10+ brand owners to help achieve their recyclability commitment. She has been a technical committee member of APR’s (Association of Plastic Recyclers (APR) on all three plastic packaging committees and has contributed to drafting many recyclability testing protocols. Wei is passionate about sustainability and can’t wait to share her area of interest with you!
Wei’s keynote presentation at our upcoming 2024 annual meeting is titled:
Recyclability and Recycled Content: Take a Glance of the Ouroboros of Plastic Packaging. This presentation will talk about plastic recycling in North America- What does recyclable mean, what technical challenges the plastic industry is facing, what impacts recycled plastic quality, and what The Coca-Cola Company has done to improve recyclability and incorporate more and more recycled content into our packages
We are so excited to announce Dr. Bhakti Petigara will be returning as a presenter in our Chemistry Session!
Bhakti has been with the FDA’s Office of Cosmetics and Colors (OCAC) in CFSAN as a research chemist since 2000. Her current responsibilities include research and methods development for color additives and other components using various analytical methods for the agency’s color certification program. She also is a technical expert and troubleshooter to support the FDA district laboratories in regulatory actions concerning the analysis of atypical samples of food, drugs and cosmetics containing organic color additives. In addition, Bhakti performs chemistry reviews of data establishing chemical identity, composition, stability, and manufacture of color additives submitted in support of color additive petitions. Bhakti earned her B.S. in Chemistry from Franklin and Marshall College in Lancaster, PA. She earned her Ph.D. in Chemistry from University of Maryland in College Park, MD.
At our upcoming 2024 annual meeting, Bhakti will present on the topic of food fraud in saffron!
We are very excited to share that Dr. Prashant Singh will be returning as a presenter in our Microbiology Session this year!
Dr. Singh received his Ph.D. in Food Science from the University of Missouri-Columbia. Then, in 2015, he worked as a post-doctoral research associate at the University of Georgia-Griffin. In 2017, he joined the Department of Health, Nutrition and Food Sciences at Florida State University. His research at FSU is focused on developing rapid diagnostic methods and workflows. Ongoing research in his laboratory is focused on the development of digital PCR assays for the quantification of Salmonella, methods for the specific detection of virulent Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli strains, and onsite methods for the authentication of seafood specimens.
At our upcoming 2024 annual meeting, Dr. Singh will be presenting on the Development and Evaluation of a Partition-based Digital PCR Assay for the Estimation of Salmonella Load in Poultry Rinse Samples.
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