HIPPO FOOD CONSULTING

Elena Cristea, PhD – Food and Flavour Consultant
I am a multilingual food scientist, inventor, and flavour creator and offer consultancy services to companies and individuals working or interested in food technology.
Innovative, organized, effective under pressure, and able to meet challenging targets. Excellent idea generator, able to think outside the box, resolve problems, and formulate creative solutions to technical problems and not only.
I can help you create effective systems, solutions, concepts, or strategies for growth and resilience.

Services

I am dedicated to support you

Product development and scale up

Taking your product from idea to launch. 
I will work with you to develop, test, and scale your product from concept to commercialization. I offer a wide range of services, including supplier identification, raw material sourcing, product formulation, prototyping, sensory testing, shelf-life studies, and packaging design.
I understand that bringing a new product to market can be a complex and challenging process. That’s why I am committed to providing you with the support and guidance you need to succeed.

HACCP, BRC, and ISO. Quality assurance and control

Design and implementation of the latest quality systems. Taylor your unique ways to maintain and improve product quality. From testing methods to systems and laboratory design.

Technical expertise

Developing procedures, process schemes, SOPs, manuals. Laboratory design, equipment, and quality in analytical services. 
I will ensure that every aspect of your laboratory is fully documented, from the equipment and systems used to the layout and design. This not only ensures compliance with regulations and standards, but also makes it easier for you to operate and maintain your laboratory in the long run.

Sensory expertise

Method design and training of personnel. 
Are you looking to take your sensory skills to the next level? Let my sensory training service help you sharpen your senses and improve your ability to taste, smell, and evaluate food and beverages.
I will guide you through a variety of exercises and training sessions designed to improve your sensory acuity and analytical skills. I will help you identify and describe different flavour and aroma profiles, and teach you how to evaluate the quality of food and beverages based on sensory attributes.

Menu development

From dish selection and menu design to ingredients, equipment and kitchen design.
I understand that your menu is the heart of your restaurant, and I am committed to helping you create a menu that reflects your unique style and vision. Whether you’re looking to update your existing menu or create a new one from scratch, I am here to help.

Nutritional value calculation and determination

Whether you need laboratory analysis or calculation, I can help you determine the data needed on the label and technical papers.

Scientific research

From literature review to experimental design, I can help you draft the optimal research plan, design the experiments, analyze the data, summarize, and select only the relevant conclusions. I believe that science should delight the senses.

My Story

I am an internationally experienced science and innovation consultant with over a decade of industry leadership in flavour technology, winemaking, sensory science, quality assurance, and new product development. I am a named co-author on multiple patents and an author to over 20 scientific publications spanning R&D strategy, clean-label innovation, and cross-functional scale-up methods.

Over the past 15 years in innovation and new product development, I have contributed to the creation of more than 50 successful food products, including colour solutions, flavour systems, smoke flavour carriers, umami and savoury enhancers, and grill & BBQ flavours. Several of these products incorporate patented technologies and are now sold by major retailers such as Tesco and Marks & Spencer.

My expertise includes working with yeast and mushroom proteins, smoke and grill flavour systems, and employing enzymatic and Maillard reactions to create appealing taste profiles. I specialize in blending tradition with innovation to develop unique and commercially viable products. I also have experience establishing sensory testing and quality control protocols, upscaling production processes, and training sensory panels.

I hold a PhD in Technical Sciences, an MSc in Food Science, Technology and Nutrition, and a professional master degree in Restaurant and Catering Management. These academic achievements support a solid skill set across food technology, product development, sensory and physicochemical analysis, quality assurance, marketing, and food policy.

Having lived and worked in several countries, I’ve gained valuable insights into diverse food industries and cultures. Collaborating with professionals from around the world has not only broadened my expertise but also enriched my personal and professional outlook.

Experience

Science and NPD Manager (Scientist, Technician)

Besmoke Ltd – Research methods of smoke filtration and removal of carcinogens
Developing and implementing methods for quality assessment of smoked foods
New product development and flavour creation. Scale-up. Sensory testing. Member of the HACCP team. Laboratory management.

Coordinating Engineer

TUM, Department of Scientific Research – Research project “Substitution of synthetic food additives with bioactive components extracted from natural renewable resources”

Visiting Research Scholar

Department of Biochemistry, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine, Iasi, Romania – Research on the stability of antioxidant activity and colour of berry and grape marc extracts

Visiting Research Scholar

Department of Food and Nutritional Sciences, University of Reading, Reading, United Kingdom – Encapsulation of polyphenols from grape marc extracts
Extraction of polyphenols from berries and grape marc using colloidal gas aphrons

Project Coordinator – CEED II, USAID

Chisinau, Moldova
Organized 12 masterclasses for the Wine Scool
Coordinated a team which included presenters, sommelier-volunteers, wine companies, journalists and bloggers.
Successful organisation 12 masterclasses, attended by ca 500 participants.

Blog

Contact me!

Get in touch for any kind of help and information

Our head office address:

Sturges Road, Bognor Regis, West Sussex, PO21 2AH, UK

Call for help:

+44 (0) 777 00 22 88 4

Mail us for information:

info@foodconsulting.tech

We’re glad to discuss with You. So please contact us via the details below, or enter your request.