Keynote Speakers
Dennis Forte
Dennis Forte & Associates
Talk:
The Evolution of Extrusion Technology
Bio:
A Chemical Engineering graduate of the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT), Dennis Forte spent ten years with the MARS Corporation. During this time he was involved in both Process and Product Development roles within the areas of Confectionery, Canned Petfood and Dry Petfood Extrusion Technologies.
Dennis then spent five years with The Uncle Tobys Company as the Process Engineering Manager, where he was actively involved in the quantification and optimization of the various unit operations employed in the manufacture of Ready – To – Eat Breakfast Cereals and Snacks.
His key areas of expertise include Extrusion Processing, Process Modeling, Process Optimization and Drying Technology. He has published numerous Technical papers in various Journals and has authored four Text Books on Food Extrusion.
Dennis has been practicing as an independent Engineering Consultant to the food industry for more than 20 years, providing technical support, design expertise and training to a broad range of manufacturers throughout Australia, South-East Asia, Africa and Europe.
Azad Emin
Nexnoa
Talk:
Protein Texturization via Extrusion: Bridging the Past and Future
Bio:
After earning his PhD with highest honors (summa cum laude) in Food Process Engineering in 2013, Dr. Emin completed his habilitation in 2021, receiving the venia legendi in “Biopolymer Extrusion” from the Faculty of Process Engineering at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT).
As a research group leader, associate fellow, and Privatdozent at KIT, Dr. Emin has gained international recognition for his pioneering work, demonstrated by his extensive research projects and influential publications in food extrusion technology. In 2021, he was honored with a professorship offer in “Food Process Engineering” from the Technical University of Munich.
Embracing his vision for industry-driven innovation, Dr. Emin chose instead to establish nexnoa GmbH, where he continues to contribute to the future of food process engineering.
Karsten Schellhas
SchellhasFood
Talk:
Important Parameters for Producing Hybrid Products
Bio:
Karsten is a Technology Consultant to the Meat and Alternative Protein sector, with over 30 years of experience in meat processing operations and more recently in the past 5 years has experience aiding customers with the development of alternative protein products, particularly in in Canada, USA, and Europe. He is also a 4th-generation German Master Butcher and Sausage Maker, and European-Trained Chef.
Schellhas Food Technology Consultants is a small service-based company specializing in developing new value-added alternative protein products for meat companies small or large, and being a prime conduit for new process technologies and machinery.
Karsten works with CEO’s, VP’s, Owners, Operators & Marketing Personnel to help companies achieve:
- Manufacturing of value-added, quality meat, sausage, and alternative protein products
- Sales/Development of New Innovative Products
- Brand Development & Marketing
Jordan Pennells
CSIRO Food Program
Talk:
AI and Machine Learning in Extrusion Processes
Bio:
Jordan holds dual degrees in Science and Chemical Engineering from the University of Queensland (UQ). He completed his PhD at UQ in 2022 with a thesis entitled “Sorghum as a Novel Biomass for the Sustainable Production of Cellulose Nanofibres”, which explored the quality, sustainability, and statistical variability of biomass-based materials.
Jordan is currently a Postdoctoral Researcher in Food Engineering at CSIRO, where he focuses on understanding the complex material transformations that occur during twin-screw extrusion to produce a wide range of food products, including plant-based meat.
He is now leading the development of CSIRO’s Intelligent Extrusion Platform—a predictive, data-driven system designed to provide a deeper mechanistic understanding of the food extrusion process, optimise process efficiency, and improve product quality.