SaltLife scientist wins prestigious award

Kirsten Kastberg Moeller, development scientist at Chr Hansen, has won the Dutch Pieter Walstra Award which acknowledges her ‘outstanding scientific publication related to dairy science’. Moeller was handed the award for her PhD thesis on ‘Salt reduction in Cheddar cheese: Exploring the potential of lactic acid bacteria and coagulants in restoring flavour and texture.’

The thesis was chosen as the best international scientific publication on dairy research, and the jury praised the way the Danish researcher demonstrates scientific depth with practical applicability and relevance to society. Her research has been published in six scientific journals.

“This is indeed a wonderful recognition, but also a bit overwhelming with all the attention after having worked so hard all by myself writing my thesis,” says Kirsten Kastberg Moeller, who received the award in Holland in mid-April. Only in November 2013 the product developed on her research, SaltLite, received the Dairy Innovation of the Year Excellence Award at Food Ingredients Europe.

In her PhD work, Kastberg Moeller explored the potential of adapting the existing cheese-making technology, by modifying process parameters and extending the functionalities of added lactic acid bacteria and coagulant, to improve the flavor and texture of Cheddar cheese with up to 50% reduced salt level.