Advances in Food & Beverage Testing 2025

Johnathan Raineau is the President of Copperprotek USA, leading a dedicated team transforming packaging technology through the antimicrobial properties of copper. Copperprotek’s pioneering biotechnology seamlessly incorporates copper microparticles into food packaging, prolonging shelf life and enhancing food safety. Its application has effectively extended the freshness of fresh beef, pork, and processed meats by 30 days, offering food companies a major logistical advantage and greater safety for consumers. With over a decade of advancement, Copperprotek achieved FDA approval in 2024, confirming its reliability and efficacy in food contact applications for meat products. Now, under Johnathan’s leadership, the company is introducing its technology across North America, delivering a trusted solution to strengthen food safety and curb waste. By collaborating with food producers, retailers, and packaging manufacturers, Copperprotek seeks to set new benchmarks in the industry, reducing spoilage, maintaining freshness, and ensuring food reaches consumers in optimal condition. A graduate of Johnson & Wales University, Johnathan began his career in business development before assuming a leadership role in his family’s enterprise. Since becoming Managing Director in 2017, he has been recognized for his accessible leadership style, hands-on approach, and ability to cultivate strategic partnerships that drive expansion. Beyond his professional achievements, he is deeply engaged in community service, actively supporting underprivileged students and young families through the Rotary Club and the Ludovic James Organization, a non-profit he founded to finance initiatives that uplift communities in need.

35 years in LIMS with LabVantage. 20 years leading global technical sales support and the last 15 helping new and existing LabVantage customer get the most out of their LV LIMS solutions. I now focus on a set of strategic clients.

Neil has worked for Waters Corporation since 1994 and has held a variety of positions including Technical Support Specialist, Technical Trainer, Manager Customer Education and currently, Principal Marketing Manager focusing on Informatics solutions. He provides internal support for Empower Chromatography Data System and is focused on developing laboratory software solutions that help organizations achieve their scientific and operational objectives. Prior to joining Waters, he was an analytical chemist where he gained experience in both the cosmetics and specialty chemical industries.

Biography: Dr. Aidan Harrison is a Senior Application Support Specialist at SCIEX, where he leads the development and delivery of LC-MS solutions tailored to the food and environmental testing sectors. With a PhD in Organic Chemistry and over a decade of experience in analytical science, Aidan has become a key contributor to SCIEX’s application support strategy—driving product demonstrations, customer training, and workflow optimization for the detection of PFAS, mycotoxins, marine toxins, pesticides, and other contaminants. He has authored technical marketing materials, presented at major industry events such as SETAC 2023 and 2025, and plays a central role in enhancing SCIEX’s demo processes and customer engagement across EMEAI markets. His work bridges scientific rigor with practical application, helping laboratories achieve greater efficiency and compliance in food safety testing.

Saskia van Ruth is a full professor of Food Supply Chain Integrity at University College Dublin's School of Agriculture and Food Science. She specialises in food fraud prevention and innovative authentication technologies. After earning a PhD in food chemistry from Wageningen University in the Netherlands, she spent nine years in flavour science, working in both industry and academia. She was affiliated with University College Cork in Ireland for seven years before returning to the Netherlands in 2005 to lead the Food Authenticity and Nutrients group at RIKILT Wageningen University & Research. She became a professor in Food Authenticity at Wageningen University in 2012 and Queen’s University Belfast in 2018 while continuing part-time at RIKILT. In 2023, she joined University College Dublin. Prof. van Ruth has collaborated with diverse stakeholders, including regulatory bodies, food industry players, farmers, and technology providers. She has authored over 350 scientific publications, contributed to 30+ teaching modules, and supervised over 170 theses.

Ivan Aloisi is a Scientist at Wageningen Food Safety Research (WFSR) with a background in pharmaceutical chemistry and a PhD in chemical science, during which he explored different multidimensional chromatography strategies for the characterisation of food matrices and for the detection of food toxicants. His research at WFSR is mainly focused on the development of analytical methods for the analysis of residues and contaminants content in complex matrices, as well as for the detection of impurities and co-formulants in pesticide formulations, using both liquid and gas chromatography coupled with low and high-resolution mass spectrometry.

Aimei Zou is a Solution Scientist at Global Solution Development Center, Agilent Technologies. She earned her PhD in Analytical Chemistry in 2008 and brings over 16 years of extensive experience in method development across various industries, including food, environmental, and advanced materials. Her expertise spans a wide range of technologies, from atomic spectroscopy to mass spectrometry. Aimei has successfully developed PFAS dMRM Database and created numerous PFAS applications for wastewater, semiconductor materials, seafood, food contact, and packaging materials.

Michael Appell received a B.S. in Biochemistry from the University of Illinois at Chicago and a Ph.D. in Medicinal Chemistry from the College of Pharmacy at the University of Illinois. He then did postdoctoral research in molecular pharmacology at the University of Illinois College of Medicine. Dr. Appell has two decades of experience solving food quality and security problems using analytical sciences, nanotechnology, AI, and quantum-based cheminformatics. Dr. Appell is an American Chemical Society Fellow and a Fellow of the ACS Division of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.