Bryan Quoc Le | Source | Founder & Principal Food Consultant at Mendocino Food Consulting
Bryan Quoc Le
Hi there! I'm Dr. Bryan Quoc Le, and I am a food scientist, food industry consultant, and author of the book, 150 Food Science Questions Answered (2020, Simon & Schuster). I earned my Ph.D. in Food Science from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, where I studied the biological effects of savory flavors from plant-based sources on mammalian cells.
I recently served as a Faculty Research Fellow (2023 - 2024) in the Department of Chemistry at Pacific Lutheran University, where I am researching ways to valorize food and agricultural waste into sustainable fermentation feedstocks for the alternative protein industry. I also serve as a startup mentor for CoMotion Labs at the University of Washington, a Domain Expert for Carbon13, and as a Research Scholar at the Ronin Institute for Independent Scholarship.
I founded and currently serve as the Principal Food Consultant for Mendocino Food Consulting. We have provided consulting to a number of food companies, including Blue Diamond Growers, Lactalis, Sosa Ingredients, Trinchero Family Estates, The Good Food Institute (GFI), Satoria Agro, TurtleTree, Black Sheep Foods, and others. I completed a two-year study on converting agricultural sidestreams into alternative proteins in partnership with GFI.
Our consulting work has been recently recognized and we are proudly the recipient of the 2024 Food Science Consulting Company of the Year and 2023 Food Science Consultant of the Year for the Global Vegan Awards, hosted by LUXlife Magazine.
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Mendocino Food Consulting (https://www.mendocinofoodconsulting.com)
Founder & Principal Food Consultant
started Aug 2020
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Why Are People Promoting Raw Milk?
Influencers are encouraging their followers to drink unpasteurized milk but experts say it's inviting bacterial infections —or worse.
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Mistakes Experts Say You Should Never Make With Soy Sauce - Mashed
Soy sauce is a great umami addition to your dishes, but it is easy to make mistakes when cooking with it. We've consulted the experts to get all the info.
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Does bottled water go bad? When it's safe to drink expired water and what to do with a contaminated bottle
Bottled water expiration dates can vary from a few months to years. Expired water is usually safe to drink, but can make you sick in rare cases.
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Climate Change Threatens US Food Supply: Expert Insights
Bryan warns that climate change will spread blights and pests, stressing crops like cocoa, coffee, and wine grapes. "Warmer temperatures and reduced precipitation threaten farming regions," he notes. Adaptation may involve shifting agriculture north and using synthetic biology for flavor production. The wine industry already faces challenges due to climate-induced changes. -
Understanding Food Intoxication: Expert Insights from Bryan Quoc Le
Bryan explains that food intoxication occurs from consuming food with toxic byproducts from microorganisms. "Common sources include Clostridium botulinum and E. coli." Symptoms like diarrhea and vomiting can be severe. To avoid intoxication, ensure proper food preparation and buy from reputable suppliers, especially for raw foods. -
Food Additives: Essential Yet Misunderstood Components in Modern Products
Bryan explains that preservatives and texture stabilizers are vital for preventing spoilage and maintaining product quality. He emphasizes that both "natural" and "synthetic" additives can be identical in purity. Despite consumer demand for cleaner labels, removing additives poses significant challenges. Innovative alternatives like rowanberry extract and mushroom compounds are being explored to address these needs.
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In reality, both Gounder and Le confirm that heating milk to pasteurize it doesn’t change its nutritional value. “There are no known scientifically valid benefits to drinking raw milk,” Le says. Most of the claims made about the supposed advantages of consuming unpasteurized milk come from a handful of inconclusive studies — many of which focus specifically on the so-called “farm effect” — which Le notes is still under investigation.
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"There are almost as many types of soy sauces as there are wines or vinegars," says food scientist Dr. Bryan Quoc Le. "Soy sauces are a very old condiment that has been around for thousands of years, and so the variations in them are extraordinary."
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"If the area experiences significant vehicle traffic, foot traffic, or wind, the snow could be contaminated with dust or dirt. Urban areas with heavily polluted air can produce contaminated snow," Bryan told BuzzFeed, "However, if the snow appears white and has not been disturbed, there are few short effects and it is unlikely to be contaminated with bacteria or pathogens."
