Alicia A PerdonAlicia Antonio Perdon is a cereal scientist with more than 25 years of experience in the breakfast cereal industry. Dr. Perdon started her career in research at the International Rice Research Institute where she authored more than a dozen papers on ice functionality and biochemistry. While working on her graduate degree, she established the Rice Processing Laboratory at the University of Arkansas. It was at the university where she integrated the food polymer/glass transition concept to understand and improve rice drying/fissuring and co-authored several papers. Working for Kellogg Company and General Mills, Dr. Perdon applied her food material science, sugar crystallization and cereal chemistry expertise to optimize food development and manufacturing processes with a focus on process efficiency and cost reduction while maintaining product quality. Her research resulted in several patents on cereal coating and bran nutritional property improvement. At Kellogg's, she established a farm to fork global program on rice that included breeding, adoption of sustainable agronomic practices and training on post-harvest processing to reduce waste and improve product quality. Dr. Perdon was a Chairperson and Board of Trustee member for Asia Rice Foundation USA from 2008-16 and the Newsletter Editor for AOCS Food Structure and Functionality Forum from 2006-09. She was a member of the International Food Technologists and American Association of Cereal Chemists for several years. Read More Read Less