Dana Abarca

Founded and scaled a spice business to achieve 25% annual revenue growth. Implemented the company's strategic plans to ensure growth, maintaining a keen awareness of market trends to capitalize on opportunities and mitigate challenges. Developed and commercialized blend formulations with functional ingredients for customers in all food industries. Oversaw sourcing, manufacturing, distribution, and financial performance, ensuring product quality, sustainability, and fair-trade practices. Led expansion into new markets Drove the introduction of innovative and diverse spice blends. Supervised over 33 undergraduate students from universities for their semester internship, fostering a culture of continuous learning and innovation.

Developed and commercialized over 900+ unique spice blend formulations for customers in the food, meat, and beverage industries, helping them to create innovative and flavorful products. Developed and implemented a comprehensive HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points) program for the company to ensure the safety of food products and minimize the risk of foodborne illness. Oversaw Kosher program for the company.

Involved in laboratory research aimed at formulating a novel enzyme-based treatment for celiac sprue, offering a potentially safe and effective alternative to gluten-free diets for affected patients. Led a team in the fed-batch bacterial fermentation and purification of prolyl endopeptidases for clinical trials in Belfast, UK, demonstrating expertise in both upstream and downstream bioprocessing. Data analysis and documentation of purified protein batches to ensure quality and compliance, providing valuable insights for process improvement. Trained new lab personnel on fermentation techniques

Team leader, coordinating project development efforts and collaboration with five agricultural corporations Designed and developed manufacturing processes for extruder for new food products (cereals, crackers, biscuits, and “flat-bread”) using grain, corn, and potatoes Generated finished documentation for final product details (manufacturing, cost analysis, process description, biochemical analysis)

Analyzed food products ( dairy products, alcoholic beverages, and cereal items, assessing factors such as fat percentage, acidity, ash content, water levels, and alcohol content) for over ten million people in the City of Prague and the Czech Republic (Quality Control) Responsible for quality control of factories/laboratories in accordance with state law

Thesis: Nutritional evaluation of special cereal products for people with Celiac disease

BTEC-150 Biotechnology Instrumentation - Fall 2023 BTEC-220 Cell Culture/Protein Recover - Spring 2024 BIOL-310 Nutrition - Spring 2024