Brief Overview
Paul J. Whalen holds a doctorate in Food Science & Technology from the Univ. of Nebraska-Lincoln. He has a B.S. and M.S. in Microbiology – SDSU, Brookings, SD. Dr. Whalen has been in the food and processing area for over 20 years. Both his M.S. and Ph.D. were on biopolymer (starch and cellulose) conversion from grain sources. He worked in starch and grain processes designing, testing, and building conversion systems as a consultant. He worked in a wide area of cereal processes and products at General Mills, Inc. for 6 years. As a result of his breakthrough work in degree of cook, now adopted industry wide, he wrote and taught the internal Cook Technology course for RTE cereals and was considered the grain expert within GMI. He has been consulting as Whalen Consulting Inc. since 1994 in a broad range of cereal science applications.
Dr. Whalen consults for large Fortune 500 companies in the U.S. and abroad as well as for small companies on product development and processing. Clients include some of the largest food, snack, and ingredient companies in the U.S. and the world. Projects include overall technical and strategic assessments of cereal industry and technology, patent work, product development, troubleshooting systems and existing products, recommending production equipment and lines, aiding in procuring equipment and interfacing with suppliers, engineering firms and ingredient companies. He is internationally recognized for his work on cereal extrusion and work on the RVA (Rapid Visco Analyser). Dr. Whalen conducts industry seminars and workshops on the RVA and applications in food processes and products. He has written two chapters on Breakfast cereals and has over 25 other publications in cereals, biotechnology, processing, fermentation, nutrition, and health - with several (6) patents in cereal processes.
Other – Dr. Whalen is a native of western South Dakota, born and raise in the Black Hills in Rapid City. Having returned to the area in 2003, he partakes whenever possible in the numerous outdoor activities this alpine region offers. He is an avid game bird hunter, fly fisherman, hiker, swimmer, and, motorcyclist… all of which the Black Hills are famous for.
