Meet Rahil Rahmah
“I really like the creativity aspect of food and just combining it with science. That’s what makes working in technical services so exciting.”
Degree: BSc Food Science & Nutrition, University of Leeds
Placement Role: Technical Services Placement Student
Company: Ingredion Incorporated
From Science Curiosity to Food and Flavour
Rahil Rahmah’s route into food science and ultimately into flavour-related work wasn’t a straight line. Growing up, she was always drawn to science, particularly biology and for a long time imagined following her father into geology. But everyday experiences with food gradually shifted her interests.
She began to notice how different foods made her feel – how eating fruit before activities felt different to eating highly processed snacks. Family conversations around sugar reduction and alternative sweeteners sparked early questions about taste: why doesn’t this sweetener taste like sugar, and how can it be used differently?
“That was the first time I really started thinking about why food tastes the way it does.”
As her education progressed, Rahil became interested in nutrition, initially aspiring to work in childhood or sports nutrition. However, studying overseas led her to the UK and to a joint degree in Food Science and Nutrition at the University of Leeds – a decision that opened the door to a more technical, creative side of food.
“I realised the food science side just came more naturally to me. There’s so much creativity involved when you’re designing or reformulating products.”
Discovering Food Science in Practice
Even before starting her placement, Rahil was already applying food science thinking in everyday life. Cooking traditional dishes for friends at university meant adapting recipes, reducing fats and substituting ingredients, often using spreadsheets to plan ratios and functionality.
“I never thought of it as work at the time, I was just trying to make food taste right.”
That mindset translated seamlessly into her placement year at Ingredion.
Finding Ingredion
Rahil found her placement through university careers emails, carefully reviewing each opportunity. Ingredion stood out immediately. The Technical Services role combined ingredient science with creativity – understanding how ingredients interact and how to reformulate products without compromising taste, texture or stability.
“It sounded exactly like something I would like – using science, but also being creative and solving problems.”
What Does a Technical Services Placement Student Do?
At Ingredion, Rahil supports customers using Ingredion’s texture and healthful solutions portfolios. While Ingredion does not develop finished products for customers, the Technical Services team plays a vital behind-the-scenes role in troubleshooting and optimisation.
A significant part of Rahil’s work focuses on flavour-related challenges, particularly through stevia – a natural, low-calorie sweetener that also functions as a flavour modifier.
Her work includes:
- Running trials to support sugar reduction while maintaining flavour impact
- Using stevia and flavour modifiers to mask off-notes, such as bitterness in protein-related flavours
- Enhancing flavour perception, for example boosting cocoa notes while reducing cocoa content for sustainability
- Screening different modifiers to identify which best enhances or balances a specific flavour profile
“I’ll be in the background running trials, figuring out how much to use and which modifier brings out the flavour best.”
She also works with functional starches, helping customers maintain texture, mouthfeel and stability when reformulating products for clean label or nutritional improvements.
No Such Thing as a Typical Day
Like many technical roles in the food industry, Rahil’s days are unpredictable. While the week may start with a plan, urgent customer issues often take priority.
“One minute it’s calm, and the next there’s an urgent sample because a customer can’t stop their production line.”
During quieter periods, Rahil works on internal product concepts designed to demonstrate Ingredion’s capabilities. One example was a low-sugar, low-calorie soda, fortified with fibre and designed to align with gut health trends – a project that combined formulation, flavour selection and functionality.
“It’s where I really get to be creative.”
What Rahil Enjoys Most
For Rahil, the most rewarding part of her role is seeing theory come to life.
“Everything I learned at university suddenly makes sense when you’re doing it hands-on.”
She particularly enjoys the dynamic nature of the role and the exposure to flavour decision-making – from selecting modifiers to understanding how small additions can dramatically change flavour perception.
Working in a supportive environment has also helped build her confidence.
“You realise you do know things and you can explain them.”
Skills You Don’t Learn in a Lecture Theatre
Rahil has gained skills that go far beyond technical knowledge, including:
- Presenting to customers and professionals
- Communicating confidently in technical discussions
- Managing priorities in a fast-paced, customer-driven environment
- Adapting quickly when plans change
“It’s one thing knowing theory, it’s another when you’ve practised it so much it becomes second nature.”
A Growing Interest in Flavour
Before her placement, Rahil had limited exposure to flavours as ingredients. Working at Ingredion has changed that.
“Seeing how powerful flavours are and how little you need really opened my eyes.”
Developing drinks and soda concepts has deepened her understanding of how flavours work together, how seasonal profiles differ and how technical and creative the process can be.
“I’m very open to working in flavours in the future. It’s technical, but also very creative.”
Advice for Students Interested in Flavour and Food Science
Rahil’s advice is simple: don’t give up.
“Keep applying. I got my placement quite late, so don’t panic if it hasn’t happened yet.”
She also encourages students to explore roles they may not initially recognise.
“Even if you’ve never heard of the job before, read into it – it could be your future career.”
Final Thoughts
Rahil sees food science as a unique blend of disciplines – chemistry, biology and physics, with flavour sitting naturally within that mix.
“Food science is creativity combined with science. And that’s what makes it exciting.”
Her placement year has shown how flavour can be shaped, modified and enhanced behind the scenes and how a career in flavours doesn’t have to start in a flavour house to end up there.
* Ingredion is not traditionally defined as a flavour house, but as a global ingredient solutions provider whose technical services support flavour modulation and sensory optimisation alongside texture and nutritional functionality.