Ilenys Perez-Diaz
Puerto Rico | Food Fermentation
Ilenys Pérez-Díaz is a global leader in sustainable food innovation, specializing in microbiome-driven fermentation technologies to reduce vegetable waste. Over the past 20 years, she has developed and scaled low- and no-salt fermentation systems, including the first commercially viable salt-free cucumber fermentation process. Her work has produced a bank of health-promoting microbes that enhance the nutritional value and shelf life of fermented vegetables. Collaborating with scientists and manufacturers in over 14 countries, she advances environmentally sustainable and resilient systems for vegetable production and processing. Pérez-Díaz currently focuses on reclaiming farm and retail vegetable losses by transforming them into healthy bisques, dips, and spreads- creating new markets for growers while reducing landfill waste. Her innovations support food security, boost grower profitability and offer scalable, year-round solutions to the current lack of outlets for excess edible vegetables.