Introduction SOFAD is an association which brings together social, career, and

academic opportunities for individuals interested in a range of food

associated disciplines. It also raises awareness of the importance of

these disciplines and provides general support for members.

Society of Food Associated Disciplines SOFAD Newsletter J U N E 2 0 1 5 — I S S U E 5

Past Events Welcoming Expo

Food Bowl Tour

Fonterra Careers Talk

Dairy Pub Quiz Evening

Careers Insight Evening

JULY AUGUST OCTOBER SEPTEMBER

NZIFST Conference

Welcoming Expo

Food Show Tour

Annual General

Meeting

Career Panel

Discussion

International

Food Festival

Tip Top

Factory Tour

Upcoming Events

Current News

J U N E 2 0 1 5 — I S S U E 5

S O F A D N E W S L E T T E R

Development of an improved food thickening agent by

synthesis

Guar gum is used as a food thickening agent. Its

functionality can be optimised by manipulating its

rheological properties. This was achieved using alpha-

galactosidases from the fungi, Aspergillus sp. MK14. The

enzymatic action released monosaccharides, galactose, and

mannose. This gives the guar gum properties resembling

that of higher quality food thickening agents.

By Kurakake et al., Food Chemistry

Genetic engineering to make wheat crops resist

bacterial diseases

Wheat is an important food agricultural crop globally.

However, bacterial wheat diseases are a prevalent

problem in Asia, Africa and the US. A new solution to this

problem is the genetic engineering of an important

receptor gene from Arabidopsis into the wheat plant to

increase defence mechanisms.

By Schoonbeek et al., New Phytologist

Strategy for vegetarians to get the brain benefits from

omega-3s

Omega-3s are important for the brain and vegetarians can

obtain these from alpha-linolenic acid conversion. This

process is inefficient but now a new enhancement strategy

exists using lipoid micro-emulsions. When they were fed to

rats, omega-3s were enriched in their brain synaptic

membrane and increased the important neurotransmitters

in their brains.

By Sugasini & Lokesh, Nutritional Neuroscience

Food fraudulence of internet sold human breast milk

Breast milk is recommended for infants but due to

multiple complications, the mother cannot always provide

this. Mothers then resort to purchasing human breast milk

to supply for their infant. However, in a recent study,

researchers have found adulteration of human breast milk

sold in the US on the internet with cow’s milk.

By Keim et al., Pediatrics

The types of lighting used during dining affects how

much you eat

In a study involving over 100 participants eating a

breakfast meal with omelettes and mini-pancakes, blue

lighting made men eat less compared to yellow and white

lighting. This effect was thought to arise from evolutionary

and ecological mechanisms that discourage blue-looking

foods. The gender difference was believed to be due to

men relying less on their sense of smell during food choice.

By Cho et al., Appetite

Research at the University of Auckland Modelling and optimisation of coffee roasting

Nur Hamizah Abdul Ghani; Dr Wei Yu; Dr Gokhan Bingol;

Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering

Coffee is a popular beverage worldwide, particularly

because of its distinct aroma and flavour. People seek

the best quality of roasted coffee which is hard to control

due to variation and uncertainty in the green bean. To

solve this problem, we use sensory variables coupled

with roasting conditions, described by mathematical

modelling. This research develops and solves coffee

roasting models using the Abaqus, finite element method

(FEM) software. FEM is a powerful tool to analyse and

predict conditions that are difficult to conduct in the

laboratory. This research aims to simulate coffee

roasting and optimise the quality of roasted coffee

produced.

Understanding the role of C6 compounds and sulfur

dioxide in Sauvignon blanc aroma

Leandro Dias Araujo; Prof Paul Kilmartin; School of

Chemical Sciences

Sauvignon blanc wine aroma is well-marked with

tropical fruits, like passion fruit, and herbaceous/green

notes. Compounds with six carbons (C6) can contribute

directly to the aroma by giving a green note to the wine.

This can also happen indirectly, by participating as one

of the precursors of volatile thiols formation, which is

responsible for tropical characteristics. We study the

interaction of many factors like the addition of

antioxidants to the grapes after harvest, the presence of

leaves during the short maceration time between

machine-harvesting and pressing operations, and the

harvesting method with the formation of C6 compounds

and thiols.

Nutrition in acute pancreatitis: insights into the role

of adipokines

Sarah McKenzie, Dr Max Petrov; Department of Surgery

Enteral nutrition has recently been shown to

significantly improve clinical outcomes in acute

pancreatitis such as reducing infectious complications,

multi-organ failure, and mortality. The underlying

mechanisms remain unknown but it is hypothesized to

involve adipokines. This study investigated the effects on

five adipokine levels in acute pancreatitis with enteral

nutrition. Results showed that omentin and leptin were

significantly higher with enteral nutrition. This may

mediate the beneficial effects of enteral nutrition by

having an anti-inflammatory effect, and may be

protective against the development of insulin resistance

and diabetes due to the role of these adipokines in

insulin signalling pathways.

S O F A D N E W S L E T T E R

J U N E 2 0 1 5 — I S S U E 5

Careers Pathway Jou Cheng

R&D Technologist, ANZCO Foods

I was fortunate enough to be offered a role within ANZCO

innovation team after a 6-month internship stint. My role

as an R&D Technologist mostly involves developing

various protein-based ingredients for food and non-food

applications, developing protocols and performing lab

experiments to characterise the developed products.

Aside from that, I also produce confidential reports, cost

models, and engage in close communication with

suppliers, project managers, and production personnel.

One thing I love about my job is that I get to plan my own

work and decide what I am going to do for the day. Three

years on and I still feel excited going to work.

Yully Jin

Cellarhand, Châteauneuf-du-Pape

I chose to travel to France as I wanted to learn more

about Old World winemaking which is significantly

different from the New World wine making of younger

countries like New Zealand. I also visited other wine

regions of France including Burgundy and Alsace. As we

were winemakers we had this privilege and got exclusive

tastings with other passionate winemakers. My job

entitles hard physical work, facing a lot of challenges, and

working long hours. However because I love what I do

and the people I meet along the way, I cannot think of any

other place I would rather be.

Caroline Bustandi

Regulatory Affairs Support, BENEO Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd

I am based in the regional office of BENEO in Singapore,

and in my role, together with the regulatory affairs team

in the HQ, we provide regulatory support related to

BENEO ingredients for the Asia Pacific region. This

involves following the legislative development in each

country, which are important for our ingredients and for

our customers; preparing scientific dossiers for

ingredients and claims approval. There are not many

institutions which offer courses on food regulatory

affairs, therefore it is a really training on-the-job kind of

role. I find this role challenging yet exciting.

The Committee Laura Aprilyani – President

Agata Djongianto – Vice President

Harshpreet Kaur - Head Events Co-ordinator

Charlotte Oelofsen – Media Design

Yan Chen – Media Design & Events Co-ordinator

Amanda Halim - Secretary

Doraline Lau – Secretary

Lumba Chituta – Treasurer

Natalie Villard – Treasurer

Chloe Kim– Events Co-ordinator

Isabelle Xu – Events Co-ordinator

Kuang Chien Lee– Events Co-ordinator

Lundi Chhun – Events Co-ordinator

Marie Quayle – Events Co-ordinator

Elena Lin – Treasurer & Events Co-ordinator

Brianna Dean– Advisor

Vic Shao-Chih Chiang – Founder & Advisor

Editorial Team

J U N E 2 0 1 5 — I S S U E 5

Vic Shao-Chih Chiang - Editorial Lead

Charlotte Oelofsen - Design

Brianna Dean - Reviewer Panel

Lundi Chhun - Reviewer Panel

Natalie Villard - Reviewer Panel

Contact Details E-mail: uoasofad@gmail.com

Facebook: facebook.com/uoasofad