Newsline

April/May 2007
The Full .pdf version of Newsline, which contains photos and graphics, can be downloaded at the IUFoST website here.
Anyone wishing to reproduce any or all of this publication are welcome with the acknowledgement of IUFoST.

In This Issue:

IUFoST conference - Natural and Safe Food Ingredients - Fi Asia/China, Shanghai

Nutraceuticals and Functional Foods in Health Promotion and Disease Risk Reduction
by Fereidoon Shahidi, Department of Biochemistry, Memorial University of Newfoundland, Canada
Based on Keynote presentation at IUFoST Conference held in conjunction with
Fi Asia/China, Shanghai, March 2007.

Introduction
Epidemiological and clinical studies have demon­strated the relationship between diet and health status. It is well known that populations consuming a large pro­portion of plant-based foods, including fruits, vegetables, whole grains and cereals or those with a high intake of seafoods, have a lower incidence of cardiovascular dis­eases and certain types of cancer. Therefore, interest has been expressed in functional foods, nutraceuticals and dietary supplements. Functional foods are defined as being similar in appearance to conventional foods, are con­sumed as part of a usual diet, and are known to improve health status and render physiological effects beyond basic nutritional function expected of conventional foods. However, nutraceuticals are products produced from foods, but sold in the medicinal form of capsule, tablet, powder, solution, or potion. They are not generally associated with food and have demonstrated physiological benefits and/or provide protection against chronic diseases; these are now referenced as “natural health products” in Canada. Thus, the optimum well-being expected to be rendered by functional foods and nutraceuticals in the short term is to provide a disease-free life with the same span as is currently the case. The long-term goals may include expanding of a healthy life span beyond its current limits.
In the case of plant foods, phenolics and polyphenolics constitute a main group of compounds that render beneficial effects, in part, due to their anti­oxidant potential, among other mechanisms of action. For marine oils, their omega-3 fatty acid constituents are known to affect health status by influ­encing eicosanoid metabolism or by other mechanisms. The highly unsatu­rated fatty acids (HUFAs) present in marine oils are responsible for their many beneficial effects. Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA; C22:6n-3) is indeed a major fatty acid constituent of the grey matter of the brain and the retina of the eye, among others (Shahidi and Finley 2001). The organs most influenced by long-chain omega-3 fatty acids are those with electrical activity such as the brain, the heart and the eye.
This article provides a cursory account of nutraceuticals and functional foods with emphasis on phenolics and polyphenolics as well as the omega-3 fatty acids.
Health benefits of nutraceuticals and functional foods
The health benefits are primarily in several areas, including cancer, atherosclerosis and other cardiovas­cular disease (CVD), the aging process and immune response-enhancing effect, diabetes and mental health. The effects rendered by nutraceuticals and functional foods are due to a cocktail or a soup of phytochemicals and bioactives present in the products of interest. Thus phytates, phenolic acids, flavonoids/isoflavonoids, cou­marins, lignans, carotenoids, terpenes, enzyme inhibi­tors, and saponins are present in soybean. Phenolic compounds function as antibiotics, natural pesticides, signaling substances for the establishment of symbiosis with rhizobia, attractants for pollinators, protective agents against UV light, insulating materials to make cell walls impermeable to gas and water, and structural material to give plants stability (Shahidi and Naczk 2004).
The mechanism by which anticarcinogenic effects of phytochemicals in plant foods are rendered are varied but generally include one or a combination of possi­bilities: antioxidant effect, effect on cell differentiation, increased activity of enzymes that detoxify carcino­gens, inhibition of N-nitrosamine formation, change of estrogen metabolism, change of colonic milieu, preserva­tion of integrity of intracellular matrices, effect on DNA methylation, maintenance of DNA repair, increase in apoptosis of cancer cells and decrease in cell prolifera­tion.

Phenolics and Polyphenolics
    Phenolic compounds are among phytochemicals that may render their effects via antioxidation and relief from oxidative stress and its consequences. In general, free radicals are part of life as we consume some 3.5 kg of oxygen each day, some of which is not completely reduced, thus leading to the formation of free radicals and other reactive oxygen species (ROS) such as super­oxide, hydroxyl radical, peroxyl radical, and alkoxyl rad­ical, as well as hydrogen peroxide and other peroxides. Therefore, several kilograms of peroxides and other ROS may be produced in our body each year. Many diseases are caused by excess ROS. In healthy individuals, free radicals and other ROS are neutralized by antioxidant defence mechanisms in the body, including superoxide dismutase and glutathione, among others. However, endogenous systems may not provide sufficient protec­tion in individuals suffering from certain diseases; in such cases help from dietary sources is important.
    The antioxidative effect of phenolics (Shahidi 1997) in functional foods is due to a direct free radical scav­enging activity (Halliwell 1996; Shahidi 2000; Shahidi and Ho 2007; Wettasinghe and Shahidi 1999a,b), reducing activity and an indirect effect arising from chelation of prooxidant metal ions. The chelation of metal ions gen­erally requires ortho-dihydroxylation on the phenyl ring in phenolic acids and flavonoids or the presence of a 3- or 5-hydroxyl group in flavonoids.
The endogenous phenolics in plant foods are the largest group of secondary metabolites originating from phenylalanine and, to a lesser extent, in some plants from tyrosine via the action of phenylalanine ammonia lyase (PAL) and tyrosine ammonia lyase (TAL), respec­tively (Shahidi and Naczk 2004). The respective products are cinnamic acid and p-couramic acid that serve as the main phenylpropanoid (C6-C3) compounds and these lead to the formation of benzoic acid (C6-C1) derivatives by loss of a 2-carbon moiety as well as to chalcones (C6-C3-C6), stilbenes (C6-C2-C6), and flavonoids (C6-C3-C6) by combination with 3 molecules of malonyl coenzyme A. However, tannins, both condensed and hydrolyz­able, produced via condensation of flavan-1,3-diol mol­ecules with one another or via reaction of gallic acid with sugars, respectively, are among phenolics that are better known for their effect on precipitating proteins and, hence, their anti-nutritional effect. However, even these latter compounds are known to exert health ben­efits which generally follow a mechanism similar to that known for their anti-nutritional activity.
Among plant materials, fruits and vegetables contain phenolics, mainly belonging to the flavonoids family, but also phenolic acids. Meanwhile, cereals contain a wide range of phenolic acids, belonging mainly to the benzoic acid and cinnamic acid groups. Phenolic acids are dif­ferent from other phenolic compounds by bearing acidic properties due to the presence of a carboxylic acid group. Ferulic acid and p-coumaric acid are the major phenolic acids found in many cereals, including barley (Liyana-pathirana and Shahidi 2004). A significant proportion of these phenolic acids are linked to lignans and arabinox­ylans (Nordkvist et al. 1984). Ferulic acid is highly con­centrated in the cell walls of aleurone layer that is rich in arabinoxylan. Phenolic compounds in cereal grains can be found in the free, soluble conjugate or esterified, and insoluble-bound forms. It is reported that 74 and 69% of total phenolics present in rice and corn, respectively, are in the insoluble-bound form (Adom and Liu, 2002). Most of the studies found in the literature so far have not looked into insoluble-bound phenolic compounds, hence results reported are often underestimated.
    Phenolic esters can be hydrolyzed to release phe­nolic acids by different means. Alkaline, acidic or enzymatic hydrolysis methods are adopted in order to release insoluble-bound phenolics from the cereal matrix (Liyanapathirana and Shahidi 2004). Generally, alka­line hydrolysis is the method mostly used for extracting esterified or bound phenolics at room temperature and we also used alkaline hydrolysis to release phenolic acids present in the insoluble-bound form.
We have demonstrated that while free phenolics in barley extracts are present at 0.18-0.42 mg ferulic acid equivalents per gram of material, the soluble conjugates occur at 0.42-0.81 and insoluble-bound fraction at 2.03-3.36 mg/g as ferulic acid equivalents. Meanwhile, wheat and its by-products contained >80% of their total pheno­lics in the bound form. The content of bound phenolics in the whole grain in hard and soft wheat was 22 and 18.5 times higher than the total of free and soluble esters, respectively.
    Adom and Liu (2002) analyzed a number of cereals, namely corn, wheat, oat and rice and reported that corn had the highest free phenolic content (0.411 mg/g of grain), followed by rice (0.407 mg/g of grain), then wheat (0.368 mg/g of grain), and oat (0.343 mg/g of grain). The content of insoluble-bound phenolic was significantly higher among all of the above cereals.

LDL cholesterol oxidation, DNA nicking and proliferation
Oxidation of cholesterol leads to the formation of a plaque in the arteries and, hence, is a leading cause of cardiovascular disease. Phenolics and polyphenolics in foods and plant-based source materials are expected to have a positive effect on prevention of low-density lipo­protein (LDL) cholesterol oxidation which may be exerted by a free radical scavenging mechanism (Siriwardhana and Shahidi 2002). In a study on almond and hazelnut, we found that extracts of almond and hazelnut, to a large extent, inhibited copper-induced LDL cholesterol oxida­tion. Brown skins over almond and hazelnut flesh had a much higher activity than the whole nuts, presumably due to the presence of a large proportion of polyphenolic compounds in them than those in the flesh. The benefi­cial effects of a hazelnut-enriched diet on plasma choles­terol profile of hypercholesterolemic men was recently reported (Mercerligil et al. 2007). Similarly, mutation of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and its breakdown may serve as a main cause of cancer in humans. We found that nicking of DNA, induced by peroxyl radical, in an in vitro study, was largely inhibited by extracts of nuts such as almond and their products. Again, results dem­onstrated that certain components of food that are usu­ally removed and discarded during bleaching, refining, and processing are essential for health promotion and disease prevention. Finally, whole barley extracts were found to be effective against proliferation of Caco-2- human cancer cells. The inhibition effect of whole barley extract was 20.5-42.6% at a 0.5 mg/mL and values so obtained correlated well with Trolox equivalent antioxi­dant capacity (TEAC) and total phenolic contents (TPC). Parry et al. (2006) also found that extracts of fruit seed flours were effective against proliferation of Caco-2 cells.

Fish oils and their health effects
A close scrutiny of the dietary fat intake of Eskimos and Danish populations showed that, while the energy from fat intake was similar in both groups, and despite a higher intake of cholesterol (790 mg/day) by Eskimos compared to Danes (420 mg/day), the incidence of myo­cardial infarction (MI) in the former group was only 7% of that in the latter one (Dyerberg et al. 1975; Bang et al. 1976). Further analysis of lipid constituents in the two groups indicated that, indeed, the Eskimos consumed a much higher level of n-3 PUFA, mainly from dietary intake of marine foods, principally fish and seal, than the Danish population; the latter group used only 10% of n-3 PUFA that was consumed by the Eskimos. To elab­orate on the beneficial effects of marine oils in the pre­vention of MI, one may consider 3 stages associated with heart attacks. These include injury to the coronary artery wall, build-up of a fatty fibrous plaque in the arteries, known as atherosclerosis, and formation of a blood clot, known as thrombosis. If a clot forms in an artery which is already constricted by atherosclerosis, a heart attack may occur. Consumption of marine oils leads to thin­ning of blood, lowering of triacylglycerol and, possibly, cholesterol levels and, hence, clot formation as well as fat deposition. Thus, intake of 24 g of fish/day increased the survival rate from coronary heart disease by some 20% over a period of 16 years.
In another study, it was found that breast-feeding had a direct positive effect on verbal skill, performance skill, and overall IQ of infants in comparison with their formula-fed counterparts. The difference in all of these was 8.1 to 8.9%. Furthermore, DHA status of maternal plasma phospholipids decreased by some 40% during pregnancy, especially during the last trimester. This is due to the essentiality of DHA in the development of the grey matter of the brain as well as the retina of the eye and the components of the heart of the fetus (Shahidi and Finley 2001).
Omega-3 fatty acids, including DHA, originate from phytoplankton and algae and are transferred to fish through the food web. Marine species are, hence, rich in omega-3 fatty acids and the corresponding oils are obtained from the flesh of fatty fish such as herring and mackerel, liver of white lean fish such as cod and halibut and blubber of marine mammals such as seals and whales. Marine oils contain a generally high level of long-chain omega-3 PUFA (Shahidi 2000b). This leads to high sensitivity of the oil to oxidative deterioration and off-flavor formation. Thus the oils need to be subjected to refining, bleaching, and deodorization (RBD). The final RBD oil needs to be stabilized by appropriate anti­oxidants in order to eliminate the deleterious effects of oxidized compounds and to take advantage of the bene­ficial health effects of their omega-3 components without changes in their sensory quality (Shahidi and Kim 2002).
Products in which marine oils may be incorporated include bread, cereal products, spread, milk, mayonnaise and salad dressing, crackers and bars, as well as infant formulas. The oils may be microencapsulated and then used in different applications. However, the solid micro­capsule particles must be washed properly with a non­polar solvent to remove any unencapsulated oil that may otherwise be oxidized. However, application of the oil is most successful in products that are usually consumed within a short period of time. Our experience shows that bread and milk products, commonly used within 2 weeks from their production date, may well serve as the best carriers for omega-3 fatty acids (Alasalvar et al. 2002).

Multi-component Systems Containing Phenolics
In an effort to produce multi-component nutraceu­tical ingredients containing both marine oils and polyphenols, we used dechlorophyllized green tea extracts and seal oil as well as menhaden oil. The prod­ucts obtained were found to be more stable to oxidation than oils devoid of tea catechins. However, if the sam­ples were not dechlorophyllized, the stabilizing effect of catechins was counteracted by the photosensitizing effect of chlorophylls, hence destabilization of the oils (Wanasundara and Shahidi 1998).
    A considerable amount of minor components in the oils with bioactivity may be removed by over-processing of edible oils. Although removal of off-flavor components and environmental pollutants from edible products by processing is essential, the bioactives present could be recovered and returned to the oils. Similarly, debran­ning of cereal grains would lead to the removal of bioac­tives that are concentrated in the outer layers, mainly the bran. Addition of seeds, raisin and nuts to whole grain bread would also enhance its antioxidant potential and its health benefits.

Conclusions
Functional foods and nutraceuticals may provide a means to reduce the increasing burden on the health care system by a continuous preventive mechanism. A large number of phytochemicals and bioactives are present in foods of plant origin as well as seafoods and other animal-based products. The synergistic effects rendered by a combination of bioactives present in source mate­rials and the complementary nature of phytochemicals from different sources are important factors to consider in the formulation of functional foods and in the choice of a healthy diet.

References
Adom KK, Liu RH. 2002. Antioxidant activity of grains. J Agric Food Chem 50: 6182-6187.
Alasalvar C, Shahidi F, Quantick P. 2002. Food and health applications of marine nutraceuti­cals: a review. In: Alasalvar C, Taylor D, editors. Seafoods-Quality, technology and nutraceu­tical applications. New York: Springer-Verlag. P 175-204.
Bang HO, Dyerberg J, Hjorne N. 1976. The composition of food used by Greenland Eskimos. Acta Med Scand 200: 59-62.
Dyberberg J, Bang HO, Hjorne N. 1975. Fatty acid compositions of the plasma lipids in Greenland Eskimos. J Am Clin Nutr 28: 958-62.
Halliwell B. 1996. Antioxidants in human health and disease. Ann Rev Nutr 16: 33-50.
Liyanapathirana CM, Shahidi F. 2004. Antioxidant activity of wheat extracts as affected by in vitro digestion. Biofactors 21: 325-328.
Mercanligil SM, Arslan P, Alasalvar C, Okut E, Akgul E, Pinar A, Geyik PO, Tokgozoglu L, Shahidi F. 2007. Effect of hazelnut enriched diet on plasma cholesterol and lipoprotein profiles in hypercholesterolemic men. Eur J Clin Nutr 61: 212-220.
Nordvisk E, Salomonsson AC, Aman P. 1984. Distribution of insoluble bound phenolic acids in barley grains. J Sci Food Agric 35: 657-661.
Shahidi F. 1997. Natural antioxidants: an overview. In: Shahidi F, Natural antioxidants: Chemistry, health effects and applications. Champaign, IL: AOCS Press. P. 1-7.
Shahidi F. 2000. Antioxidants in food and food antioxidants. Nahrung 44: 158-63.
Shahidi F. 2000b. Seafoods in health and nutrition: Transformation in fisheries and aquacul­ture – Global perspectives. St. John’s, NL, Canada: ScienceTech. Publishing Co.
Shahidi F, Ho C-T. 2000. Phytochemicals and phytopharmaceuticals. Champaign, IL: ACS Press.
Shahidi F, Ho C-T. 2007. Antioxidant measurement and applications. ACS Symposium Series 956. American Chemical Society, Washington DC.
Shahidi F, Finely JW. 2001. Omega-3 fatty acids: Chemistry, nutrition and health effects. ACS Symposium Series 788. Washington, D.C.: American Chemical Society.
Shahidi F, Kim S-K. 2002. Quality management of marine nutraceuticals. In: Ho C-T, Zheng QY, editors. Quality management of nutraceuticals. ACS Symposium Series 803. Washington, D.C.: American Chemical Society. P. 76-87.
Shahidi F, Naczk M. 2004. Phenolics in food and nutraceuticals. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press.
Siriwandhana SSKW, Shahidi F. 2002. Anti-radical activity of extracts of almond and its by-products. J Am Oil Chem Soc 79: 903-8.
Wanasundara UN, Shahidi F. 1998. Antioxidant and pro-oxidant activity of green tea extrac­tion in marine oils. Food Chem 63: 335-42.
Wettasinghe M, Shahidi F. 1999a. Evening primrose meal: A source of natural antioxidants and scavengers of hydrogen peroxide and oxygen free radicals. J Agric Food Chem 47: 1801-12.
Wettasinghe M, Shahidi F. 1999b. Antioxidant and free radical scavenging properties of eth­anolic extracts of defatted borage (Borago borealis L.) seeds. Food Chem 67: 399-414.
 
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Natural and Safe Food Ingredients
IUFoST / Fi Asia /China 2007 Conference 15-17 March 2007, Shanghai Pudong, China
Summary by Prof. Colin Dennis, IUFoST Scientific Council Chair

Functional Foods / Ingredients:

Comprehensive and compelling case for functional foods and nutraceuticals
(see Newsline editorial)
Fereidoon Shahidi

Functional Food Development in China
Jin Zonglian, Beijing Union University
 Future of Functional Food – A Look at Japan
Mika Suzuki, Mintel International
 Incorporation of Functional Ingredients into Foods
Li Day,  Food Science Australia
 Milk and Dairy Products:

From Milk to Bioactives - Exciting Future for the Dairy Industry
Geoff Smithers, Food Science Australia
 Overview of Dairy R&D System and Its Capability in China
Zhang Liebing, Beijing Pasteur R & D Company
 From World Market to Chinese Dairy Industry
Luo Zhigang, Beijing Milkyway Dairy Trade Corp
Organic Foods:

Current developments in the US organic food regulatory environment
William Friedman, Former Vice-Chair, National Organic Standards Board
 Market Trends and Accreditation System in China for Organic Foods
Jipeng Sheng, China Agricultural University
 Microbiological Aspects of Food Safety:

An Integrated Approach to Microbial Food Safety
Colin Dennis, Campden & Chorleywood Food Research Association Group
 Characterisation of the Genes Related to Biofilm Formation of Listeria Monocytogenes for its Control
Xian-Ming Shi, Shanghai Jiaotong University
Advances in Microbial Food Safety Monitoring and Control Measures
Jason Wan, Food Science Australia
 Chemical Food Safety:

Chemical Food Safety – Heat formed compounds and food safety
David Lineback, IUFoST President
 Food Safety Considerations for
Seafood and Fishery Products
Wang Xichang, Shanghai Fishery University
 Chemical Residue Management in
Food and Ingredients
Wang Shuo, Tianjin University of Science and Technology
 Potential Effects of Demands for Natural Safe Foods on Global Food Security
Albert McGill, Fellow of the James Martin Institute for Science & Civilization at Oxford University
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Adhering Bodies Reports
 
South Africa

 SAAFoST Northern Branch Lecture evening
John Taylor Lecture “Cereal Foods: Where the World is Going”
Reported by Prof. Bernard Cole
           
  World cereal grain production now exceeds 2 bil­lion tons a year, which should provide in excess of 300 kg for each person on the planet; more than enough for everyone, with plenty to spare for other purposes. The scourge of obesity shows clearly that many people are getting more than what is good for them. At the same time, across sub-Saharan Africa there is chronic under-nutrition. Where are we going wrong?
    With nearly three decades’ experience as a cereal researcher and now President-elect of the International Association for Cereal Science and Technology (ICC), Professor John Taylor of the University of Pretoria addressed a capacity audience at the University of Pretoria’s Old Agricultural Building in February to give his perspective on recent developments in cereal food and non-food uses that could help us get back into bal­ance.
    Professor Taylor began by pointing out the fact that cereal yields in Africa were currently about one quarter of those in the United States. This has resulted in obesity in the US and food shortages in Africa. Africa with its subsistence farmer is neither an efficient producer nor processor of cereals. Worldwide, there was a move to improve the nutritional value of cereal products by adding nutrients to traditional products.
    In America, 40 million tons of maize is being used annually to produce alcohol in more than 100 factories, which has provided for only 3% of their fuel needs. The residues from the process were 22% lipid, 34% fibre and 44% protein, which incidentally is very similar to the proximate analysis of the soy bean. Making good use of these byproducts has been challenging, such as the use of the protein for biopolymer products.
    In the African context, sorghum was the staple, and the ABS Consortium of nine organisations was dedicated to the use of recombinant DNA technology to upgrade sorghum’s nutritional value by:
     Interestingly, Professor Taylor remarked that “food security is having money in your pocket to buy food”, which meant that subsistence farmers were rarely food secure! However, in Nigeria breweries were finding that a good lager beer could be made from Sorghum malt and the biggest brewer in the USA is now producing a beer from Sorghum, which is free of gluten proteins to the delight of the celiac sufferers.
    The lecture closed with Professor Taylor saying that he hoped that the “world was going to - sorghum” and inviting the audience to a tasting of sorghum-based lager beer from Nigeria.

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New Zealand
 
Unit Operations in Food Processing - Free to the Web!
by Lyn Nikoloff

    A unique New Zealand partnership between Professors Dick and Mary Earle, Chris Newey of FoodWorks, and the New Zealand Institute of Food Science and Technology (NZIFST), has enabled Dick Earle’s 1966 Unit Operations in Food Processing text to be made available free on the internet to food technology students and industry throughout the world.
    Since its inception in 2002, the project has required a huge financial and time commitment from everyone involved. The book was written by Dick Earle in 1965, with editing assistance from Mary, while working at the Meat Industry Research Institute of New Zealand. It was published by Pergamon Press in 1966. The text has since been translated into many languages throughout the world with the Spanish edition being the most suc­cessful.
    There have always been two key advantages to their book. The first is that it was reasonably priced, about NZ$20, compared with many similar texts retailing at up to NZ$200. Thus students could afford to buy it. The second advantage is that Dick had made the concepts readily accessible and user friendly by sticking to basic knowledge of food processing – principles whose roots are found in fundamental quantitative chemical proc­esses that have not changed.
    A few years ago the Earle’s heard from an American colleague, Jim Steffe, who had put his rheology text ‘free-to-the-web’. In discussions with Chris Newey, a former student of the Earle’s who had moved into web design, it was suggested that perhaps Unit Operations in Food Processing could also be re-published ‘free-to-the-web’.
    However, the project was never going to be easy. Unlike the rheology text that was already in electronic format, Unit Operations in Food Processing was still in the original typescript. Mary and Dick had to convert it into an electronic version by scanning every page, and going over it character by character, including extensive reformatting and redrawing of the original graphs.
    Some of the graphs proved challenging. In some cases the original graphs could be sourced, but the units had to be changed from British units to SI units. For others, the data had to be re-sourced, for example the graphs of refrigerants had used ‘ozone unfriendly’ chemicals and the Earles were grateful to the US Bureau of Standards in Boulder, Colorado who supplied them with up-to-date ‘ozone friendly’ data, at no charge!
    Chris then took the electronic text and developed an easy to use, simple format website where complete chap­ters are published in ‘FlashPaper’ format so they can be downloaded and printed. With each chapter taking about 5 minutes to print, the entire book can be printed in less than two hours – all for free!
    As the project reached completion the Earles became aware of a demand for answers to the unworked prob­lems. This took a further year’s work with the proviso that the answers were only to be made available to bona fide teaching staff who had to contact Chris directly. Emails soon began arriving from almost every imagi­nable country on earth, including Montenegro, South Africa, USA, and even the Pharmacy Department in the University of Kathmandu!
    In conclusion, there is no doubt that the New Zealand partnership is unprecedented in its scope, col­legial collaboration and philanthropic gesture. However, the project would not have been possible without the Earles waiving copyright and donating their time and expertise. Food technology students, and their teachers, as well as industry throughout the world can be grateful to the generosity of Dick and Mary Earle, Chris Newey and the NZIFST.
 
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Brazil

SBCTA’s 40th anniversary celebrations in pictures
Photos from the SBCTA Ceremony held on February 9 , 2007. This session was conducted by Dr Jose Tadeu Jorge , Unicamp President and member of SBCTA, who helped to lead the celebra­tions this April as SBCTA turned 40.


Brazil Photo 2
SBCTA Board with SBCTA President and IUFoST Governing Council member Dra Glaucia Pastore


Brazil Photo 1
The Opening Ceremony


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Kenya

Street Foods Are Here to Stay: Let's Support Street Food Vending
By Oiye Shadrack, Kenya Correspondent

    There have recently been some concerns raised in Kenya about the safety of street foods. This has led to a number of articles printed in the daily newspapers with alarming titles such as ‘Roadside Foods Risky’. Some of these articles have been extremely informative, cautioning the public on the dangers of street foods. However, they have focused mainly on the negative (or potentially negative) repercussions of street foods. It is true that street foods can be potential vehicles for life-threatening food-borne illnesses. However, the reality is that street foods are here to stay, as more and more people – not only the poor – demand convenient foods. Furthermore, for urban cities in developing countries like Nairobi, there are increasingly more unemployed people who must resort to street food vending to earn an otherwise elusive income.
    Research on the contribution of street foods to the diet of people living in Nairobi has been conducted, and indicates that the contribution of street foods to specific nutrient intake (important to public health) is quite sig­nificant. The findings have revealed that the importance of these street foods in the diet of urban dwellers cannot be overlooked. On the other hand, street foods provide viable income generation opportunities for those who cannot find their way into the formal job market. Given that increasing employment is one of the major strategies of the Kenyan government to boost economic develop­ment, the contribution of the informal sector has been found to be significant, and any effort to eliminate street food vendors may be retrogressive. Indeed, some articles have highlighted cases where street foods have contrib­uted significantly to the income of people who have lost hope in finding ‘good jobs’. One surprising observation is that the street food vendors are willing to pay levies charged by the City Council.
    It is evident that issues of food safety are paramount when considering street foods, and many have raised concerns. With Nairobi’s high incidences of out-flowing sewage systems, careless dumping of garbage and many other practices that contribute to unclean environments, opponents have questioned the safety of foods sold along the streets. However, proponents of street foods argue that absolute food safety can only be ascertained by microbiological analysis, and that simply branding street foods “unsafe” is unwarranted. Open sewage flow is a health hazard, hosting pathogenic microorganisms that are potentially lethal when they get into the food chain or water systems. However these risks are not the making of the street food vendors. The City or Municipal Councils in many urban cities are fully mandated to ensure the non-existence of open sewage flows. Many have accused the street food vendors of operating near filthy environments, but they fail to mention the cause of these flows, or who is responsible for their repair. Reasonably, the vendors should ensure that they conduct trade within clean environments. On the other hand, the relevant authorities should ensure that the cities are clean, so that responsible street food vendors can con­duct trade safely.
    The idea of shutting down the illegitimate roadside food-based entrepreneurs in many urban cities is a jus­tified law enforcement exercise. However, the legitimate vendors need to be provided with suitable environments for trading, environments that are protected with sound urban policies. This endeavor will ensure a boost to our economy, as existing jobs will be protected, and new employment opportunities created. This will in turn help to feed the increasing number of working urban­ites. The food business is seen by many as easy to initiate (and indeed, it is), because it has a ready market, and rel­atively low capital requirements.
    Perhaps we need to approach the street food vending issues much more positively. As many development partners give funds for training farmers, and extensions into the rural areas, little is thought about the issues of urban areas, ranging from urban agriculture to public health infrastructure and human resources. Our mar­kets, streets and slums do not have support systems to guarantee food safety, and many who want to engage in street food processing and vending do not have the opportunity to train in business management, let alone basic food hygiene. Not many development partners are willing to invest in improving the infrastructure that ensures public health and capacity building in order to promote food safety. This revelation should act as a call for action by the relevant stakeholders to improve food safety, rather than push small-scale food-based enterprises out of business. However, food safety is the responsibility of everyone in the food chain, from the farm to the dinner table.

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Are Our Safe Foods Sufficiently Safe?
A Summary of the 2006 IUFoST/FiCEE Conference
Prague, Czech Republic
Report by Prof. Walter Spiess, IUFoST Past President
and Dr .Milan Houska, IUFoST Czech Committee
          
    This event, hosted by FiCEE 2006 in Prague's 19th century exhibition halls, was organized by IUFoST and its local adhering body, the Czech Committee for Food science and Technology (CCFoST).
    Alan Mortimer, IUFoST President, opened the conference with a short introductory speech discussing the legal situation around food additives in Europe. Dr. Moritz Hagenmeyer of Krohn Rechtsanwälte, Germany presented the keynote lecture, “EU Legislation on Food Additives”. The second lecture on this topic was presented by Dr. Csaba Baar from Campden & Chorleywood Food Industry Development Institute in Hungary and was devoted to the relationship between new hygiene legislation packages and new microbiology criteria regulation.
    Dr. Jaroslav Camplik, President of the Federation of Food and Drink Industries, Czech Republic, delivered a powerful presentation criticizing the auditing of food producers from the side of food retail organizations. He stated that there are currently three different systems applied in the Czech Republic and that producers are expected to pay for the audits. He also noted that the requirements of the audits go beyond those of valid EU legislation. He criticized the technical barriers put in place by some EU countries that maintain differing food labelling requirements, and how these requirements increase costs and limit free trade within EU. Dr. Camplik also emphasized that the simplification of food legislation in the EU is a key task of CIAA and national federations including the Czech federation.
    Dr. Vladimir Spelina presented a review of the activities of the Czech Scientific Committee for Foods. The structure of the problems it has dealt with included existed and emerging risks, mirroring the EFSA panels.
    Dr. Mary McCarthy presented a lecture on the public understanding of food risk issues. It is interesting that the risk most frequently cited as important to consumers is chemical risk (e.g. contaminants, heavy metals, toxins) but microbial risk is not considered as important. However, experts express the opposite opinion. Dr. McCarthy emphasized the role of risk communication in risk assessment procedures.
    Professor Geoffrey Campbell-Platt delivered a very interesting lecture devoted to the question: “Food Safety – Whose Responsibility is it?”  He stated that all partners in the food chain are responsible for their parts of the chain, including consumers (current legislation reflects a different opinion, that the food producer is responsible “up to the consumer's mouth”).
    The second day of the conference was chaired by Prof. Colin Dennis, Director, Campden & Chorleywood Food Research Association, UK, and focused on the theme: “Safety of Food Additives and Processed Food”
    Prof. Herbert Buckenhüskes presented the keynote lecture devoted to “Risk Assessment of Biologically Active Substances in Herbs and Spices”.  He presented the situation in the chemical risk assessment of these commodities, especially estrogol substance. He also discussed the need to recognize that human beings have consumed natural origin components that are genotoxic or cancerogenic for hundreds of years, and that we have detoxication mechanisms that reduce risks, as observed in experiments conducted on animals using isolated substances from complex matrices.  Perhaps this is due to the fact that the human “extractor“ is not as perfect as laboratory extraction procedures.
    Dr. Ctibor Perlin (head of CCFoST) presented a lecture entitled “Food Safety From the Point of View of Food Consumption Structure”, discussing the structure of consumption of different foods, provoking questions as to whether the composition of our diet is ideal.  His lecture outlined four risks in foods for human health: physical, chemical, biological (microbiological) and overeating (by safe foods).
    The tools and procedures applied in CCFRA-UK for “Industrial Microbiological Risk Assessment” were described by Dr. Phil Voysey.  He discussed procedures for evaluating and managing the microbial risk in different foods (e.g. Listeria monocytogenes in sliced chicken rolls). He emphasized that quantitative microbial risk assessment using predictive microbiology model challenge testing is a powerful tool for safe processing design. It is also necessary to consider the level of uncertainty in predictions.
    Prof. Walter Hammes’s lecture, “The Use of Protective Cultures to Assure the Hygienic Safety of Ready to Eat Food (RTE” was devoted to starter, probiotic and protective cultures classification. RTE food safety can be increased by the use of protective cultures, such as Staphylococcus equorum that is capable of inhibiting the growth of St. aureus on raw cured ham.
    The third day of the conference on the theme “Processing and food safety” was chaired by Milan Houska, Food Reseach Institute Prague (FRIP).  An introductory speech was presented by Slavomira Vavreinova, vice-director of the FRIP, which included a discussion of FRIP research activities.
    “High Pressure Pasteurisation of Fruit Juices.” Dr. Milan Houska’s paper, focused on the Czech Republic as one of the countries in which HP pasteurisation went into industrial practice. Carrot, apple, broccoli, orange, lemon, and red beet juices are currently available on the market. He presented the results of research that showed high pressure pasteurised cruciferous vegetable juices have strong antimutagenic and antigenotoxic activity, whereas heat-treated juices exhibited no (or very weak) activity. The Ministry of Health in the Czech Republic recognizes apple-broccoli juice as a food supplement.
    Dr. Elke Harms presented the successes of a novel technology application in Europe, in a lecture entitled “High Pressure Sterilisation of Cured Meat Products, an Industrial Application of a New Technology”.  The company Abraham demonstrated the successful application of high pressure for production of listeria-free absolutely safe ham. The ham is sliced, packed and as such treated with high pressure without preservatives and exported to listeria zero tolerant countries like USA. The quality of such products is excellent. The company cooperated intensively with top scientific researchers in HP technology from TU Berlin during the development of this product.
    Professor Carmen Moraru (Cornell University, USA) discussed “Surface Treatments for Microbial Control in Food and Food Contact Surfaces.” She presented the challenges of this technology, including high intensity flash light treatments where a probable UV component is active on microorganisms attached to the surfaces of foods and materials in contact with them. She also presented case study results on inactivation kinetics of various microorganisms attached to various materials.
    This session ended with a good discussion on the topics presented, and focused mainly on the potential for different novel technologies to be applied in industrial practice.

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Codex Report

Beijing, China

38th Session, Codex Committee on Food Additives (CCFA) and
Meeting of Codex Committee on Contaminants in Food (CCCF)
Summary by John Lupien, Academy Fellow

    The CCFA held its 38th session in Beijing China from 24-28 April, hosted and chaired by the Government of China.
    The workload of the Codex Committee on Food Additives and Contaminants (CCFAC) grew dramati­cally since its formation in 1984, impeding progress on both additives and contaminants. Because of this, the Codex Alimentarius Commission decided in its July 2006 session to split the CCFAC into two committees, the Codex Committee on Contaminants in Food (CCCF) and the Codex Committee on Food Additives (CCFA).
    The 2007 38th session of CCFA was attended by 217 delegates from 55 Codex Member Countries, the European Commission, and 29 international non-gov­ernmental organizations. The session was opened by the WHO Representative in China, and a representative of the Chinese Ministry of Health. Both emphasized the need for a comprehensive General Standard for Food Additives (GSFA) that included a complete listing of all food additives used in Codex Commodity Standards or used in other internationally traded foods. Additives included in the GSFA should be based on sound science and a clear technological justification for each approved food additive use.
    The CCFA spent considerable time discussing the terms of reference for the CCFA, and on procedures to be used for the operation of the GSFA. This included systems for listing additives included in existing or new Codex commodity standards, or additives for general use in Codex standardized foods or other processed foods. The current GSFA contains three table of food additives, Table one contains lists of additives permitted for use under specified conditions, Table 2 contains lists of food categories or individual food items in which food addi­tives are permitted, and Table 3 contains additives for use in food in general in accordance with good manufac­turing practice (GMP).
    There were detailed CCFA discussions on pro­cedures for how the GSFA will operate. particularly with regard to the food additive provisions in Codex Commodity Standards , and the integration of these pro­visions into the GSFA. Some delegations wished to leave food additive provisions in commodity standards, while other delegations favored inclusion of all additive provi­sions in a single place, the GSFA, with reference to the GSFA in the Codex Commodity Standards that allowed the use of additives. These discussions showed that pre­paring a comprehensive GSFA that takes into account all additives listed in individual Codex commodity stand­ards was a rather complex but achievable task.
    There were also detailed discussions on revisions of the Codex Procedural Manual with regard to CCFA, on risk analysis principles and on food additive provi­sions for infant formula. On the latter issue, concern was expressed about the use of additives in food for use in infants of less than 12 weeks of age, and an expert review of this topic will be requested of the FAO/WHO Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives
    A CCFA electronic working group operating over the past year had prepared working papers for the CCFA session on general aspects of the GSFA, and with specific tables for many additives, especially artificial sweeteners and food colors. The CCFA agreed that all food additives to be considered by CCFA must first be evaluated by JECFA so that there is an approved JECFA specification for each additive, and an acceptable daily intake (ADI) evaluation, along with a technological justification for each use of a food additive. CCFA also agreed that pro­cedures used for food additives in the GSFA and Codex Commodity Standards should allow for new additives to be listed, based on JECFA review, demonstrated use in foods, and technological justification for such uses.
    The CCFA made considerable progress in the approval of GSFA lists of sweeteners, including acesul­fame potassium, aspartame, alitame, cyclamate, neotame, sacccharin and sucralose, for use in a wide range of food categories, and in individual food items. The CCFA also endorsed provisions for GSFA listing of bezoyl peroxide, BHT, castor oil, diacetyltartaric and fatty acid esters of glycerol, EDTAs, polydimethylsiloxane, polysorbates, polvinyl alcohol, propylene glycol esters of fatty acids, and quillaia extract. Some food additive GSFA provisions were revoked or discontinued for all the above additives, or additional information was requested on certain pos­sible uses.
    The CCFA prepared draft Codex guidelines for the use of flavorings, with consideration of biologically active substances in flavors deferred until the next ses­sion. Due to lack of time, consideration of provisions for food colors was deferred until the next session.
    The CCFA meeting in general made outstanding progress under the guidance of its chairperson, Dr. Junshi Chen of China. For those who want additional information, the report of the CCFA session will be available by mid-May, 2007 in the Codex website, www. codexalimentarius.net.

Codex Committee on Contaminants in Food (CCCF)
    The CCCF held its first session in Beijing, China, from 16-20 April.
    The CCCF was attended by 210 delegates from 60 Codex Member Countries, the European Community. and 16 international non-governmental organizations.
    CCCF devoted considerable time to procedural dis­cussions for this new Committee. This included the Terms of Reference; changes in risk analysis princi­ples applied by the former CCFAC, and CCFAC policy for exposure assessment of contaminants and toxins in foods and food groups, questions on methods of analysis and sampling, revision of the preamble of the General Standard for Contaminants and Toxins in Food, and related general standard issues.
    The CCCF also discussed draft maximum levels for several contaminants in foods. These discussions seemed to be related to whether or not producing or importing countries had problems, or not, with certain contami­nants. When contaminant problems were common to both producing and importing countries, such as with tin in canned products, or with polyclclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH’s), levels or actions agreed were not particularly restrictive. For PAH’s, acrylamide in food and ochratoxin in wine draft codes of practice were dis­cussed at Step 2 of the 8 step Codex process. CCCF also agreed to have discussion papers prepared on ochra­toxin in coffee, aflatoxin in Brazil nuts, afratoxin in other nuts, and deoxynivalenol (DON) found in some cereals and processed products. A proposal was also made for a new “Code of Practice for the Prevention and Reduction of Aflatoxin Contamination in Dried Figs”.
    A few recommendations were agreed on draft max­imum levels for some contaminants, but only one final recommendation was made for step 8 approval of the Codex procedure. Tin in canned beverages and other canned foods was set at 150 mg/kg and forwarded to the Commission for adoption. For 3 MCPD in liquid condi­ments, a draft maximum level was set at 0.4 mg/kg, at Step 5, along with a Step 5 proposed draft code of prac­tice for the reduction of 3-monochloropropane-1, 2-diol (3-MCPD during the production of acid-hydrolysed veg­etable proteins. Ochratoxin A in raw wheat, barley and rye has an agreed level of 5 micrograms /kg, and this was advance to and held at Step 7. Aflatoxin levels at 15 micrograms/kg in almonds, hazelnuts and pistachios and 8 micrograms/kg in ready to eat nuts were also held at Step 7.
    A priority list of contaminants and naturally occur­ring toxicants was prepared by CCCF, requesting evalua­tion by the FAO/WHO Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA). This list includes DON, furan and perchlorate.
    The next meeting of the CCCF will take place in the Netherlands from 31 March to 4 April 2008. The report of the current 2007 Beijing meeting and related information can be found on the Codex website, www.codexalimentarius.net.

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International Academy News

The International Academy of Food Science & Technology (IAFoST)
By Professor J Ralph Blanchfield, MBE, 2006-2008 President

    The International Academy of Food Science & Technology (IAFoST) is a statutory component of IUFoST, created in 1997, governed by its own Statutes and with its own elected Executive Council. In the Statutes the nature and role of IAFoST is defined as follows:
     The existing Fellows may elect up to a maximum of 15 new Fellows per year. These elections take place prior to each World Congress, so that normally up to 30 may be elected. As the period between the last two Congresses was three years, we were able to elect up to 45. Individual Fellows, IUFoST Adhering Bodies and the IUFoST Governing Council, may make nominations. At the time of nomination, candidates must be active, though not necessarily employed. At present there are 125 living Fellows.
    To be eligible for election as a Fellow, a person must be generally recognized as having established an out­standing reputation for scientific accomplishment and/or leadership in the area of food science and technology.
    Election as a Fellow is the pinnacle of honour; how­ever honour and responsibility go hand in hand, and we who have been honoured can fulfil that responsibility in a number of ways – of course in our individual activi­ties but also within the Academy. A database has been established of Fellows, with information on their areas of expertise and their willingness to carry out various sci­entific activities in support of IUFoST and particularly in the work of the IUFoST Scientific Council.
    In the last issue of Newsline, my predecessor as IAFoST President, Malcolm Bourne, gave a report on IAFoST activities during his 2003-2006 term of office, and the Fellows’ activities during the World Congress in Nantes. I take this opportunity to thank Malcolm for his conscientious and dedicated leadership and hard work for the International Academy as its President. Malcolm’s will be a hard act to follow, but I shall continue to do my best.
    The Executive Council for the current 2006-2008 term is: President: Prof J Ralph Blanchfield (UK); President-Elect: Dr Vishweshwaraiah Prakash (India); Immediate Past President: Prof Malcolm Bourne (USA); Councillor: Prof Dr-Ing Walter Spiess (Germany); Councillor: Prof Daryl Lund (USA); and Ex officio: Mrs Judith Meech (IAFoST Secretary General) (non-voting).
    Since the Nantes World Congress, IAFoST has been busy. We have established a closed listserv for all IAFoST Fellows. It is a valuable two-way communication resource between the Executive Council and Fellows and also among Fellows. This will help to make the Academy a living, lively and interactive network. Our Fellow Jack Meyers, who was Secretary General of IUFoST until 1999, has undertaken the future management of this listserv and of the Fellows database mentioned earlier.
    The World of Food Science is the on-line electronic food science and technology magazine operated jointly by IUFoST and its US Adhering Body, IFT. Significant progress has been made towards relaunching a reinvig­orated version under the Editorship of our Fellow, Ken Buckle. We have enlisted the help of IAFoST Fellows in providing articles.

Fellows survey
We have circulated a survey questionnaire to all Fellows. The questionnaire asked:

How can we as Fellows and as an Academy:
     Some respondents interpreted the questions in the widest sense and raised some matters which were not only relevant to IAFoST, but to IUFoST as a whole. The results of the survey are being considered both by the IAFoST Executive Council and by IUFoST itself.
    Why do we need to do a better job in recognizing outstanding food scientists and technologists? Although Fellows are nominated and elected in their individual capacities and not in any way representing countries, regions or other “constituencies”, it is a matter of concern that there are no Fellows in about half of the member countries; that there is a preponderance of academics and researchers and relatively few from industry (the latter do not have the opportunity to become widely known through publications); and that less than 10% of Fellows are women.
    The Academy Executive Council has already consid­ered the ways in which we can address these issues, one of which involves a slight but important change to the wording of the Academy Statutes, which will be the sub­ject of an electronic General Assembly around May 2007.
    In addition to the guidance previously provided to nominators and voters by the Secretary General, The Executive Council has determined that future guidance should spell out that “scientific accomplishments” shall include achievements in various fields and not just aca­demic research; and that “and/or leadership” is intended to provide an alternative to “scientific accomplishments” and again may have been exercised in various contexts.
    Finally we shall urge the IUFoST Governing Council and the Adhering Bodies to exercise their right to make nominations in addition to those made by the existing Fellows.

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Governing Council, Task Force and Secretariat activities

Interim Report   January – March 2007
By Judith Meech, IUFoST Secretary-General/Treasurer

Ballots and Requests for Comments (GA & GC):
Congress XIV:
2008 congress: President David Lineback, Scientific Council Chair Colin Dennis and Secretary-General Judith Meech met in Shanghai during the Fi Asia/China conference with Pingfan Rao, Zhang Zhaofan and Wang Xichang regarding the congress 1st circular, website development, scientific and organizing committees.

Publications:
 Speakers Bureau:
The IUFoST Speakers Bureau package, developed through the Marketing Task Force, has now been made available to all IUFoST Adhering Bodies. The Bureau’s purpose is to provide IUFoST adhering bodies with a list of speakers who are world renowned in their area of expertise and who can effectively deliver information in the area of food science and technology to groups of sci­entists and/or technologists.

Shanghai Conference:
The 5th Shanghai conference held in conjunction with FiAsia/China was a great success. Our Adhering Body, Chinese Institute of Food Science and Technology (CIFST) , Jason Wan of Food Science Australia and the IUFoST Scientific Council, developed a very strong and well-received programme. Special thanks to Shao Wei, Pingfan Rao and Jason Wan for all their hard work with such an excellent outcome.

Hong Kong Adhering Body:
Leo Yuen and Brian Leung of our Hong Kong Adhering Body (HKFSTA) met with us in Shanghai to discuss mutual interests and confirmed their support for the 2008 congress and willingness to help with adver­tising. It was very good to see them and we thank them for making the trip to Shanghai.

Distance Education:
The Distance Education Task Force is making huge headway with the anticipated launch of the first IUFoST module on food dehydration by UNISA in February 2008. The first level of the module has been reviewed and the intermediate level is completed and in the review process. Other modules, for which developers will be solicited mainly from among the Academy Fellows, include packaging. Communications are underway with the Dean of UNISA in preparation for a MoA between IUFoST and UNISA.

Calendar of Events:
 GC Meeting in Slovenia:
The Secretariat has been corresponding with our Adhering Body representative in Slovenia, Peter Raspor, regarding the invitation to the GC to meet in Slovenia this September. The GC meeting takes place on Saturday 22nd and Sunday, September 23rd and the congress begins that Sunday evening. GC Members are partici­pating in the 4-day congress, Food processing innovation–nutrition consumers to be held in Radenci, website: www.spd-food07.si

Regional Groupings in IUFoST:
FIFSTA: IUFoST President David Lineback has been invited to participate in the FIFSTA meeting held in conjunction with the ASEAN meetings this August in Kuala Lumpur. Further details are forthcoming from the organizers, Nik Daud and our Malaysian Adhering Body, MIFT.
New Regional Grouping for Africa: Exciting develop­ments are underway in Africa as our Nigerian Adhering Body representative, Bola Osinowo, has written to indi­cate that they are close to completing the organization of WAAFoST, Western African Association of Food Science and Technology. This new regional group was first dis­cussed in 2002 when the GC met in Kenya and most recently at the Nantes congress with representatives from Nigeria, the Sudan, Benin, Ghana and Botswana. The plan is for the new grouping to be inaugurated at the Nigerian congress scheduled for late October. Bola has requested IUFoST representatives to be part of this very important occasion. SAAFoST will be notified, as will other African Adhering Bodies.
 
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International Events
events in red are sponsored by IUFoST

2007

May 17 – 19
Third International Forum on Food Safety, China. Contact: Ms. Michelle Mi, 3F, No. 2 Building, 100 Qinzhou Road, Xuhui District, Shanghai, 200235, P.R.China, Tel: +021-54065152, Fax: +021-54065150, E-mail: msh@stcec.com, Website: www.fsif.stcec.cn

June 7 – 8
International Food Chemistry Conference, UK. Contact: Campden and Chorleywood Food Research Association (CCFRA) Technology Ltd., Station Road, Chipping Campden, Gloucestershire, UK, Tel: +44 (0) 1386 842104 or +44 (0) 1386 1386 842000, Fax: +44 (0) 1386 842100, E-mail: training@campden.co.uk, Website: www.campden.co.uk

June 12 - 14
Fi South America, Brazil. Contact: CMP Information Brazil, Alameda Tocantins, 75, Sala 1610 Edif’cio West Gate, Alphaville - Barueri, SP, CEP 06455-020, Tel +55 11 4689 1935, Fax +55 11 4689 1926, E-mail: fisa@cmpi.com.br, Website: www.south-america.fi-events.com

June 19 – 21
New Zealand Institute of Food Science & Technology Annual Conference, “Food - the Challenges”, Wellington, New Zealand. Contact: Rosemary Hancock, Executive Manager NZIFST, PO Box 8031, Palmerston, North, New Zealand, Tel: +64 6 356 1686, Fax: +64 6 356 1687, E-mail: rosemary@nzifst.org.nz, Website: www.nzifst.org.nz, www.nzifst.org.nz/events/annual-conf.asp

June 19 – 22
13th International Conference for Grain & Oil Science in Technology, “Grain, Oils and Innovative Food Products - New Developments and Market Opportunities Between East and West”, China. Contact: ICC General Secretariat, E-mail: office@icc.or.at, Website: www.icc.or.at

 June 24 – 27
AIFST 40th Anniversary Convention, “Celebrating with 20/20 Vision”, Melbourne, Australia. Contact: AIFST, Julie Bennett, PO Box 6436, Alexandria NSW 2015 Australia, E-mail: aifst@aifst.asn.au, E-mail: julie@foodaust.com.au, Website: www.aifst.asn.au

July 28 – August 1
IFT 2007 Annual Meeting & Food Expo, “FoodSmarts”, USA
29 July: IUFoST / IFT International Symposium, “Global Emergence of Nutraceuticals & Functional Foods”
29 July: Canada (CIFST) breakfast, everyone welcome
31 July: ALACCTA Symposium, “Challenges and Impact of Food Safety Assurance in Latin America and the Caribbean”
Contact: Tel: +1 312-782-8424, E-mail: info@ift.org, Website: www.am-fe.ift.org

August 21 – 23
10th ASEAN Food Conference 2007, “The Premier Food Science and Technology Conference in ASEAN”, Malaysia. Contact: Secretariat / Registration, Technical Services Centre, MARDI Headquarters, G.P.O Box 12301, 50774 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, (Attn.: Nor Hashim Ujang / Norhafizah Mohamad Yusof), Tel: +603 - 89437041 / 7827, Fax: +603 8941 3512, E-Mail: afcregistration@mardi.my / afcregistration@yahoo.com, Website: www.afc07.upm.edu.my

September 1 - 5
9th International Symposium on the Maillard Reaction, Munich, Germany. Contact: Wolstein Building, Room # 5127, 2103 Cornell Road, Cleveland, OH 44106, Tel: 216-368-2930, Fax: 216-368-1357, E-mail: imars@case.edu, Website: www.imars.case.edu

September 3 – 5
19th SAAFoST Biennial Congress and Exhibition, South Africa. Contact: Turners Conferences & Conventions (Pty) Ltd., Attn: Gill Slaughter, PO Box 1935, Durban, 4000, South Africa, Tel: +27 31 3321451, Fax: +27 31 3686623, E-mail: gills@turnergroup.co.za, Website: www.saafost2007.org.za

September 2 - 8
10th International Symposium on the Properties of Water and ISOPOW Practicum III, Bangkok. Thailand. Contact: Dr. Tanaboon Sajjaanantakul, Department of Food Science and Technology, Faculty of Agro-Industry, Kasetsart University, Thailand. Tel: +66 5 048 9520, Fax: +66 2 562 5021. E-mail: tanaboon.s@ku.ac.th or tanaboons@gmail.com, Website: www.isopow.agro.ku.ac.th / www.isopow2007.org

September 12 – 14
Congress CYTAL, Buenos Aires, Argentina. Contact: Argentine Food Technologists Association (AATA), Alsina 943 - 4¼ piso, oficina 406 (C1088AAA), Buenos Aires, Argentina, Tel/fax: ++ 43340155 E-mail: tecnologos@ali­mentos.org.a
r
September 21 – 26
3rd Slovenian Congress of SNS with international par­ticipation, “Food processing- innovation–nutrition-consumers”, held in conjunction with the IUFoST Governing Council Meeting, Radenci, Slovenia. Contact: Institute for food safety and consumer’s health protection, ZAZA Dobrovnik, Dobrovnik 297, SI-9223 Dobrovnik, Slovenia, Tel: +386 2 57 99 053, Fax: +386 2 57 99 054, E-mail: congress@xaza.si, Website: www.spd-food07.si

October 8 – 10
Innova 2007: Tercer Simposio Internacional de Innovaci—n y Desarrollo de Alimentos, Montevideo, Uruguay. Contact: secretariatecnica@latu.org.uy, Website: www.innova2007.info

October 22 – 25
Nigerian Institute of Food Science and Technology Conference and Inauguration of IUFoST Regional Group WAAFoST, Abuja. Nigeria. Contact: info@nifst.org, Website: www.nifst.org

November 4 – 7
VII Simposio Latino Americano de Ciencia de Alimentos, “Food Science and Technology in Benefit of the Society: Uniting Agriculture and Health”, Campinas, Brazil. Contact: Prof» DŽlia Rodriguez Amaya - FEA/Unicamp, E-mail: delia@fea.unicamp.br, Website: www.slaca.com.br

November 5 – 6
GEFFoST Conference: Focus Food Science, “Lipids and Lipoids – Proteins and Enzymes”, Frankfurt, Germany. Contact: Claudia Martz, Dechema, E-mail: martz@dechema.de, Website: www.events.dechema.de/Lebensmittel

November 5 – 8
6th Ibero American Congress of Food Engineering (CIBIA VI), Ambato, Equador. Contact: VI Congreso Iberoamericano de Ingenier’a de Alimentos, Ing. Dar’o Vel‡stegui, Centro de Investigaciones (CENI, Universidad TŽcnica de Ambato, Campus Ingahurco, Av. Colombia y Chile, Ambato, Ecuador, P.O. Box: 18-01-0334 Tel: +593 3 2849454, Fax: +593 3 2849454, E-mail: dvelastegui@uta.edu.ec, Website: www.uta.edu.ec

November 14 – 16
EFFoST with EHEDG Joint Conference, “Food – New Options for the Industry: Practical application of research results”, Lisbon, Portugal. Contact: EFFoST, E-mail: www.effost.org, Website: www.effost--hedg-conf.elsevier.com

2008

April 22 –24
FiCEE Exhibition, Warsaw, Poland. Contact: Ms. Haf Cennydd, CMP Information, tel: + 31 346 559 444, Fax: + 31 346 573 8111, e-mail: hcennydd@cmpi.biz

May 20 – 22
FiAsia/China Exhibition and IUFoST conference, Shanghai, China, Contact: Exhibition – Ms. Haf Cennydd, CMP Information, tel: + 31 346 559 444, Fax: + 31 346 573 8111, e-mail:hcennydd@cmpi.biz, conference: Ms. J. Meech, IUFoST, e-mail: jmeech@iufost.org.

October 19 – 24
The 14th IUFoST World Congress of Food Science and Technology, “Food for Health and Wellbeing: tradition meets the future”, Shanghai. China. Contact: Prof. Pingfan Rao, Ms. Shao Wei, E-mail: cifst@yahoo.com.cn

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Adhering Body Profile

Nigerian Institute of Food Science and Technololgy (NIFST)
Profile prepared by Bola Osinowo, Chairman, NIFST International Relations Committee

Brief History
    The Nigerian Institute of Food Science and Technology (NIFST) is the only registered non-profit body representing food professionals drawn from academia, industry, government and research institutes in Nigeria.
    NIFST provides professional support to members and the food industry, advances and promotes Food Science and Technology as a professional discipline and contributes to nation building. Over forty institutions of higher learning in Nigeria offer this discipline.
    Established in 1976, NIFST membership has grown to well over 5,000 members spread across ten active chap­ters representing all the geopolitical zones in Nigeria. NIFST membership also extends beyond the shores of Nigeria with members resident in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, South Africa, Ghana among others. In April 1979, NIFST became a certified member of IUFoST and is visibly one of the largest bodies of food professionals in Africa today. The National Secretariat of NIFST is situated in Lagos, State of Nigeria.
    Activities of the Institute include; consultancy, sym­posia, seminars, taining workshops, lecture Series and career talks organized either solely or in partnership with Government agencies, research institutes or profes­sional bodies.
    To date, NIFST has organized 30 annual national conferences where members meet to brainstorm, dis­cuss/proffer suggestions on thought-provoking issues related to the profession including food processing and food security.
    NIFST is responsible for the publication of the Nigerian Food Journal (NIFOJ), which serves as Nigeria’s only organ of information dissemination on current Food/Food Related Research Findings. The Food Journal was first published in 1983 and has remained an annual publication of the Institute to date.
    Other publications include: academic brochures such as Proceedings of Symposia and Seminars, Books of Abstracts of Research Findings; and information bro­chures such as a monthly newsletter and quarterly mag­azine – THE FOOD FORUM MAGAZINE – packaged to serve the food industry and the general public at grass roots level.
    The Institute has also promoted job creation, wealth generation and poverty reduction through advanced training workshops to educate, encourage and empower Micro, Small and Medium Scale Entrepreneurs.

Governance
    A Board of Trustees and Governing Council pilot the affairs of the Institute. The Governing Council is made up of Principal Officers elected at AGM, Chapter Chairmen, and Chairmen of various Committees con­stituted for specific assignments. The 1st Vice President, 2nd Vice President and Assistant National Secretary are Chairmen of Corporate Affairs, Scientific/Training and Student Affairs Committees respectively. The Institute’s National Secretariat is run by a staff of five headed by the Ag. Administrative Secretary, Miss Martha Aja.
    Last year (2006), the Institute celebrated 30 years of contributions to national growth and development.

The 31st annual conference is scheduled to take place from October 22-25, 2007 at the Federal Capital Ierritory of Nigeria, Abuja. For information, visit www.Nifst.Org or write to info@nifst.org

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