Food
News
20 Jun 2022
The OWSD-Elsevier Foundation Awards for Early Career Women Scientists reward and encourage women working and living in developing countries who are in the early stages of their scientific careers, having often overcome great challenges to achieve research excellence. Awardees must have made a demonstrable impact on the research environment, both at a regional and international level, and must have received their PhD in STEM in the last ten years.
06 Jun 2022
Partnership seeks to deepen symbiotic industry-academia collaborations in applied research and talent upskilling. First-of-its-kind made-for-Asia sustainable R&D to develop kale stems as prebiotics
20 May 2022
Asia Research News monitors the latest research news in Asia. Some highlights that caught our attention this week are smart contact lenses, cat communication, elephant mourning, and a hitchhiking drone.
22 Apr 2022
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are toxic organic pollutants, which are usually deposited in soil and marine sediments through petroleum contamination, fossil fuel burning, fallout from air pollution, and terrestrial runoff. The dietary intake of contaminated food is considered to be one of the major sources of total human exposure to PAHs. Previous studies revealed that concentrations of PAHs in human blood plasma collected from Hong Kong residents were positively correlated with consumption of seafood, including fish, which is a major source of protein in Hong Kong. The contamination of PAHs in farmed fish depends partly on the quality of feed. Fish meal and fish oil are commonly used in fish feed, but they are also a source of organic pollutants, including PAHs. Formulated feeds have become the major diet of many important farmed species.
21 Apr 2022
Genome profiling of Staphylococcus argenteus strains unveiled cross-contamination among Japanese retail foods and slaughterhouses.
21 Apr 2022
Giants in History: The research of Filipino pharmaceutical chemist Luz Oliveros-Belardo (3 November 1906 – 12 December 1999) focussed on essential oils and other chemicals derived from native Philippine plants.
18 Apr 2022
In line with globally recommended practices to reduce the dietary risk of non-communicable diseases (NCDs), the Sri Lankan government implemented a traffic-light labelling (TLL) system for sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB) in August 2016. The purpose of the regulations was to educate the public on the sugar content in SSBs to promote healthy diets in Sri Lanka and reduce NCDs associated with a high sugar intake. It is timely to assess the effectiveness of TLL in encouraging healthier food choices. Based on an ongoing IPS study, this blog discusses consumers’ knowledge of TLL and how it impacts their SSB choices.
08 Apr 2022
A population health survey in Hong Kong revealed that 50% of people aged 15 to 84 were either overweight or obese because of insufficient intake of wholegrains, fruits, and vegetables, and the increasing consumption of sugar-sweetened and alcoholic beverages, convenience foods, take-out food, and other high-density, low-nutrient foods.
31 Mar 2022
A collaborative research project has investigated the physiological changes in Japanese Black cattle during their unique feeding process, paving the way for evaluating their metabolic status and an even tastier cut of meat.
09 Mar 2022
Scientists from Hokkaido University and colleagues have identified a pathway that accelerates plant flowering in low-nitrogen soils — a finding that could help enhance agricultural production.
11 Feb 2022
On the occasion of the One Ocean Summit taking place in the French city of Brest, UNESCO has announced that at least 80% of the seabed will be mapped by 2030, compared to 20% currently, with the support of its Member States and the private sector.
04 Feb 2022
Rice has long been a staple food for more than half the global population. The United Nations even declared 2004 the International Year of Rice to raise awareness and encourage action to protect and advance the crop for a rapidly growing population. The genetic guidance rice uses to grow and reproduce, however, is still not fully understood. Now, a research team based in Japan is learning more, including how critical one gene is for the plant to develop grains of rice, which serve as both seeds and food.
26 Jan 2022
Giants in History: In 1939, biochemist Kamala Sohonie (18 June 1911 – 28 June 1998) became the first woman to be accepted into the Indian Institute of Science (IISc).
24 Jan 2022
Researchers from Hokkaido University have proposed a framework to assist in the demarcation between genetically modified organisms and genome-edited organisms, taking into account both scientific and socio-ethical considerations.
20 Jan 2022
Giants in History: U Hla Myint (1920 – 2017) was a celebrated economist from Myanmar. Considered a prodigy, he was admitted to Rangoon University to study economics when he was just 14 years old.
29 Dec 2021
Giants in History: Filipina chemist María Orosa (29 November 1892–13 February 1945) fought malnutrition and food insecurity in the Philippines by devising over 700 culinary creations including Soyalac, a nutrient rich drink made from soybeans, and Darak, rice cookies packed with Vitamin B1, which could prevent beriberi disease caused by Vitamin B1 deficiency.
16 Dec 2021
Susan Lim (14 February 1952 – 2 August 2014) was a Malaysian parasitologist who specialized in studying a class of flatworms, the Monogeans, which are parasites of fishes.
16 Dec 2021
Okara, a soybean byproduct, can now be 3D printed without any additives, boosting food sustainability efforts.
26 Nov 2021
The Hong Kong SAR Government’s 2018-19 Health Behaviour Survey showed that around 96% of residents aged 15 or over consumed less than five portions of fruit and vegetables per day. Added to this, almost 10% of these people ate processed meat at least once a day, on average. The World Health Organisation states that an unhealthy diet and lack of physical activity are leading global risks to health, and its member states have agreed to halt the rise of diabetes and obesity in adults, teenagers, and of overweight children by 2025.
10 Nov 2021
Japanese customers have higher expectations of restaurants selling traditional foods more when they display an older year of establishment.
25 Oct 2021
Researchers have revealed in an animal model that ImmuBalance, a fermented soybean product, is effective in suppressing airway inflammation caused by asthma. Results showed a decreased presence of eosinophils in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid, a decrease in mucus production in the bronchial epithelium, and a suppression of proteins that induce eosinophilic inflammation.
30 Sep 2021
Geb Impact aims to scale up microalgae production to provide novel super food ingredient by cost-effective mass cultivation of microalgae
29 Sep 2021
The 10th edition of TechInnovation presents an array of opportunities to catalyse technology transfer and partnerships for business growth.
29 Sep 2021
Researchers conducted an online survey on nutrition, dietary behavior, and body image with 32 national and international level para-athletes with physical disabilities such as spinal cord injury or limb defect/amputation. Results showed that about 40% need assistance in procuring and cooking food and that it is difficult to achieve their ideal diet on their own. Also, although para-athletes with a good body image rated their eating habits as healthy, they had a low percentage of correct answers to questions about nutrition.
23 Sep 2021
Single cell analyses reveal hidden turgor-associated metabolic changes and water flow across the flesh in watercored apples
23 Sep 2021
IPI’s flagship technology brokerage event will spotlight the latest global sustainability solutions from 28 to 30 September 2021.
11 Sep 2021
Giants in History: Chinese agronomist Yuan Longping (7 September 1930 – 22 May 2021) developed the first varieties of the high-yield, hybrid rice that brought food security to multiple countries including China, which had been ravaged by food shortages as recently as the mid-20th century.
27 Aug 2021
Speakers announced for the 10th edition of IPI’s premier technology matching event
12 Aug 2021
The nutritional status of children under five in Sri Lanka has not shown a significant improvement for the last 20 years. It has also been lagging behind most of the other health and social indicators on children. IPS research shows that household income, inadequate nutrient intake, breastfeeding practices, mothers’ education, etc., play a major role in child undernutrition in Sri Lanka. Moreover, given significant losses in household income experienced at the hands of the COVID-19 pandemic, nutrient intake may have declined further over the past year. As such, it would be a challenging task for health planners to develop effective strategies to minimise undernutrition among children under five years. This article highlights some of the facts contributing to child undernutrition in Sri Lanka and suggests ways to address this critical issue.
Events
11 Oct 2021
Pandemics and Policy: Protecting Health and Promoting Economic Recovery
28 Sep 2021
TECHINNOVATION is a premier technology-to-industry matching event presented by IPI. It brings together international technology providers and enterprises to accelerate the commercialisation of emerging technologies, seed licensing opportunities and foster open innovation collaborations.
25 Oct 2021
First in the region focused on recognizing innovations, initiatives, programmes and ideas which contribute to sustainability, eradicating poverty, improving well-being, protecting our planet, and building peace and prosperity.
26 Mar 2021
Springer Nature and the University of Tokyo to hold SDGs Symposium 2021, “Interdisciplinary science solutions for food, water, climate and ecosystems Sustainable Development Goals”
18 Nov 2020
The Asia-Pacific Agri-Food Innovation Summit will focus on accelerating innovation in supply chain resilience, urban food systems, alternative proteins, and affordable nutrition. Will you be joining the conversation virtually on November 18-20?
The Khwarizmi International Award (KIA) acknowledges the efforts made by researchers, innovators and inventors from across the globe and to appreciate their high quality research work and contributions to different fields of science and technology.
25 Sep 2019
Vitafoods Asia is the dedicated event for Asia's nutraceutical, functional food and beverages, and dietary supplement industries, providing 350+ global suppliers to meet and do business with 6000+ visitors across the industry's four key areas from ingredient to shelf.
20 Nov 2019
Accelerating technology and investment in Asia’s agri-food supply chain
Researchers
International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM)
Dr. Nor Aiman Sukindar has joined International Islamic University Malaysia in 2019 and currently working as Assistant Professor in Manufacturing and Materials Department and at the same time holding a position as Chairman of the Advanced Manufacturing and Material Research Unit (AMTech). Before joining IIUM, Dr. Aiman was working with Politeknik Kuching Sarawak for more than seven years from 2011 until 2019.
Dr. Aiman has extensive experience in research pertaining to additive manufacturing technologies including the design and development of 3D printers, fabricating scaffold structures for bone replacement using biomaterials, optimization printing parameters, and any other related field. Dr. Aiman was awarded grants from industries and the government including PPRN, Tin Grant, and Sponsored research grant.
Recently, Dr. Aiman won several awards including a silver medal in Asia Innovation Festival 2022, Gold Medal in RITEC 2021 Competition in 2021, and a silver medal and Outstanding Award in SDG MTE 2021 Competition also in 2021.
Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU)
Prof. Cai Zongwei is now the Chair Professor of Chemistry in the Department of Chemistry and Director of both State Key Laboratory of Environmental and Biological Analysis as well as Dioxin Laboratory, Hong Kong Baptist University.
The Education University of Hong Kong (EdUHK)
Dr. Brian Man Yu Bon is currently serving as an Assistant Professor in Department of Science and Environmental Studies, The Education University of Hong Kong.
Ms. Nagal is an alumna of the University, who graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Hotel and Restaurant Management from the College of Tourism and Hospitality Management and a Master in Business Administration major in Entrepreneurship from the UST Graduate School.
An energetic and talented researcher with a strong desire to build a career within the research industry. Passionate, self-motivated individual with a drive to succeed, with excellent organizational skills. Highly efficient and methodical with a good eye for detail with a proactive approach to performance and data accuracy.
I am a Health Economist/Researcher, working with UN agencies in the development of policy documents for developing countries including Nepal, Ethiopia and Pakistan.
Singapore University of Technology and Design
Mr. Lee Cheng Pau is currently pursuing his Ph.D in the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD) focusing on 3D Food Printing.
Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM)
Department of Microbiology / Biomolecular Sciences
Universiti Teknologi MARA
Malaysia
The Education University of Hong Kong (EdUHK)
Dr. Louisa Chung is a Registered Nutritionist of Association for Nutrition (UK) with ten years experience in weight management and physical fitness projects. She is now working on an innovative dietary intake method which aims better result in weight loss and nutrition education.
International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM)
Dr. Tengku Haziyamin Tengku Abdul Hamid's recent discovery of a novel strain has enabled a new patent to be drafted and was awarded gold medal in Malaysian Technology Expo 2021 for his new probiotic prototype called ProAquaVcare.
Taylors university
Dr Chin Chin Sia is a senior lecturer in the Faculty of Business & Law, Taylor's University, Malaysia.
Universiti Malaysia Sabah
Dr. Connie Cassy Ompok is an early childhood education expert and a Senior Lecturer at the Faculty of Psychology and Education, Universiti Malaysia Sabah. She Started her career in Early Childhood Education as a preschool teacher (2004-2007), a lecturer in early childhood education at the Malaysian Institute of Teacher Education (2008-2016) before serving as a Senior Lecturer in Early Childhood Education at UMS (2016 until now).
Dr. A. Ahmad obtained his BS, MSc, and PhD degrees in Biotechnology and Chemical Engineering, respectively. Dr. Ahmad's areas of expertise include algal engineering for bioenergy production, environmental remediation, dark fermentation, and biochemicals, CO2 mitigation, industrial wastewater treatment, and heavy metals biosorption. Ahmad has worked on several projects using integrated microalgal engineering in industrial wastewater. Dr. Ahmad has published over 35 articles in peer-reviewed journals and conference proceedings and generated significant research interest. He serves as a reviewer for more than ten scientific journals.
Prof. Khader has spent more than 30 years researching economic empowerment of Rural, Farm, Fisher and Tribal Women. Gender aspects underpins her research on livelihoods, food and nutrition security, growth and well-being of community.
A Tenured Professor at the Institute of Space Technology (Pakistan), Dr. Shabbir is working on Polymer based Nanomaterials for water treatment, food safety, nano-drug delivery systems, solar cells and carbon dioxide capture.
The knowledge and skills learned from The University of Sydney, Cornell University, CIMMTY, IRRI, TWAS, OWSD, running of international projects and presentation of research findings in multiple international congress/conferences – all helped not only to become the researcher today, but also motivated to become a research leader.
My current research is generally on the bioactive compounds, antioxidant and antimicrobial properties especially from agricultural by-product. Recently, I have found that these agricultural by-product has a promising potential to be used as biopesticide. They are not expensive, practical and will not significantly affect the environment and human health.
Nanyang Technological University
The prospect of favorably influencing brain health through dietary habits has gained much interest. My research interest explores the therapeutic potential of functional foods and phytonutrients as neuroprotectants against mitochondrial diseases and cerebral toxoplasmosis. The scientific findings support nutritional intervention as a viable strategy for the management of human brain disorders.
Dr Teng Yin Ting is a Lecturer in Republic Polytechnic, Singapore, with more than 10 years of research experience in chemical additives, nanomaterials, battery materials and energy harvesting materials.
Universiti Malaysia Sabah
Associate Professor Sitti Raehanah Muhamad Shaleh is the director of Borneo Marine Research Institute at Universiti Malaysia Sabah.
Dr. Hemu Kharel Kafle is the Founder and Director of Research at Kathmandu Institute of Applied Sciences (KIAS), Nepal, and a scientist at the Centre for Water and Atmospheric Research (CENWAR) within it.
Horizon Journals
Prof. Nayan Kanwal is the Chief Consultant & Chief Executive Editor of the Horizon Journals.
Secretary General and Treasurer of the International Geographical Union (IGU) and Professor of Geography at University of Delhi.
Tohoku University
Director of the International Research Institute of Disaster Science (IRIDeS) at Tohoku University since April 2014, and also is a professor of Tsunami Engineering
Nagoya University
Michitaka Notaguchi is an assistant professor at the Bioscience and Biotechnology Center, Nagoya University, Japan.
Hokkaido University
Manabu Tokeshi is a Professor at the Division of Applied Chemistry at Hokkaido University.
Centre for Economic and Social Development (CESD)
Zaw Oo is Executive Director of the Centre for Economic and Social Development, an independent think-tank dedicated to inclusive development in Myanmar. Previously, he was the Presidential Economic Advisor from 2012-2016, serving as a principal advisor on finance, industry, commerce and labour issues.
Hokkaido University
Professor, Faculty of Environmental Science, Hokkaido University
The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK)
Li Zhang is an Associate Professor in the Department of Mechanical and Automation Engineering (MAE) and an associate faculty member in Chow Yuk Ho Technology Centre for Innovative Medicine (TIM) and T Stone Robotics Institute (CURI) at The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK). He is also the co-director of CAS SIAT-CUHK Joint Laboratory of Robotics and Intelligent Systems.
Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM)
Currently Associate Professor at Universiti Putra Malaysia. Holds a PhD from University College of Wales and BSc (Hons) Genetics from the University of Liverpool