NUS Department of Food Science and Technology

The severity of the ByteDance food poisoning incident shows how food safety can be taken for granted, says NUS Assistant Professor Dan Li.

The 25th Anniversary Gala Dinner held at Kent Ridge Guild House on 8 August was a heartwarming gathering of over 250 industry partners, alumni and friends who joined us to celebrate the Department’s achievements and rich history. We were privileged to hear from Prof Tan Eng Chye, who reflected on the Department's growth over the past quarter-century, as well as Prof Weibiao Zhou, our Head of Department, who gave an overview of the Department's current standing and its impact on the global stage. We were also delighted to be joined by Prof P.J. Barlow, the FST Programme's first Director, who closed the evening on a nostalgic note. A huge thank you to our industry partners, donors, alumni and friends for their unwavering support throughout our journey, which has helped to strengthen the FST family spirit. We can't wait to forge new paths and achieve greater heights together!

On 8 August, the NUS Department of Food Science & Technology marked its Silver Anniversary with a Department Opening Ceremony and Gala Dinner. Joined by our Guest-Of-Honour Prof Tan Eng Chye, NUS President, the evening of celebrations kicked off with the unveiling of our newly upgraded facilities— a major milestone in our journey. We were excited to celebrate the occasion with colleagues from the industry, donors and alumni, all of whom have supported us along the way and contributed to our success. Attendees were treated to a tour of our laboratories as well as a showcase of the research and start-ups spearheaded by our students and faculty. Here's to the next chapter of growth!

Congratulations to our postgraduate students on their achievements at the 2024 Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) Food Improved by Research, Science, and Technology (FIRST) conference! The annual food science and technology conference, featuring over 1000 exhibitors, brings together researchers from all over the world to discuss solutions to challenges faced by the global food system. Well done to the following students for their exceptional performance in the Graduate Student Competition: Uma Tay Jingxin, First Place, Protein Division He Chengxin, Second Place, Protein Division Jiaqi Mi, Second Place, Biotechnology Division Xie Xiaofang, Third Place, International Division

A study conducted by Asst. Prof. Kim Jung Eun and her team found that 5-Hydroxytryptophan could enhance sleep quality in older Singaporean adults by modulating the composition of their gut microbiome, highlighting the potential of using dietary strategies over traditional sleep aids and providing insights into the gut-brain axis. Explore the full findings in the link below!

Congratulations to the winners of the Singapore International Food Forum Best Poster Awards! Our panel of international judges, who were among our invited speakers, assessed each postgraduate poster based on the scientific content, visual presentation, and significance of their research. A big thank you to our judges for taking the time to evaluate the posters and everyone who voted in the Popular Vote Award! The awardees of the Best Poster Awards are: Popular Vote: Prof. Elizabeth Arenas Winner (Postgraduate): Mr. Ian Mak Runner-Ups (Postgraduate): Mr. Manfred Ku and Ms. Yueying Yao #SingaporeInternationalFoodForum #SIFF #SIFF2024

The Singapore International Food Forum featured 5 internationally renowned plenary speakers, each a leader in their field, who delivered insightful talks on the four key themes of the forum. All plenary speakers also came together for the panel discussion, moderated by Prof Weibiao Zhou, HOD of the NUS Department of Food Science & Technology, where they addressed audience questions and shared their expert opinions. A huge thank you to our plenary speakers for sharing their invaluable perspective: Dr Laura Schnackenberg, Prof Albert Brauning, Dr Danilo Basili, Prof Nitin Nitin, and Dr ANA ALLENDE PRIETO We would also like to thank all oral and poster presenters for contributing their research and ideas to the forum, propelling advances in food science and technology. We hope that everyone found SIFF to be an enriching experience! #SingaporeInternationalFoodForum #SIFF #SIFF2024

A gathering of the brightest minds in food science at the inaugural Singapore International Food Forum, held at the National University of Singapore on 1-2 August! Co-organised by the NUS Department of Food Science & Technology and the Singapore Food Agency, the forum brought researchers, regulatory officials and industry stakeholders together to discuss topics in food science that are crucial to Singapore and the region. We were excited to welcome over 330 attendees from 20 countries, who gathered to exchange ideas on food safety, AI, sustainability and other emerging topics in the field. We were privileged to be joined by our Guests-of-Honour Prof. Bernard Tan, Senior Vice Provost at NUS, and Mr. Damian Chan, CEO of the Singapore Food Agency, who kickstarted the forum by underscoring the importance of advancing the field of food science in Singapore. We are also grateful to Adj. Assc. Prof. Joanne Chan, Centre Director of the National Centre for Food Science, Singapore Food Agency, for closing off the forum. A heartfelt thank you to all speakers and participants for making SIFF a resounding success. We look forward to continuing these important conversations well beyond the forum! #SingaporeInternationalFoodForum #SIFF #SIFF2024

The Singapore International Food Forum is just 3 weeks away! Held in UTown, NUS on 1 and 2 August, the inaugural SIFF will feature 130 presenters from 20 countries across Asia and beyond. We are excited to introduce our 5 plenary speakers who are internationally renowned leaders in their fields and will be leading the discussion in the 4 themes of the forum. In addition to their plenary talk, all 5 speakers will join the plenary discussion on 2 August, where they will answer audience questions and delve into the pertinent issues faced by food science professionals today. Registrations will close on 15 July, Monday. Secure your spot now at https://lnkd.in/gB5S8zDc Check out the SIFF programme at https://lnkd.in/gbP985fh #SingaporeInternationalFoodForum #SIFF #SIFF2024

The 2024 NUS FoodTech Challenge concluded last week, marking the end of an incredible journey for our finalist teams! After 2 weeks of mentoring and prototyping, 16 finalist teams from Singapore and the region showcased their ideas in the Finals of the 2024 NUS FoodTech Challenge, which was held virtually and physically at the Singapore Science Park last week. The problem statement posed by Nestlé this year challenged participants to create healthy, ready-to-eat fermented food products for youths in Southeast Asia. The teams pitched their products to a panel of judges consisting of industry veterans and researchers, who evaluated every aspect of their ideas from the product to their business model. And the winners of the 2024 NUSFTC are: Local 1st: L08 Goldies 2nd: L05 Omnomnom 3rd: L07 Kombucha-cha-cha International 1st: N77 KawanDaun 2nd: N12 Teampe Digdaya 3rd: N44 Yuzu Gurls Congratulations to the winners! We would also like to thank our judges and sponsors for lending their expertise and generous support to make NUSFTC an enriching experience for all our participants! Judges: Allan Lim, Tsz Ning Mak, Jian Yong Chua, Max Tham, Alvin Loo, Yoke Ping, Shen Siung Wong, PhD, Angela Li Sponsors: Singapore Science Park Ltd., FoodPlant Pte Ltd, Singapore Polytechnic Food Innovation and Resource Centre (FIRC) Singapore, Agrocorp International, MindoFoods, Moonbeam, Boost VitaliTEA Thank you to all teams, judges, mentors and speakers for your creative ideas and enthusiastic participation. See you at the next iteration of the NUS FoodTech Challenge! #NUSFTC #NUSFTC2024 #NUSFoodTechChallenge2024