Lincoln University Professor Charles Brennan was in Taiwan recently to raise the profile of plant-based research and discuss the link between wholegrain consumption and reduced obesity.
During his keynote speech at the annual international conference of Grain Industry Development, Professor Brennan talked about the work that he and his research team are carrying out in the area of wholegrain nutrition.
“New Zealand could be saving more than $45 million each year if its food industries added just 1g more of wholegrain material to the diets of Kiwis each day,” he said.
Professor Brennan was invited to be keynote speaker by the Taiwan Ministry of Agriculture and Food and the Taiwan Grain Industry Association.
As president of the International Association of Cereal Science, he also conducted a number of site tours, including one to Taiwan’s largest producer of oat milk products and to its largest exporter of plant-based dietary products, such as pea protein alternatives and extruded texturised vegetable protein.
The visit aimed to build research capability in the fast-emerging plant-based sector and increase the potential for collaborative training programmes between Lincoln University and Taiwanese academic and research centres of excellence.