Food science is the focus of the Lincoln student presentations to the University’s partners at the Euro league for Life Sciences (ELLS) General Assembly and Student Conference, which runs from 19-21 November..
ELLS is an exclusive network of leading European universities established to promote educational collaborations in fields such as animal, agricultural, food and environmental science; ecological engineering; natural resources management; and landscape architecture and spatial planning, of which Lincoln is a member.
The conference, due to COVID-19, is a virtual event this year
As well as Lincoln University Acting Vice-Chancellor Professor Bruce McKenzie addressing the conference, three postgraduate students have the opportunity to share their research, and all are from the food science area.
Nadeesha Hewa Nadungodage is presenting on “Gluten-free extruded snack using rice, cowpea and whey protein concentrates: Bioactive compounds, antioxidant proprieties and predictive glycaemic response”.
Ashley Sui will cover “The effect of fortifying rice crackers with oyster and green-lipped mussel powder on the glycaemic impact and protein bio accessibility of gluten-free crackers” and Xi Gong will discuss “Peptides Derived from Cereal Bran Protein and Their Functionality and Characterisation”
Ashley said oyster and green-lipped mussel were one of New Zealand’s abundant aquatic resource, rich in high-quality essential amino acids of protein, vitamins and minerals, as well as long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids.
“They also have significant anti-inflammatory properties and reduce the symptoms of metabolic syndrome. “
Her research aimed to strengthen the nutritional composition of rice crackers and analyse “physical properties, antioxidant capacity, in-vivo and in-vitro digestion and sensory acceptability of the products, as well as the effect of these ingredients on gut immune-sensitivity”.
Nadeesha said the demand for convenient ready-to-eat food is increasing at a dramatic pace by replacing the place of traditional meals.
“But the concern is, most of these are made of refined cereal flours and are high in sugar and salt and are being regarded as energy-dense but are nutritionally poor.”
Her study aimed to assess factors such as the bioactive compounds, glycaemic response, and antioxidant properties of extruded ready-to-eat snacks rich in fibre and protein made up of rice, cowpea and whey protein concentrate.
She said the study was helpful for the development of healthy snacks to deliver nutrient sources to confront global health problems.
The event is also an annual meeting of staff representatives from across the network.
Find out more about studying food science at Lincoln here https://www.lincoln.ac.nz/Study/Areas-of-Specialisation/food-wine-beer/