In a recent engagement, the International Association for Cereal Science and Technology (ICC) were welcomed from the Taiwan Flour Mills Association,  the China Grain Products Research & Development Institute, the Food Industry Research and Development Institute and the Taiwan Grain Industry Association for insightful discussions on cereal science and food technology.

The Taiwan Flour Mills Association, represented by Executive Director Tony I-T Chen, highlighted its 24 members with a processing capacity of approximately 2 million metric tons. Key discussions centered on emerging challenges in wheat product consumption, including gluten-free alternatives, whole grain developments, and dietary intolerances related to FODMAPS. During the visit, representatives from the China Grain Research & Development Institute, including President Kuen-Ho Shih, Deputy Director Yi-Hong Chen, and Rachel Hsu, showcased their impressive educational facilities. The institute's bakery training center offers comprehensive courses in bread, cake, and pastry production using rice and wheat, providing a unique hands-on learning experience.

The institute's research center focuses on critical food quality and safety issues, investigating topics such as acrylamide and mycotoxins. Notably, their research approaches closely align with those of other ICC members, demonstrating a shared commitment to advancing cereal science. The China Grain Research & Development Institute has been an engaged ICC member since 2006, underscoring the organization's long-standing commitment to international collaboration in cereal science and technology.

FIRDI, the Food Industry Research and Development Institutes with Director General Chii-Cherng Liao, Deputy Director Chih-Hong Tung and his team showed ICC Delegates the impressive activities in the fields of quality management and analysis, product development the extensive bioresource collection and its training activities. The Taiwan Grain Industry Association with Directors General Weng-chang Chinag, Jimmy Kwan-Han, An-I Yeh and Secretary General Hua-Tsung Lin with his team gave insights in the extensive training and support activities of the association and fruitful discussions about whole grain and topics around gluten free products. The ICC Delegates President Bertrand Matthäus and Secretary General Veronika Haslinger express sincere gratitude for the hospitality,  the knowledge exchange with the focus on collaborative projects in line with ICC´s mission,  for the opportunity to engage with these important institutions and for the organizational support of ICC Delegate Rachel Hsu.

News

18 December 2024

The recent GFOH24 highlighted cutting-edge research in various areas of food science and technology. The event featured outstanding presentations from young researchers, with awards given for exceptional oral and poster presentations, evaluated by an independent jury. Prizes were awarded by JCS, CGPRDI and  MDPI  to recognize the contributions of these young scientists. Big thanks to JCS for sponsoring two Poster Awards and big thank you to CPGRDI and MDPI for sponsoring the category “best” and the Poster Awards.

Oral Presentation Awards

• The Best Oral Presentation award was claimed by Zhi-Yue WANG from National Taiwan University for the study titled "Constructing molecular networks of phytochemicals in Poaceae plants through a UHPLC-HRMS-based metabolomic approach." This innovative research promises to enhance our understanding of plant metabolomics. The oral presentations were sponsored by MDPI, reflecting their commitment to supporting scientific discourse.
• Cho-Yin WU, also from National Taiwan University, received the Excellent Oral Presentation award for her work on "Evaluating vis-NIR spectroscopy-based soil organic carbon prediction accuracy by four wet chemistry approaches," contributing significantly to advancements in soil analysis techniques.
• Chandrama BARUAH from ICMR-National Institute of Nutrition earned an Honorable Mention for the presentation "Hydrothermal processing of millets to alter inositol phosphate (IP6 to IP3) profile for improved mineral bioaccessibility," showcasing potential improvements in nutrient absorption from millet-based foods.
• Two Good Oral Presentation awards were presented to Rinwy CENDANA and Yong-Qi LEONG, both from National Taiwan University. CENDANA's research focused on "Mold and Mycotoxins in Domestically Produced Flint Corn at Cold Storage," while LEONG presented on "Comparative evaluation of chemical compositions, bioactive compounds, and in vitro starch digestibility of locally produced whole grain foxtail millet."

Poster Presentation Awards

• The Best Poster award was shared between two outstanding entries. Xin-Yi CHAI from National Taiwan University presented "An intelligent packaging developed for fish meat freshness detection by using anthocyanin-contained carboxymethyl cellulose/starch composite film." Xuetong ZHONG from Tunghai University showcased "Non-destructive Detection for Bakery Product with NIR Camera Based Specific Compounds." The poster presentations were sponsored by JCS, highlighting their support for innovative research in food science.
• Ting-Yu CHEN from National Taiwan University received the Excellent Poster award for her study "Novel Fermentation Process Produces Soy Product Enriched with Isoflavone Monophosphate," demonstrating advancements in fermentation technology.
• An Honorable Mention was awarded to Rinwy CENDANA for the poster "Development of Graphene Oxide-Carboxymethyl Cellulose/Starch Composite Films Incorporated with Oregano Essential Oil Nanoemulsion for Active Packaging," exploring innovative food packaging solutions.
• Two Good Poster awards were presented to Chih-Han CHIANG from National Taiwan University for "The impact of starch structure on the gel properties of Taiwanese rice flour: A case study using the flat rice noodle model," and Mian-Chi CHUANG from National Chung Hsing University for "Optimal combination of soy protein isolate and sorbitol as cryoprotectants to alleviate freezing damage in Portuguese oysters (Crassostrea angulata)."These award-winning presentations reflect the diverse and innovative research being conducted in food science, ranging from advanced analytical techniques to novel food processing methods and packaging solutions. The recognition provided by MDPI, JCS, and CGPRDI underscores the importance of supporting young researchers as they contribute to advancements in this vital field.

News

18 December 2024

The current hot topics in cereal science were discussed at the 10th DACH Conference for Applied Cereal Science (09 and 10 October 2024) at AGES in Vienna. A wide range of different topics on human nutrition and product quality, baking and dough properties, plant nutrition, contaminants and climate change adaptation were presented and discussed in 19 lectures, listed by more than 100 participants.
The replacement of sugar, the enrichment of dietary fibre and innovations in grain technology were an important part of the conference. In particular, the use of fibre-containing sources such as arabinoxylans in baked goods is becoming increasingly interesting especially due to their network-forming properties.  In addition, current topics of plant nutrition and the influence on protein formation were discussed. The part focused on undesirable substances, in particular the new legal requirements at EU level and the influence of processing on the levels of these substances (such as mycotoxins, tropane alkaloids or acrylamide) . The conference format D-A-CH conference on Applied Cereal Sciences took place already at the 10^th time. It represents the successful collaboration ICC-Austria, with President Elisabeth Reiter, ICC-Switzerland, represented by Stephanie Bräunlich and AGF, represented by Georg Böcker and Konstantin Golombek. Austrian Bakery “Haubis” sponsored a great cake with considering all the important aspects on cereals and networking due to the statutes.

A further highlight was the recognition of the former ICC Austria president Alfred Mar who has held this position for 25 years. ICC Secretary General Veronika Haslinger has had the honour to express in her speech the appreciation for his contributions and overheld a honorary plate. Again here, the bakery “haubis” showed excellent creativity with a tasteful cake.

News

17 December 2024

In a significant development for the food industry and nutrition science, the Codex Committee on Nutrition and Foods for Special Dietary Uses (CCNFSDU) has agreed to endorse a new method for determining dietary fiber content. The decision was made during the 44th session of the CCNFSDU, held in Dresden from October 2-6, 2024.The committee has requested the Codex Committee on Methods of Analysis and Sampling (CCMAS) to endorse ICC Standard 191 (AOAC 2022.01 / AACC 32-61.01) as a Type I method for determining insoluble and soluble dietary fibers. This new standard is set to replace the current AOAC 2011.25 / AACC 32-50.01 method.This advancement is the result of collaborative efforts between AOAC International, the American Association of Cereal Chemists (AACC), and method developer Barry McCleary. The new standard represents a significant step towards harmonizing dietary fiber analysis and labeling across different regulatory frameworks globally.The adoption of this new method underscores the importance of international collaboration in food science and nutrition. It is expected to provide more accurate and consistent measurements of dietary fiber content, which is crucial for both manufacturers and consumers.ICC's Technical Director Valentina Narducci and Barry McCleary represented the ICC delegation in these important discussions, contributing their expertise to this landmark decision.This development is likely to have far-reaching implications for the food industry, potentially affecting product formulation, labeling, and regulatory compliance across multiple countries adhering to Codex standards.

News

17 December 2024