BioHealth Scientists from South Korea visit the West London Food Innovation Centre
Intro
Food innovation and R&D breakthroughs in healthier food formulation were the focus of five South Korean BioHealth Regulatory Science researchers who recently visited the West London Food Innovation Centre (WLFIC) at the London Geller College of Hospitality and Tourism (LGCHT).
Main body
The research team from Dong-A University in Busan, South Korea, led by Professor Eun-Kyung Kim (Department of Food and Nutrition), had the opportunity to learn about the work conducted in WLFIC on upcycling spent food ingredients, reducing sugar and increase soluble fibre content on baked products as well as the College’s community outreach activities in the West London NHS Trust’s ‘Diabetes Health and Wellness Coaching Service’.
Dr Amalia Tsiami, associate professor in Food Science and Nutrition at LGCHT hosted the team and presented to the Korean visitors the new knowledge generated from the work in WLFIC in product reformulation following the obesity pandemic and government initiative in reduced sugar products. The addition of soluble fibre which acts as prebiotic is also considered as a sugar bulking replacement. Those products are part of the healthy products initiative to support healthy lifestyle as well as sustainable resources using innovative ingredients and are also suitable for vulnerable populations such as older adults. The importance of nutrition and hydration for older adults in nursing homes was also a common area of research since Prof Kim and her team work on 3D-printing of foods for the elderly with specific rheological characteristics and explored possibilities for future research collaboration in these fields.
The Dong-A team also had the opportunity to sample a range of upcycled food products developed by WLFIC’s Product Development Chef, Sebastian Stoklosa such as cookies made of spent barley flour, coffee grind and spent tea leaves; brownies made of spent grain flour and coffee grind and crackers made with grape pomace and low-sugar marmalade made of orange peel.
Sebastian Stoklosa said:
It was a privilege to share our WLFIC work with the BioHealth science team from South Korea and to talk with them about the food development services we offer to guide food manufacturers onto the market.”
The team’s visit was part of Dong-A University’s plan to forge relationships with British food research institutes, nurturing talents in the field of BioHealth regulatory science and international exchange. Professor Eun-Kyung Kim, expressing her admiration of the work undertaken in WLFIC said that she looks forward:
to a strong relationship with WLFIC and using its R&D experiences to help her group take the lead in the field of food regulatory science”.
Dr Tsiami said:
Our research fields in nutrition and food science are complementary and this can make our collaboration stronger and with higher impact in influencing public health and wellbeing"
Dong-A University is a leading university in the beautiful port city of Busan, the second largest city in South Korea.
- Find out more about studying at the London Geller College of Hospitality and Tourism.
- Learn more about West London Food Innovation Centre.
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