Scientific Program: Monday’s Morning Highlights
posted on June 8, 2009
Monday’s Morning Highlights
Note: The titles of sessions addressing the theme “Food Science from Producer to Consumer” are indicated in green.
New Products & Technologies
New Ingredient Technology
Session 114, Monday, 10:30 a.m.–noon
Room 201AB
Track: New Products & Technologies
Topics include:
• TicaPAN coating system: Gum arabic replacement in panning and film applications
• Ethyl-Na-lauroyl-L-arginate HCl: A novel anti-microbial/anti-adhesion agent for foods
• Baked snack texture design with a specialty starch system
• New natural antioxidant system to protect color and flavor degradation in soft drinks
• Immunolin: A key step to preventing inflammation is supplementing immunity
Panel Discussions
The evolution of dietary guidance: Lessons learned and new frontiers
Session 92, Monday, 8:30–10 a.m.
Room 206AB
Track: Applied Science
As the “2010 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee” deliberates the science that will shape the future of dietary guidance, current science and potential recommendations and implications are top of mind for both food and nutrition scientists. This session will simultaneously take a contemplative look at past iterations of the “Dietary Guidelines for Americans,” while looking forward to future opportunities—putting guidance in context of the food supply and consumer adoption. How has the science evolved since 2005, and what are controversial topics? The 2005 guidelines placed an emphasis on food groups and meal patterns, but consumers continue to have difficulty with implementation. What do/should these recommendations mean to the foods available to consumers? How can we be thinking about helping consumers adopt lifestyles consistent with the guidelines and MyPyramid going forward?
Plant flavanols and health: The world of flavanols, Part 2
Session 101, Monday, 10:30 a.m.–noon
Room 210D
Track: Applied Science
Plant flavanols are the most common group of flavonoids present in the human diet and are considered functional ingredients in beverages, fruit– and vegetable-containing products, and dietary supplements. These powerful phytonutrients recently have attracted attention in the fields of food science, human nutrition, and medicine because of their possible beneficial implications for consumer health, most notably with respect to cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and certain types of cancer. This second session in a two-part series offers attendees an expert panel discussion that will apply the findings from the cocoa case study as well as actively look into the world of flavanols. With its focus on industrial applications, this back-to-back symposium and panel discussion will engage participants in new and emerging areas of flavanol applications, and explore how these value-added ingredients can be utilized to develop functional food products for the health-conscious consumer.
Partnering for innovation: Part 2
Session 106, Monday, 10:30 a.m.–12:00 p.m.
Room 205AB
Track: Professional and Business Development
During this session, speakers from Part I (Session 90) will meet in individual groups with interested attendees to answer questions about open innovation specific to the speaker’s area of expertise. This will allow questions to be asked and answered within specific areas of interest. This question period will consume approximately 45 min of this session, after which the speakers will convene for a panel discussion during which they will discuss the questions they were asked and their answers. This will enable all participants to benefit from the individual sessions and gain additional insights into the partnering process associated with open innovation. This approach will enable attendees to gain knowledge about management practices of partnerships needed for successful results.
The evolution of processed foods and the opportunities for food science
Session 113, Monday, 10:30 a.m.–noon
Room 201D
Track: Applied Science
Over the last few years, the term “food processing” has been used by some members of the public to coin a new phrase to describe foods and beverages to which certain food processing technologies have been applied. These foods have come to be known as processed foods. Processed foods act as a key source of safe, nutritious, and convenient food for our society. However, there is a growing belief among consumers and opinion leaders that these foods are neither as safe nor as nutritious as their fresh, whole, and organic counterparts. In this session, presenters will assess the current environment surrounding processed foods, including consumer, media, and food science and food industry perspectives. They also will discuss how food processing technologies have evolved in recent years, and how they have affected these perspectives. Attendees will learn how food scientists and other members of the food industry can approach new processing and packaging technologies, as well as processed food and beverage products, to emphasize their benefits for health, food safety, sustainability, and more.
Symposia
Carbohydrate-based delivery systems: Part 1
Session 79, Monday, 8:30–10 a.m.
Room 201C
Track: Applied Science
Carbohydrates are very effective delivery systems for flavor and food additives, such as preservatives, colors, active ingredients, antioxidants, enzymes, vitamins, and minerals. In this symposium, recent advances in carbohydrate-delivery systems will be discussed, including the natural emulsifiers. Specific food applications, such as delivery of various ingredients through these systems, also will be discussed. In addition, speakers will explain the structure-function relationship of carbohydrate-delivery matrices.
High-fructose corn syrup: Sorting myth from reality
Session 80, Monday, 8:30–10 a.m.
Room 201AB
Track: Applied Science
High-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) has been an innocuous ingredient for most of the 35 years since its introduction, because of its striking similarities in composition, caloric value, sweetness, applications, and intake levels to sucrose (table sugar). That all changed four years ago, when HFCS was hypothesized to play a unique role in the U.S. obesity crisis. Food companies are now under pressure to reformulate away from HFCS and to other fructose-glucose sweeteners. But does such reformulation really make a measurable nutritional difference or does it result in a metabolic wash? Leading food industry, academic, and government scientists will lead you through current thought and research data, helping you sort HFCS myth from reality.
Emerging technologies in dairy foods: From microbial inactivation to novel functionality
Session 81, Monday, 8:30–10 a.m.
Room 202AB
Track: New Products & Technologies
This session will provide the audience with specific examples of how new technologies can be used to boost innovation in the dairy industry to benefit both the consumer and the industry. The session will start with a brief overview of emerging technologies that have dairy applications, including nontraditional technologies, as well as novel versions of traditional technologies. Four detailed presentations will follow, each featuring a specific technology. The first two presentations will focus on pulsed electric field and high-pressure processing, respectively. The other two presentations will discuss high-pressure homogenization and supercritical carbon dioxide reactive extrusion, focusing on their capability to create dairy ingredients of unique functionality, based on their effects on milk proteins.
Antioxidants: Methodologies and assessment
Session 82, Monday, 8:30–10 a.m.
Room 209AB
Track: Science Fundamentals
The methods for assessing antioxidant activity are often contradictory and, therefore, methods of in vitro and in vivo determination must be used in a complementary fashion. Methods of assessment are often dependent on the mechanism of their respective actions. This session will provide some clarification for the users who wish to evaluate their products, and for consumers who wish to understand the different numbers they are provided with, as well as their true meanings when seen in the literature.
Plant flavanols and health: Learning from cocoa flavanols, a case study, Part 1
Session 83, Monday, 8:30–10 a.m.
Room 210D
Track: Applied Science
Plant flavanols are the most common group of flavonoids present in the human diet and are considered functional ingredients in beverages, fruit– and vegetable-containing products, and dietary supplements. These powerful phytonutrients have recently attracted attention in the fields of food science, human nutrition, and medicine because of their possible beneficial implications on consumer health, most notably cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and certain types of cancer. The first session of a two-part series utilizes cocoa powder and extract as a case study into the chemistry, nutritional implications, regulatory specifications, and application of flavanols in food products. The food matrix has a large impact on the bioavailability and utilization of these compounds in vivo. New technology for decreasing the astringent flavor properties of some flavanols in food matrices will be presented. Regulatory compliance, substantiation of health claims, and safety considerations using a U.S.-based approach will also be discussed for the purpose of developing new flavanol-containing food products.
Fresh produce tracing: Benefits and challenges
Session 85, Monday, 8:30–10 a.m.
Room 208AB
Track: Applied Science
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has worked with other federal and state food safety agencies, retailers, and growers to increase surveillance and improve detection methods to enhance fresh produce safety and reduce the incidence of foodborne illnesses. However, this initiative is focused on prevention and would benefit from a coordinated tracing mechanism. In this symposium, speakers from the fresh produce industry, government agencies, and retailers will discuss the latest measures and future trends toward implementation of a reliable and cost-effective traceability system that is acceptable to the regulatory agencies, growers, and retailers.
Encapsulation and delivery of bioactive compounds using novel nanostructures
Session 87, Monday, 8:30–10 a.m.
Room 207A
Track: Science Fundamentals
This session highlights novel encapsulation systems for bioactive components that have been developed based on new discoveries in the area of nanotechnology and colloidal chemistry. Systems that will be discussed include nanoemulsions, nanolaminates, and polymer-surfactant aggregates for delivery of bioactive principles in foods. In each talk, we will discuss the general properties or the encapsulation systems, highlight suitable target compounds that can be encapsulated, and review feasible fabrication methods. The functional properties of the encapsulation systems, including stability, chemical and physical integrity; compatibility with food matrices; and potential impact on bioactivity of encapsulated compounds will be discussed.
Ensuring the public health triumph of iodine nutrition
Session 88, Monday, 8:30–10 a.m.
Room 207B
Track: Applied Science
The World Health Organization claims that iodine deficiency at critical stages of development in fetal life and early childhood remains the world’s single most important and preventable cause of mental retardation. This session will show how researchers, development agencies, and the food industry in developing countries are working to defeat this public health menace. Participants will learn from the experiences of others who have been instrumental in implementing successful programs of micronutrient fortification of foods and see the enormous positive impact of this intervention on public health in developing countries.
Opportunities for the production of novel foods in Latin America and the Caribbean
Session 89, Monday, 8:30–10 a.m.
Room 207C
Track: New Products & Technologies
The World Trade Organization reported in 2007 that 18% of the food imports of the U.S. came from South and Central America. The region accounted for a 15% increase in its exports (2008). Fierce competition in the global market and growing trade regulations, mainly in terms of food safety and novel products, pose new challenges to countries from this region. Research centers and industry continuously work on product development to satisfy this demand. The aim of this symposium is to illustrate how industry and academia from some countries of the region are addressing these challenges. Novel fats and oils from Brazil, innovation in Colombian dairy products, new ingredients from Costa Rican tropical fruits, products for Mexican cuisine, and new technologies applied for product development in Chile are some of topics that will be addressed in this session.
Partnering for innovation: Part 1
Session 90, Monday, 8:30–10 a.m.
Room 205AB
Track: Professional and Business Development
As food companies strive to succeed in an increasingly competitive marketplace by delivering a constant stream of product innovation, “open innovation” is becoming a model ideally suited to leverage needed capabilities that exist outside of the organizations. Effective partnering is a key element of open innovation and may require an organization to develop new competencies as partners with different needs and motivations are encountered. In this session, industry leaders representing consumer foods, academia, ingredient suppliers, technology enablers, and government will share their perspectives on best practices as well as potential pitfalls with the goal of increasing the likelihood that partnerships will develop, sustain, and deliver the intended benefits.
Innovation in multiphysics modeling of emerging food processing technologies, Part 1: Pulsed electric field and high-pressure processing
Session 91, Monday, 8:30–10 a.m.
Room 203AB
Track: Applied Science
This session will discuss how state-of-the-art computational fluid dynamics modeling can be applied in the development of pulsed electric field and high-pressure, high-temperature processing. The most recent research outcomes to achieve and demonstrate process uniformity and its impact on the scalability, safety, and optimization of these processes will be shown. Attendees will learn how modeling emerging technologies can be beneficial for safe and sustainable processing and satisfying regulatory bodies.
What the religious communities in America expect from the food industry
Session 93, Monday, 8:30–10 a.m.
Room 201D
Track: Professional and Business Development
In this session, four speakers will concentrate on describing some of the specific food needs that their communities have based on their respective religion—Muslim, Buddhism, Jewish, and Hinduism. The emphasis will be on the practical food needs of the community and not on an exposition of the actual rules, although each speaker will probably be reminding the audience of those rules.
Out of the lab and into the field: Sensory for complex products
Session 94, Monday, 8:30–10 a.m.
Room 204B
Track: Applied Science
Sensory wouldn’t be the exciting challenge that it is if the world was perfect and foods were simple. There are many biases to contend with in sensory research, from complex food systems to foods that interact with the context in which they are presented. This symposium will focus on teaching methods for observing and overcoming some of these biases. Attendees will learn the issues associated with conducting sensory research on complex foods. In addition, they will understand how to design consumer and sensory research studies when the products have complex preparation and use.
Carbohydrate-based delivery systems: Part 2
Session 98, Monday, 10:30 a.m.–noon
Room 201C
Track: Applied Science
Carbohydrates are very effective delivery systems for flavor and food additives, such as preservatives, colors, active ingredients, antioxidants, enzymes, vitamins, and minerals. In this symposium, recent advances in carbohydrate-delivery systems will be discussed, including the natural emulsifiers. Specific food applications, such as delivery of various ingredients delivered through these systems, will also be discussed. Speakers also will explain the structure-function relationship of carbohydrate-delivery matrices.
Unique aspects of dairy fat in health
Session 99, Monday, 10:30 a.m.–noon
Room 202AB
Track: Science Fundamentals
In this session, emerging research documenting various effects of milk fat consumption, and constituents thereof, will be presented. Milk fat is the only significant source of dietary C15:0 and C17:0 fatty acids, and measuring these constituents in the plasma can be used to gauge milk fat consumption. Using this methodology, a more accurate picture of the role of milk fat in health can be measured, in contrast to simply estimating effects based on composition. Research showing the association between these markers of milk fat intake (C15:0 and C17:0) and cardiovascular disease risk will be presented. In addition, the effects of feeding a diet high in milk fat globular membrane on gut mucosa, colonic microbiota, and body composition in Fischer-344 rats will be described. Research investigating the effects of this trans fat intake in normolipidemic and atherogenic dyslipidemic models will also be presented.
Food safety priorities and research needs for retail and foodservice in the next five years
Session 104, Monday, 10:30 a.m.–noon
Room 209AB
Track: Applied Science
It is not the responsibility of the government (that is, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture) to develop and validate new processes that produce new products to meet consumers’ changing demands for new flavors, healthy dining, minimally processed ingredients, and so on. It is the responsibility of the processors and retail and foodservice operators, in collaboration with regulators, to innovate new kitchen processes to produce these new products. In this symposium, food industry experts share their views on the research needs and priorities for the next five to 10 years to provide safe, innovative foods to meet these consumer demands.
Delivering vegetable bioactives from producer to consumer
Session 105, Monday, 10:30 a.m.–noon
Room 207D
Track: Applied Science
This session focuses on the key steps involved in delivering bioactive compounds and nutrients in vegetables, through trait development, postharvest handling, and sensory appeal. To develop new and better vegetables, technology allows us to go beyond what the breeder traditionally can measure. Data will be presented demonstrating the influence of thermal processing on a range of bioactive compounds, including vitamin C, flavonoids, and carotenoids in processed tomatoes. In addition, this session will explore how consumer likes and dislikes for colors and flavors are formed, and offer a multivariate approach to measuring and affecting vegetable consumption behaviors.
Innovation in multiphysics modeling of emerging food processing technologies, Part 2: Ultraviolet, ultrasound, and cool plasma processing
Session 107, Monday, 10:30 a.m.–noon
Room 203AB
Track: Applied Science
This session will discuss how state-of-the-art computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modeling can be applied in the development of pulsed electric field and high-pressure, high-temperature processing. The most recent research outcomes to achieve and demonstrate process uniformity and its impact on the scalability, safety, and optimization of these processes will be shown. Attendees will learn how modeling emerging technologies can be beneficial for safe and sustainable processing and satisfying regulatory bodies.
The sourcing of sustainable and verifiable safe ingredients for food development: How important is this to the consumer?
Session 108, Monday, 10:30 a.m.–noon
Room 206AB
Track: Professional and Business Development
Sustainability is the capacity to maintain a certain process or state indefinitely. Similarly, the absence of certainty in terms of climate change and global warming has raised the profile of sustainability. In recent years, the concept has been applied more specifically to living organisms and systems. As applied to the human community, sustainability has been expressed as meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. The sustainable and safe source message is being reinforced and used by the major retail/consumer companies—such as Wal-Mart, Coca-Cola, and Safeway—throughout the world. What do consumers think about this message and does it affect their buying decisions?
Microwave heating and cooking of frozen and refrigerated foods
Session 109, Monday, 10:30 a.m.–noon
Room 207B
Track: Applied Science
The session will present results of a survey of consumer microwave habits. A large manufacturer will detail lessons learned from recent recalls. Finally, there will be presentations on microwave heating and modeling, as well as pathogen destruction. Participants will better understand consumer behavior on microwave heating of frozen and refrigerated foods. In addition, attendees will better understand how companies and other institutions are responding to food safety recalls of frozen foods.
Out of the lab and into the field: Sensory for complex products—case studies
Session 110, Monday, 10:30 a.m.–noon
Room 204B
Track: Applied Science
Sensory wouldn’t be the exciting challenge that it is if the world was perfect and the foods were simple. There are many biases to contend with in sensory research, from complex food systems to foods that interact with the context in which they are presented. This session will focus on teaching methods for observing and overcoming some of these biases through examples and case studies. Attendees will learn how to design sensory and consumer research by seeing how others have solved complex product issues. In addition, attendees will take away practical examples of what worked and how the presenter believes the techniques could be improved in the future.
The recipe for a successful GRAS
Session 111, Monday, 10:30 a.m.–noon
Room 207C
Track: Science Fundamentals
One pathway to evaluate and substantiate the safety of a food ingredient is via a Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) determination. According to the Federal Food Drug and Cosmetic Act Section 201(s), a substance is determined GRAS when it is recognized as safe by experts qualified by scientific training and experience. To evaluate the safety of an ingredient under the conditions of intended use, the expert panel uses scientific procedures to evaluate the data. However, the quantity or quality of the studies required to meet the scientific procedures standard is not clearly stated in the regulation, as the safety in use on an ingredient depends on the strength (quality and quantity) of the scientific data. This session will outline the concepts and the level of scientific evaluation required to meet the reasonable certainty of no harm safety standard, with input from both the industry and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
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