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The Food Product Concept Competition 2008 was organised by the Singapore Food Manufacturers’Association in conjunction with the Asia Pacific Food Expo in November 2008 attracted 29 manufacturers/students teams. Seven prizes were given during the competition namely Most Popular Award (by sms),Most Innovative Award, Best Packaging Award, Best Marketing Potential Award, Best Nutritional ValueAward, First Runner-up, and Grand Winner. This is the first time NUS FST teams took part in this competition.Together, they grabbed 3 of the prizes including the Grand Winner of the Competition.

Our teams spent a hectic 3 months on the projects. Day and night they spent time thinking and workingon the fine details until their product concepts and prototypes reached perfection. They delightfully surprisedthe judges who looked at their products with awe. Despite having already tasted 25 different products allday they welcomed the taste and full bodied aroma of one of our team’s refreshing coffee, Café Désir™.They were also impressed by the idea of being able to enjoy a typical Singaporean lunch e.g. Chicken Ricejust like a burger/sandwich i.e. not needing to look for a place to sit down or to struggle with a spoon in onehand while balancing a pack of rice in the other hand while on the go. The attractive colours on the packagingof our team’s Bak Kwa also impressed the panel of judges. The idea of packing bak kwa in smaller servingsizes is also a very interesting concept preventing people from over consuming the product as well askeeping its freshness sealed within the packaging. It also encourages the young to buy bak kwa as anattractive snack rich in protein rather than depending on their families to buy them in large quantities duringfestive seasons.

All products submitted for the competition are displayed at FST’s hall of potential new products. In fact,the productions of selectednew products are underwayand hopefully we will seethem in the market soon. Onbehalf of all the teams, wewould like to thank allparticipating companies andSFMA for giving us theopportunity to work withthem and participate in thecompetition.

Last, but not least, ourutmost congratulations to allwinners!

Dr. Leong Lai Peng

The Grand Prize Winner

($3000 cash prize, certificate for all participants and trophy for NUS FST)

New Product: Café Désir™

Company: Hui Yee Coffee Manufacturer Pte. Ltd.

Cuppa Choice®Deluxe: Café Désir™ is a 100% pure coffeeextract cold-brewed from theworld’s finest coffee beans andmineral water.

Enjoy the rich, smooth andsatisfying taste of Café Désir ™.

Using a careful selection of theworld’s finest Arabica andRobusta coffee beans blended inperfect harmony, Café Désir ™ isspecially created for coffee loverswho take pleasure in the finethings in life. Our distinctivecoffee extract is specially preparedusing a unique cold-brewingtechnique which captures the full-

bodied flavour and invigorating aroma of the coffee - minus the harsh bitter acids, making it suitableeven for people with sensitive stomachs. It is a 100% natural, pure gourmet coffee extract, and containsno preservatives, artificial flavours, colours or genetically modified ingredients. Entice your senseswith a cup of fresh gourmet coffee, with the original taste and aroma of Arabica and Robusta coffeebeans, anywhere, anytime.

Indulge in your desires today.

The Most Innovative Award Winner

($1000 cash prize, certificate for all participants and trophy for NUS FST)

New Product: Defulicious Rice Burger

Company: Defu Foods Singapore Pte. Ltd.

Made with Asian’s favourite staple and local flavours, this simple and convenient Defulicious RiceBurger will surely delight you.

Are you always on the go? Rushing for meetings and tired ofhaving hotdog buns for lunch?

Defulicious Rice Burger is just right for you. The burger isstored conveniently in your freezer and 3 minutes in the microwaveis all you need to develop the full flavour of this Asian delight towhet your appetite.

Made with premium Thai rice cooked to perfection, to give soft,holdable rice buns, this home-made recipe allows one to enjoythe goodness of home-cooked food. Saving meal preparationtime, one can spend more time with family and friends.

Defulicious Rice Burger comes in two flavours: DefuliciousNasi Lemak Burger is rich in coconut milk with a hint ofpandan. Sandwiched between the buns, a steamed otah pattyis a healthier alternative to Singapore’s all-time favouritesnack. Defulicious Chicken Rice Burger is infused with realchicken stock, garlic and ginger. Sandwiched between thebuns is a juicy and succulent chicken patty seasoned with amix of fragrant Asian spices. One no longer needs to wait in line for this traditional Singapore’strademark dish.

Settle down for a quick and satisfying meal with the freedom to add some greens and ‘sambalbelacan’ to suit your taste.

The Best Packaging Award Winner

($1000 cash prize, certificate for all participants and trophy for NUS FST)

New Product: Fragrance Dipz

Company: Fragrance Foodstuffs Pte. Ltd.

A new and refreshing way of enjoying an old favourite - Fragrance Dipz. Your healthier choice onthe go.

Bak kwa has long been a festive favourite in Singapore,a must-have during Chinese New Year. The increasinglyhealth conscious Singaporeans are hoping for a healthieralternative of this festive icon.

Fragrance Dipz revolutionizes bak kwa - is nowavailable with reduced fat but retaining the succulenceand tenderness ofthe original bakkwa. FragranceDipz is made frompremium quality

lean meat marinated in traditional Chinese herbs with no artificialflavours or colours. Fragrance Dipz also comes with three new,tangy sauces: tomato-garlic, pineapple-mustard and honey-lemon-ginger, for more fun and satisfaction.

Have it everyday, either on the go or take it home in an elegantpackage, perfect as a gift. A new way of enjoying an old favourite- sharing Singapore’s signature product with the world.

Year 3 Graduates

Honours Graduates

Masters graduate Vania and PhDgraduate Wang Rong with their

happy supervisor

PhD Graduates -T. Velmurugan and Wang Rong

We are delighted to welcome our new Scientific Officer, Ms. Jiang Xiaohui. Xiaohui is no stranger to someof us as she graduated from our FST programme in 2006. Dr. Chua Sin Bin, Chief Executive Officer, Director-General, Chief Veterinary Officer of Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA) has joined us as anAdjunct Professor.

Welcome Dr. Chua and Xiaohui, we look forward to yourcontributions to the FST Programme over the next many years!

Adios to A/P Stefan Kasapis, who joined RMIT in Australia in Oct2008. We wish him all the best and success in his new endeavours.

Ms. Jiang Xiaohui

Dr. Chua Sin Bin

Givaudan Food Excellent Prize - Karen Chiew Yi Mei Food Spectrum Pty Ltd Excellent Prize -

Tan Hui Shan, Grace

Addiction Foods Pte Ltd. Best Honours Posters - (From left) Ng Liyun, Tan Ting Wei, Xie Renhui

P.J. Barlow Book Prize - Bing Zhujun National Starch & Chemical (S) Pte LtdScholarship - Yu Peigen

Firmenich Asia Pte. Ltd.Excellence prize - Loo Ying Yan

SIFST Student Award - Guo Ren

Joint Symposium on Food Science and Technology between NUS and TUMSATJoint Symposium on Food Science and Technology between NUS and TUMSATJoint Symposium on Food Science and Technology between NUS and TUMSATJoint Symposium on Food Science and Technology between NUS and TUMSATJoint Symposium on Food Science and Technology between NUS and TUMSAT

On 18 November 2008, we were pleased to hold the first Joint Symposium withTokyo University of Marine Science and Technology (TUMSAT).

Prof. Takaharu Sakiyama, Prof. Toru Suzuki and Dr. YumikoYoshie-Stark from TUMSAT and Dr. Huang Dejian, A/P ZhouWeibiao and Dr. Liu Shao Quan from NUS FST presented on thefollowing topics:

1. Adhesion Behaviours of Proteins to stainless Steel Surfaces-Basis for Scientific Understanding of Fouling Problems

2. Food refreigeration and Properties of Frozen Foods

3. Food Chemistry Research to Establish Processed Food withHealth-related Activities and Acceptable Taste

4. Polyphenols as Pro-Oxidants

5. Improving Survival or Lactic Acid Bacteria and Probiotics by Adjunct Cultures

6. Food Engineering of Today: A Paradigm Shift?

We look forward to more joint symposiums with TUMSAT.

Dr. Takaharu Sakiyama

Dr. Toru Suzuki

Dr,.Yumiko Yoshie-Stark

A half day seminar on Dietary Fat in relation topalm oil was held on 19 Aug 08, 2 to 5pm at NUS. Avaluable insight from different aspects of dietary fat ofpalm oil was revealed.

The overview of dietary fatty acids and theirnutritional implications was presented by Dr KalyanaSundram, Deputy CEO & Director of Food Scienceand Environment, MPOC, Malaysia. Dr Mohd SuriaAffandi Yusoff, Vice President, Sime Darby ResearchSdn Bhd, Malaysia delivered a talk on palm oil

processing. Prof. Pramod Khosla from Wayne State University, USA was specially invited to sharehis view on the current updates and trends in dietary fats including trans fat.

The FST annual bowling event was held on 30th August 2008 at West Bowl. This year we have thefollowing prizes: Best Group, Best Male Scorer, Best Female Scorer, Most Stylish Male Bowler,Most Stylish Female Bowler and Most 9 Pins Male and Female Scorers.

Best Male Scorer -Chiang Poh Leong

Best Group

Best Female Scorer -Diana Koh

Most 9 Pins Male Scorer -Alvin LooMost Stylish Female

Bowler - Serene Li

Most Stylish Male Bowler- Herman Teo

Most 9 Pins FemaleScorerr - Lee Chooi Lan

Seminar on “Current Updates on Dietary Fat: Special Reference to Palm Oil”Seminar on “Current Updates on Dietary Fat: Special Reference to Palm Oil”Seminar on “Current Updates on Dietary Fat: Special Reference to Palm Oil”Seminar on “Current Updates on Dietary Fat: Special Reference to Palm Oil”Seminar on “Current Updates on Dietary Fat: Special Reference to Palm Oil”

Dr.Mohd Suria Affandi YusoffDr. Kaylyanan Sundram

Prof. Pramod Khosla

Products containing palm oil

My four-month professional placement in Food Spectrum Pty Ltd in Brisbane was a truly enrichingand humbling experience. Food Spectrum Pty Ltd is a Brisbane-basedfood ingredient manufacturing company that supplies products notonly to Australian food companies, but also globally, includingSingapore. As part of the Industrial Attachment program of FST, I hadthe privilege of performing my 17-week professional placement inFood Spectrum (FS). A three-week introductory rotation took methrough the research lab, quality control and assurance (QA) labs andthe production areas and prepared me for the work I had ahead of mein the research lab for the next fourteen weeks. Work in productionand QA gave me the knowledge I needed to understand how productionin the lab is scaled up to bulk production, and the difficulties andlimitations of the production plants and various product parameters.For the subsequent fourteenweeks, my responsibilitiesincluded day-to-day lab assistantduties, but most importantly, I wasalso given the responsibility of

three projects, which covered most aspects of FS’ services – productdevelopment for the Australian domestic market and internationalmarket, and one as part of the company’s innovation initiative.

Besides the knowledge and skills related to food, ingredientsand the industry impartedto me from colleagues and supervisors, I have also learnt toadapt myself to new situations, perform as part of a team in amulticultural working environment, and most importantly,interpersonal skills. FST modules and laboratory sessions haveprepared me for the basic knowledge required to work in theR&D department, but putting knowledge into practice requiredmuch more than what could be learnt in school. It was a trulyhumbling experience as I felt the need to revise and researchfrequently in order to follow the words of my knowledgeableand experienced colleagues, and progression of my projects.

My supervisors exposed me to as many areas of R&D product development as they could; my colleagueswere selfless with their knowledge, and shared information freely with eachother, and with me. From them, I learnt the spirit of teamwork and the benefitsthat could be derived from open communication. Interaction with colleaguesof appreciably different cultures and backgrounds opened up my eyes to aworld much bigger than the one I knew.

Apart from the professional aspects ofthe internship, I have learnt tremendouslyabout independence from being away fromhome and alone for an extended period oftime to work, and about myself frominteractions with my colleagues, withwhom I have made several close friends.Throughout my stay in Brisbane, I was well

Australia – the land of koalas, kangaroos and digeridoos – has taken on a whole new dimensionafter my internship at Pacific Food Industries Pty Ltd inQueensland. It was a rewarding and enriching attachment whichtruly broadened my horizons and made a significant difference tomy FST education experience.

Pacific Foods has a very comprehensive training programme,which include production, basic quality assurance (QA) in thelaboratory, advanced QA andnew product development.Timely rotation among thevarious departments allowed us

to obtain a very good overview through learning as well as hands onexperience. The new product development segment was particularlyinteresting as I participated in actual commercial projects and had a

glimpse into the workings ofthe food industry on aninternational platform. I wasvery grateful for the opportunity which would definitely putme in good stead as I enter the workforce the following year.

Not only did I fulfil my modular credits for industrialattachment, I benefited from the overseas experience in manyother ways. I was exposed to a multicultural environment andhoned my soft skills such as living away from home and buildinginterpersonal relations with colleagues of varying nationalities.The bonds fostered went a long way as we still drop occasional

emails to keep in touch.

Together with two other students who were attached to Australian companies, we toured Queenslandand travelled to the other states (on a budget) after the attachment period.It was pure fun and relaxation as we immersed in the warm culture andthe sounds and sights of nature. From white water rafting at Cairns totouring the Great Ocean Road, each stop left us with great memories andsimply by looking back at the photos taken, we agree nothing in the worldcan replace this experience down under.

Sharon Sia YuminCohort 2005/06

taken care of by FS and my colleagues, and was exposed to as many aspects of food ingredientmanufacturing as FS was able to. Not only has this experience enriched me in terms of my studies andcareer in the food industry, but it has also built up my confidence in tackling problems and dealing withinterpersonal relationships.

Seow YixinCohort 2005/06

To spice up the Annual Reunion Dinner 2008, we run a Yusheng Competition. four groups tookpart in this competition. The First Prize went to the AY 2004/2005 group, First Runner Up went toAY 2006/2007 group, Second Runner Up went to the 2005/2006 group, Consolation prize went toAY2003/2004 group.

2nd Runner Up

First Prize Winner

Consolation Prize

First Runner Up

During the 2008 annual Malaysia field trip, we visited 4 companies - Yakult (M) Sdn Bhd,High 5 Bread Town, Pacific Food Products Sdn Bhd and Oriental Food Industries Sdn Bhd. Wewould like to thank all the companies for giving our students invaluable information and insights oftheir production.

Malaysia Field TripMalaysia Field TripMalaysia Field TripMalaysia Field TripMalaysia Field Trip

Editor’s SayJanuary 2009 Issue 7

Dominating in the media nowadays is the global financial crisis atan unprecedented level and pace. This inevitably will impact onthe economy and job market in Singapore. While the food manu-facturing industry has shown its resilience to recessions in the past,the scale of the current recession might be beyond our experience.Therefore, we should get prepared for worse and be realistic withour plans. Nevertheless, I believe that with solid knowledge andwell-rounded training from NUS, our graduates and alumni cansail through it smoothly.

Quite a number of significant events happened in 2008 relevant tothe discipline of food science and technology. The melamine scan-dal in dairy products in China not only created an outcry in Chinaitself, but also in many other countries around the world, particu-larly those countries that imported Chinese dairy products or evenfood products from another country which had milk powder fromChina as an ingredient. This drama testified the utmost importanceof having a good and credible food safety control and assurancesystem in which science and technology play a key role.

From 19 to 23 Oct 2008, the 14th World Congress of Food Scienceand Technology was held in Shanghai with over 2,200 participantsfrom 74 countries & regions, making it the largest congress in itshistory since the 1st World Congress held in London in 1962. Atthis Congress, our PhD graduate Dr Velmurugan was awarded oneof the 7 Young Scientist Awards. In addition, Vitagen Collagen, aproduct of Singapore’s Malaysia Dairy Industry Pte Ltd, was awinner of the inaugural “IUFoST Global Food Industry Awards”in the category of Communicating Science-related Knowledge tothe Consumer. Pleased to report that some NUS FST graduateswere members of the company team that developed this award-winning product.

Year 2009 is the 10th Anniversary of our FST Programme. Thiscoincides with the opening of the “Food Research Corridor”, acentralized suite of FST research laboratories occupying the whole5th floor of Block S13. Its planned opening in May 2009 is anothersignificant milestone of the Programme. There will be a range ofactivities celebrating the 10th anniversary – take a look at the tableon the previous page and check our website for regular updates.Do come forward to help with the organizing of some of theseevents or simply join us to celebrate.

Wishing all a great Year of the Ox.

Dr. ZHOU Weibiao

Director, Food Science and Technology Programme

Food Science & Technology Programmec/o Department of Chemistry

National University of SingaporeS3 Level 6 Science Drive 4

Singapore 117543Tel.: +65-6516 8990Fax: +65-6775 7895

Webpage: http://www.fst.nus.edu.sg

EDITOR: A/P Zhou WeibiaoASSOCIATE EDITOR: Lew Huey Lee

2009