Society of Food Associated Disciplines (SOFAD) is an association which brings together social, career, and academic opportunities for individuals interested in a range of food associated disciplines. It also raises awareness of the importance of these disciplines and provides general support for members.

1. Introduction
SOFAD is an association which brings together social, career, and
academic opportunities for individuals interested in a range of food
associated disciplines. It also raises awareness of the importance of
these disciplines and provides general support for members.
Society of Food Associated Disciplines
SOFAD Newsletter
J U N E 2 0 1 5 — I S S U E 5
Past Events
 Welcoming Expo
 Food Bowl Tour
 Fonterra Careers Talk
 Dairy Pub Quiz Evening
 Careers Insight Evening
JULY AUGUST OCTOBERSEPTEMBER
 NZIFST Conference
 Welcoming Expo
 Food Show Tour
 Annual General
Meeting
 Career Panel
Discussion
 International
Food Festival
 Tip Top
Factory Tour
Upcoming Events

2. Current News
J U N E 2 0 1 5 — I S S U E 5
S O F A D N E W S L E T T E R
Development of an improved food thickening agent by
synthesis
Guar gum is used as a food thickening agent. Its
functionality can be optimised by manipulating its
rheological properties. This was achieved using alpha-
galactosidases from the fungi, Aspergillus sp. MK14. The
enzymatic action released monosaccharides, galactose, and
mannose. This gives the guar gum properties resembling
that of higher quality food thickening agents.
By Kurakake et al., Food Chemistry
Genetic engineering to make wheat crops resist
bacterial diseases
Wheat is an important food agricultural crop globally.
However, bacterial wheat diseases are a prevalent
problem in Asia, Africa and the US. A new solution to this
problem is the genetic engineering of an important
receptor gene from Arabidopsis into the wheat plant to
increase defence mechanisms.
By Schoonbeek et al., New Phytologist
Strategy for vegetarians to get the brain benefits from
omega-3s
Omega-3s are important for the brain and vegetarians can
obtain these from alpha-linolenic acid conversion. This
process is inefficient but now a new enhancement strategy
exists using lipoid micro-emulsions. When they were fed to
rats, omega-3s were enriched in their brain synaptic
membrane and increased the important neurotransmitters
in their brains.
By Sugasini & Lokesh, Nutritional Neuroscience
Food fraudulence of internet sold human breast milk
Breast milk is recommended for infants but due to
multiple complications, the mother cannot always provide
this. Mothers then resort to purchasing human breast milk
to supply for their infant. However, in a recent study,
researchers have found adulteration of human breast milk
sold in the US on the internet with cow’s milk.
By Keim et al., Pediatrics
The types of lighting used during dining affects how
much you eat
In a study involving over 100 participants eating a
breakfast meal with omelettes and mini-pancakes, blue
lighting made men eat less compared to yellow and white
lighting. This effect was thought to arise from evolutionary
and ecological mechanisms that discourage blue-looking
foods. The gender difference was believed to be due to
men relying less on their sense of smell during food choice.
By Cho et al., Appetite

3. Research at the University of Auckland
Modelling and optimisation of coffee roasting
Nur Hamizah Abdul Ghani; Dr Wei Yu; Dr Gokhan Bingol;
Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering
Coffee is a popular beverage worldwide, particularly
because of its distinct aroma and flavour. People seek
the best quality of roasted coffee which is hard to control
due to variation and uncertainty in the green bean. To
solve this problem, we use sensory variables coupled
with roasting conditions, described by mathematical
modelling. This research develops and solves coffee
roasting models using the Abaqus, finite element method
(FEM) software. FEM is a powerful tool to analyse and
predict conditions that are difficult to conduct in the
laboratory. This research aims to simulate coffee
roasting and optimise the quality of roasted coffee
produced.
Understanding the role of C6 compounds and sulfur
dioxide in Sauvignon blanc aroma
Leandro Dias Araujo; Prof Paul Kilmartin; School of
Chemical Sciences
Sauvignon blanc wine aroma is well-marked with
tropical fruits, like passion fruit, and herbaceous/green
notes. Compounds with six carbons (C6) can contribute
directly to the aroma by giving a green note to the wine.
This can also happen indirectly, by participating as one
of the precursors of volatile thiols formation, which is
responsible for tropical characteristics. We study the
interaction of many factors like the addition of
antioxidants to the grapes after harvest, the presence of
leaves during the short maceration time between
machine-harvesting and pressing operations, and the
harvesting method with the formation of C6 compounds
and thiols.
Nutrition in acute pancreatitis: insights into the role
of adipokines
Sarah McKenzie, Dr Max Petrov; Department of Surgery
Enteral nutrition has recently been shown to
significantly improve clinical outcomes in acute
pancreatitis such as reducing infectious complications,
multi-organ failure, and mortality. The underlying
mechanisms remain unknown but it is hypothesized to
involve adipokines. This study investigated the effects on
five adipokine levels in acute pancreatitis with enteral
nutrition. Results showed that omentin and leptin were
significantly higher with enteral nutrition. This may
mediate the beneficial effects of enteral nutrition by
having an anti-inflammatory effect, and may be
protective against the development of insulin resistance
and diabetes due to the role of these adipokines in
insulin signalling pathways.
S O F A D N E W S L E T T E R
J U N E 2 0 1 5 — I S S U E 5

4. Careers Pathway
Jou Cheng
R&D Technologist, ANZCO Foods
I was fortunate enough to be offered a role within ANZCO
innovation team after a 6-month internship stint. My role
as an R&D Technologist mostly involves developing
various protein-based ingredients for food and non-food
applications, developing protocols and performing lab
experiments to characterise the developed products.
Aside from that, I also produce confidential reports, cost
models, and engage in close communication with
suppliers, project managers, and production personnel.
One thing I love about my job is that I get to plan my own
work and decide what I am going to do for the day. Three
years on and I still feel excited going to work.
Yully Jin
Cellarhand, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
I chose to travel to France as I wanted to learn more
about Old World winemaking which is significantly
different from the New World wine making of younger
countries like New Zealand. I also visited other wine
regions of France including Burgundy and Alsace. As we
were winemakers we had this privilege and got exclusive
tastings with other passionate winemakers. My job
entitles hard physical work, facing a lot of challenges, and
working long hours. However because I love what I do
and the people I meet along the way, I cannot think of any
other place I would rather be.
Caroline Bustandi
Regulatory Affairs Support, BENEO Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd
I am based in the regional office of BENEO in Singapore,
and in my role, together with the regulatory affairs team
in the HQ, we provide regulatory support related to
BENEO ingredients for the Asia Pacific region. This
involves following the legislative development in each
country, which are important for our ingredients and for
our customers; preparing scientific dossiers for
ingredients and claims approval. There are not many
institutions which offer courses on food regulatory
affairs, therefore it is a really training on-the-job kind of
role. I find this role challenging yet exciting.
The Committee
Laura Aprilyani – President
Agata Djongianto – Vice President
Harshpreet Kaur - Head Events Co-ordinator
Charlotte Oelofsen – Media Design
Yan Chen – Media Design & Events Co-ordinator
Amanda Halim - Secretary
Doraline Lau – Secretary
Lumba Chituta – Treasurer
Natalie Villard – Treasurer
Chloe Kim– Events Co-ordinator
Isabelle Xu – Events Co-ordinator
Kuang Chien Lee– Events Co-ordinator
Lundi Chhun – Events Co-ordinator
Marie Quayle – Events Co-ordinator
Elena Lin – Treasurer & Events Co-ordinator
Brianna Dean– Advisor
Vic Shao-Chih Chiang – Founder & Advisor
Editorial Team
J U N E 2 0 1 5 — I S S U E 5
Vic Shao-Chih Chiang - Editorial Lead
Charlotte Oelofsen - Design
Brianna Dean - Reviewer Panel
Lundi Chhun - Reviewer Panel
Natalie Villard - Reviewer Panel
Contact Details
E-mail: uoasofad@gmail.com
Facebook: facebook.com/uoasofad