Food@CREATE Seminar 2025: Exploring the Frontiers of Food Science and Technology

07.04.2025

 

Over 200 researchers, scientific leaders, policymakers, and industry stakeholders gathered for a scientific exchange on the future of sustainable food production in Singapore and beyond at the Food@CREATE Seminar on 13th March 2025.

 

The fully booked seminar on the theme: ‘Food for Thought: Exploring the Frontiers of Food Science and Technology’ was supported by the National Research Foundation (NRF) on the CREATE campus. TUMCREATE and the co-organising research institutes - Illinois ARCS, Singapore-HUJ Alliance for Research and Enterprise (SHARE), Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research & Technology (SMART), and Wageningen University & Research, together with Nanyang Technological University hosted several engaging sessions with deep insights and inspiring discussions. 

 

The five NRF-funded food research programmes came together to share advancements in alternative proteins, advanced food production systems, and sustainable agricultural innovations in support of Singapore’s ambitious “30 by 30” food security goals. 

 

 

The welcome address by Dr Ngin Hoon Tong, Senior Director of the Science & Technology Division at the Singapore Food Agency (SFA), set the stage for insightful discussions. The introductory session emphasised the evolving environmental factors impacting Singapore’s food security and food safety. These challenges include climate change affecting production yields in the region, a volatile global food supply chain that may be prone to disruptions and emerging food innovations that could potentially introduce new food safety risks and contribute to higher regulatory concerns. 

 

Researchers from various teams presented their work on novel food technologies and delved into breakthrough innovations during the talks, exploring cutting-edge advancements in food science and technology. 

 

 

Among other programme introductions was Prof Yong-Su Jin’s presentation of challenges in applying biotechnology to foods. The leading investigator at the Illinois-ARCS’s Centre for Precision Fermentation and Sustainability described the use of microbial cell engineering to convert previously unutilised or inedible part of crops into molecules with nutritional value such as peptides, lipids, and vitamins. 

 

 

Andrea Spaccasassi, a research fellow at TUMCREATE’s Proteins4Singapore project, presented his research on decoding the flavor of roasted chicken meat using the SENSOMICS approach in one of the deep-dive technical talks. After identifying and quantifying key odorants responsible for the characteristic aroma of roasted chicken, he attempts to recombine its full flavour profile, aiming at creating a synthetic replica of the original flavour. The approach seeks to uncover the identities and ratios of the molecular components that make up the authentic chicken flavor, ultimately guiding the flavour optimisation of alternative protein-based food products. 

 

During the panel discussion on ‘The Present and Future of Food Research in Singapore,’ experts from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Nanyang Technological University, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Technical University of Munich, Wageningen University and University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign explored strategies to keep Singapore at the forefront of food science. 

 

 

Rounding up the event were networking sessions and interactive poster presentations, which showcased groundbreaking developments in alternative proteins, food sustainability, and agri-tech solutions. The cross-institutional exchange deepened scientific dialogues and promoted shared learning across disciplines, reinforcing the collaborative spirit that drives innovation in food science and technology. 

 

Thank you to everyone who joined us in making the event a success. We look forward to future opportunities and platforms for knowledge exchange to pave the way for a resilient food future.