CHICAGO – The Institute of Food Technologists Student Association (IFTSA) today named more than 20 student groups from around the world as winners of the 2018 IFTSA competitions. Held annually to engage IFT’s student members to share their research and explore critical issues outside of the classroom, the competitions range from creating viable food products for underserved populations to producing multimedia content to educate and inspire. Students competed individually or on teams in a variety of categories that aim to advance the study and profession of the science of food. IFT announced the winners at IFT18: A Matter of Science and Food in Chicago.
Chapter of the Year
The Chapter of the Year Award honors one university student organization for exceptional participation, strong leadership, community outreach and providing opportunities that utilize the talents of all their members. This competition also honors an outstanding chapter in each of the following areas: National Engagement, Public Outreach, Organizational Growth, and Membership Experiences.
2018 IFTSA Chapter of the Year: North Carolina State University
Outstanding Chapter for National Engagement: Cornell University
Outstanding Chapter for Organizational Growth: Purdue University
Outstanding Chapter Membership Experience: Alabama A & M University
Outstanding Chapter in Public Outreach: California State University, Northridge
College Bowl Competition
Since 1985, the IFTSA College Bowl Competition has tested the knowledge of student teams from across the United States in the areas of food science and technology, history of foods and food processing, food law, and general IFT/food-related trivia. The College Bowl is designed to facilitate interaction among students from different universities, stimulate the students' desire to accumulate and retain knowledge, and provide a forum for students to engage in friendly competition. Teams for IFT Student Chapters in eight geographical areas of the Student Association competed in area competitions prior to the IFT Annual Meeting. The winning teams from the eight areas competed in a final competition at the Annual Meeting.
First Place: University of Georgia
Second Place: Purdue University
Third Place: University of Wisconsin – Madison
Developing Solutions for Developing Countries Competition
The IFTSA Developing Solutions for Developing Countries competition promotes the application of food science and technology and the development of new products and processes that are targeted at improving the quality of life for people in developing countries.
First Place: Washington State University - Tammuji
Second Place: Bogor Agricultural University - Regali
Third Place: University of Guelph – TenaWat
Smart Snacks for Kids Product Development Competition
The IFTSA Smart Snacks for Kids Competition challenges students to develop a fun and nutritious food or beverage product targeted at kids and/or teens. Products must abide by the USDA “Guide to Smart Snacks in Schools” recommendations (specific information can be found here: https://fns-prod.azureedge.net/sites/default/files/tn/USDASmartSnacks.pdf).
First Place: University of Massachusetts, Amherst, TempGrams
Second Place: Utah State University, Cauli-Crust Pizza Bites
Third Place: University of Guelph – Smart Tarts
Excellence in Leadership Awards
The Excellence in Leadership Award recognizes two student members of IFT, one undergraduate and one graduate student, who have demonstrated exemplary leadership in their execution of student activities that furthers the mission of IFT.
Graduate Winner: Jack Twilley
Undergraduate Winner: Kristi Kan
The 28th Annual IFTSA & MARS Product Development Competition
The 28th Annual IFT Student Association & MARS Product Development Competition is a chance for students to take all of the skills and knowledge learned in school and apply them to a real-world situation. Each participating school's team develops a new food idea and carries the concept through marketing and production, much like a commercial product development team.
First Place: The Ohio State University – Banzo Bites
Second Place: University of Illinois – Gnokara
Third Place: Michigan State University - SliceCream
IFTSA Thesis Video Competition
This competition, developed by Camden BRI and IFTSA, invited graduate students to submit their research in a concise, creative three-minute video. The winner will have the opportunity to visit Camden BRI in the United Kingdom to experience each of the major divisions within Campden BRI (science, technology, brewing, and knowledge management) focusing on the most relevant areas of their area of study.
Winner: Anna Waller, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Undergraduate Research Competition
The Undergraduate Research Competition is designed to encourage and stimulate interest in undergraduate research in food science and technology, provide an opportunity for food science undergraduates to organize and present their original work, and provide a venue for networking within IFTSA for undergraduate students as well as members of industry and academia.
First Place: Adam Salhaney - University of Massachusetts, Amherst
Second Place: Jessica Worsfold - Universidad de Costa Rica
Third Place: Sierra Jamir - Cornell University
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About IFT
The Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) is a global organization of 17,000 individual members from more than 100 countries committed to advancing the science of food. Since 1939, IFT has brought together the brightest minds in food science, technology and related professions from academia, government, and industry to solve the world’s greatest food challenges. Our organization works to ensure that our members have the resources they need to learn, grow, and advance the science of food as the population and the world evolve. We believe that science is essential to ensuring a global food supply that is sustainable, safe, nutritious, and accessible to all. For more information, please visit ift.org.
Food bioactive ingredients have received widespread attention due to their excellent nutritional and functional properties, regulating the organism. However, some food bioactive ingredients have the disadvantages of poor stability and low bioavailability, which limits their wider application in food. The current study has recently shown a growing interest in designing delivery systems due to their advantages in encapsulating, protecting, and controlling the release of food bioactive ingredients. This review summarizes the classification of protein–pectin delivery carriers, including emulsions, nanoparticles, microcapsules, gels, and films. Besides, the typical preparation methods and the factors affecting the stability of the carriers were presented. Moreover, the release mechanism of the protein–pectin delivery carriers was introduced. Furthermore, the applications of protein–pectin delivery carriers were also described. The protein–pectin delivery carriers have broad research prospects in the functional food and nutritional field. Protein–pectin delivery carriers can enhance the protection of food bioactive ingredient delivery due to their strong interaction force and excellent emulsification properties. Therefore, they can effectively protect food bioactive ingredients from harsh processing conditions and adverse environments in vivo, and improve their physicochemical properties, stability, and bioavailability, which have good application prospects.
Films and coatings made from soy protein isolate (SPI) have become a cutting-edge approach to environmentally friendly food packaging, providing benefits like non-toxicity, biodegradability, and renewable supply. This review studies a comprehensive overview of SPI, including its classification, properties, and applications in food packaging. SPI-based film preparation techniques have been studied, including the development of composite soy protein films, including other proteins, polysaccharides, and biopolymers. The effects of different material blends on the mechanical, barrier, and thermal properties of SPI films are discussed, highlighting the role of SPI-based films and coatings for upcoming food packaging applications and the different structured composites in improving functionality. SPI has excellent film-forming properties, and the properties of SPI-based food packaging films can be adjusted through various strategies. SPI-based food packaging films/coatings have been used in various food preservation applications.
Central nervous system (CNS) diseases present unique clinical challenges characterized by insidious symptom onset, complex pathophysiology with incomplete mechanistic understanding, and substantial difficulties in therapeutic evaluation, thereby these inherent complexities create substantial obstacles for developing effective CNS diseases management strategies. Certain edible and medicinal fungi contain bioactive components, including polysaccharides, triterpenoids, alkaloids, and so on, which have therapeutic promise for CNS diseases. This paper reviews the current research advancements regarding the use of edible and medicinal fungi in the context of CNS diseases, highlighting their advantages as prospective therapeutic options and potential roles in both prevention and treatment. Through a comprehensive analysis of existing studies, the mechanisms and applications of these fungi are elucidated, providing valuable insights for the development of novel pharmaceuticals or functional foods aimed at combating CNS diseases.