Food Analysis Course in Partnership with Universiti Putra Malaysia

The 2^nd Food Analysis Training Course in Partnership with Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) under the HRD Project – Phase 3 was successfully organized from 19 to 22 September 2023. The activity was implemented online and on-site, hosted by the Department of Food Science, Faculty of Food Science & Technology, UPM. The Program was joined by 54 participants, consisting of 19 university, research institute, and testing lab staff, 12 government staff, 3 from the private sector, and 20 students, with 21 participants joining hands-on training. 10 lecturers with noted expertise in food analysis from the well-known Japanese and Singaporean public and private sectors were invited. They shared their practical knowledge based on their broad experiences in food analysis fields. The curriculum was arranged based on consultation between UPM, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) Japan, and the HRD Project. The curriculum consisted of lectures (Day 1 – 2) and hands-on training (Day 3 – 4). It was composed of cutting-edge knowledge on food analysis-related topics which cover Japanese Agricultural Standards (JAS), JAS Testing Methods, Standardization in Food Industries, the Development of Functional Agricultural Products and the Use of Functional Food Labeling Systems in Japan, the Importance of Method and Quality Assurance, Physiological Function and Analysis of Apple Procyanidins, and Hands-on Training with High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC). The participants learned and tried the method of how to detect Procyanidins in various kinds of Japanese and Malaysian apple juices and freeze-dried apples from the pretreatment/sample preparation to HPLC data analysis in a consistent way, as well as how to handle each apparatus and reagent properly.