Food Analysis Program in Partnership with IPB University 2023

The 2^nd Food Analysis Training Course in Partnership with IPB University (IPB) under the HRD Project – Phase 3 was successfully organized from 24 to 28 July 2023. The activity was implemented both online and on-site, hosted by the Department of Food Science and Technology, IPB. The Program was joined by 61 participants which consisted of 37 academic staff, 18 government staff, 4 from the private sector, and 2 students. Among them, 30 participants joined hands-on training. 10 lecturers with noted expertise in food analysis from the well-known Japanese and Singaporean public and private sectors were invited and shared their practical knowledge based on their wide experiences in the field of food analysis.  The curriculum was arranged based on consultation between IPB, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) Japan, and the HRD Project. The curriculum consisted of two parts; lectures (Day 1-3) and hands-on training (Day 4-5). 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, Basic Understanding and Key Points of ISO/IEC17025, Evaluation of Traditional Japanese Medicine and Functional Foods, and Hands-on Training with High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC). During the hands-on training session, the participants were divided into small groups to experience the JAS Testing method. The participants learned and tried the method of how to detect Catechin in various kinds of green teas from the pretreatment/sample preparation to HPLC data analysis in a consistent way, as well as how to handle each apparatus and reagent properly.