The Food Analysis Training Course, held in partnership with Universiti Putra Malaysia, was successfully conducted for the fourth time from 4 to 6 August 2026 in Putrajaya, Malaysia. The programme brought together a total of 57 participants, comprising 30 on-site participants, including three participants from Kasetsart University, Thailand, and 27 online participants who joined the programme on Day 1.
Six experts from various public and private sector institutions in Japan and Singapore shared their expertise to enhance participants’ knowledge and understanding of functional foods and food analysis. The lectures covered key topics on food analysis, including Japanese Agricultural Standards (JAS), functional agricultural products, green tea and tea polyphenols, and GABA as a bioactive component of rice, as well as JAS testing methods for functional substances.
In addition to the online lectures conducted on the first day, the programme provided hands-on training on the second and third days, focusing on functional substance analysis and the determination of 4-aminobutanoic acid (GABA) in husked, milled, and germinated brown rice by using High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) with pre-column derivatisation. Through a small-group rotation system, participants gained hands-on experience in sample pre-treatment, quantitative analysis, and data analysis. This system facilitated the effective use of laboratory space and equipment while ensuring that all participants had opportunities to actively engage in the practical sessions.
Since its inception in 2022, the Food Analysis programme has served as one of the HRD Project’s specialised capacity-building initiatives, responding to the needs and interests from the participating countries. The programme forms part of the Project’s broader efforts to strengthen human resources and technical capacities across the agricultural and food value chain in the ASEAN region through targeted training, practical learning, and knowledge exchange.
