NZ, Singapore to invest USD3 mn in F&N research

Source：A*STAR Release Date：2014-06-24 134

Food & Beverage

Five food and nutrition (F&N) research projects awarded joint grant in areas such as consumer insights, and infant and maternal nutrition

SINGAPORE – Food and nutrition research in Singapore will receive a boost from both the Singaporean and New Zealand governments, who together will invest almost USD3 million (S$3.8 million; NZ$3.5 million) in joint research projects. The research collaboration will foster further cooperation between researchers from both countries and advance Singapore's research in food and nutrition science.

This collaboration is spearheaded by Singapore's Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) and New Zealand's Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment (MBIE), who first signed the joint research agreement in June 2013. MBIE will fund approximately S$1.9 million (NZ$1.75 million), which A*STAR will match, over two years. Five research teams have been selected to receive funding and the collaborative projects will commence in June 2014. The five projects selected for funding are as follows:

? Weaning foods as nutritional drivers of bowel microbiota composition: implications for child growth and obesity

? Biomarker development and validation for use in human clinical studies of food in Asian populations

? Singaporean consumers’ attitudes and preferences for functional foods and food formulation to meet consumer needs

? Encapsulation technology for delivering active food ingredients to the surface of the small intestine

? Biomarkers development for personalised pregnancy diet

All five teams are based in New Zealand and Singapore, and will investigate various aspects of food and nutritional science. These include understanding Asian consumer insights – important as Asia is experiencing a boom in its middle class, characterised by larger disposable incomes and more hectic lifestyles. Asian consumers are also placing a greater emphasis on nutrition and its impact on health.
To reach out to the promising Asian market, some of the world's largest food and beverage companies have based their research operations in Singapore, leveraging on its position as a hub for Asia and the ability for its multi-ethnic population to provide valuable insight into consumer preferences. As an export destination, Asia also forms approximately 40% of New Zealand's F&B exports by value, according to New Zealand Trade & Enterprise.
New Zealand has established itself internationally as a leader in agri-food research across a wide range of areas. With a global reputation for high standards of food quality, safety and traceability, New Zealand has also put in place key infrastructure that will aid the development of the food and beverage industry. Its scientific research in F&B is supported by a network of government research institutes like AgResearch, and institutes of higher learning, such as Massey Universtiy, the University of Auckland, and the University of Otago.M??czy?ni