According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, 70% of the food that Americans consume is considered ultra-processed foods (UPFs) - leading to increased health risks such as heart disease, diabetes and obesity.
The University of Kentucky Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment (CAFE) recently hosted its first Sustainable Healthy Foods Research Symposium, inviting global research scholars and experts to address UPFs and to discuss new ideas and innovations for developing healthier and more nutritious foods for consumers.
Youling Xiong, Ph.D., led the symposium. Xiong is a professor in the Department of Animal and Food Science at Martin-Gatton CAFE and one of The Bill Gatton Foundation Distinguished Professors, in partnership with the UK Seeding Partnerships for International Research Engagement (UKinSPIRE) and the UK International Center.
Xiong said inviting local and international experts to the symposium was essential to understand more about healthy foods and sustainability in Kentucky and beyond.
"Processed foods are a critical element of research and technology development in the food industry, but ultra-processing could lead to undesirable health consequences," Xiong said. "When organizing this symposium, we wanted to invite a group of international speakers and students to discuss new scientific approaches and educational opportunities with creating more sustainable, healthy foods."
The morning session included the following topics, speakers and abstracts:
- "Culinary hedonism in a healthy and sustainable world: A food scientist's approach," by Jorge Ruiz-Carrascal, professor and director, Institute of Meat and Meat Products, University of Extremadura, Spain. Ruiz-Carrascal highlighted how cultural traditions, leisure practices and the pursuit of sensory pleasure shape contemporary food choices with occasional indulgence, especially in fine dining and haute cuisine, but may carry substantial health and environmental burdens.
- "Plant-based oil modulates saltiness and bitterness in sodium-reduced double emulsions," by Mi-Jung Choi, professor and associate vice president, Department of Food Science and Biotechnology of Animal Resources, Konkuk University, South Korea. Choi examined the effects of plant-based oil composition on saltiness and bitterness perception in sodium-reduced water-in-oil-in-water (W/O/W) double emulsions.
- "Oxidized proteins contribute to explaining the connection between (ultra) processed foods and chronic diseases," by Mario Estevez, professor, Department of Animal Production and Food Science, University of Extremadura, Spain. Estevez has been studying the compositional, structural changes that proteins suffer from severe processing and how those changes affect the functionality and digestibility of proteins.
- "Application of healthy Mediterranean ingredients for the bromatological improvement of clean label food products," by Gema Nieto, professor, Department of Food Technology, Nutrition and Food Science, University of Murcia, Spain. Nieto discussed findings that highlight the potential of Mediterranean ingredients to create innovative, clean-label foods that combine health benefits and food safety.
Xiong presented on the topic "Understanding the interplay of muscle and pulse proteins in developing hybrid meat products," which discussed his research on modulating surface properties of plant proteins (soy, pea, hemp seeds, etc.) to improve health, nutrition and flavor. Xiong talked about hybrid meat, which uses traditional animal meat supplemented with up to 50% of plant-based ingredients.
The afternoon session included the following topics, speakers and abstracts:
- "Utilization of filamentous fungi in 3D-bioprinted structured food products," by Tyler Barzee, assistant professor, Department of Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering, Martin-Gatton CAFE. Barzee discussed the strengths and limitations of 3D bioprinting technologies in food production and the utilization of filamentous fungi and other microbial cells in these systems.
- "Breeding fruits and vegetables for better nutrition: Genetic strategies to enhance health-promoting compounds in horticultural crops," by Manoj Sapkota, assistant professor, Department of Horticulture, Martin-Gatton CAFE. Sapkota discussed his lab's horticultural breeding program that integrates genetics, metabolomics and genomics to dissect the biological basis of health-promoting compounds in tomatoes.
- "Building the bridge: Training nutrition-focused leaders for food innovation," by Dawn Brewer, associate professor, Department of Dietetics and Human Nutrition, Martin-Gatton CAFE. Brewer's presentation addressed the critical need to equip food scientists and industry professionals with a nutrition-focused lens for product development - designing products that satisfy industry requirements for stability and taste while proactively advancing public health.
- Graduate, postdoctoral student presentations included "Consumerism of meat vs. plant-based foods" by Laura Zalama (Spain); "Designing of protein-based dysphagia foods" by Chen Lin (Martin-Gatton CAFE); "Pea-hemp protein hybridization for healthy foods" by Ruiqi Zhou (Martin-Gatton CAFE); and "Protein-phytonutrient interactions" by Jemma Lee (South Korea).
Future of healthy foods
"Embracing new technology, understanding consumer behavior trends and investing in education, both for the food manufacturers and customers, will be important drivers for adopting healthier and more sustainable foods," Xiong said. "We must continue to collaborate with local protein companies, global researchers and scholars, along with investing in our undergraduate and graduate student researchers to advance this research."
For Xiong, the Sustainable Healthy Foods Research Symposium is just the beginning of researching healthy food opportunities. In the future, he aspires to expand the symposium and establish a global protein food network and research alliance at UK, focused on future nutritious protein food research and product development.
"We are wanting to bring the University of Kentucky's research to the global space and invite others to join this initiative. To be successful, collaboration is essential," Xiong said. "We want to create sustainable, healthy and accessible proteins to nourish Kentuckians and the world for generations to come."
Learn more about The Bill Gatton Foundation's legacy and impact at Martin-Gatton CAFE.
University of Kentucky alum and former trustee Carol Martin "Bill" Gatton bestowed a transformational $100 million gift to the college through The Bill Gatton Foundation.
Four Pillars of The Bill Gatton Foundation's gift are (1) Scholarships and other initiatives for Student Success, (2) Companion Animal Program, (3) 21st Century Capital Projects and New Initiatives Fund and (4) Faculty Research and Innovation/Research Challenge Trust Fund Program.
