SWEDISH SOUTH ASIAN STUDIES NETWORK

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Report from seminar on ”Fermented foods, health status, and wellbeing” in Copenhagen on 23 October 2006

Indian participants at the Copenhagen seminar. From left to right: Prof. J.B. Prajapati, Prof. P.A. Shankar, Dr. G. Vijayalakshmi, Dr. Rekha S. Singhal, Prof. Baboo Nair (Lund University), and Dr. C.D. Khedkar. Photo by Lars Eklund

Organised by: The SASNET-Fermented Foods Network (coordinated by Prof. Baboo Nair, Dept. of Applied Nutrition and Food Chemistry, Lund Institute of Technology, Lund University); in collaboration with the Øresund Food Network

Venue: Øresund Food Network, Arne jacobsens Alle 15-17, Ørestad, Copenhagen

Programme:
9.30 – 12.30 Research on fermented foods in India
9.30 Development of foods containing probiotic lactobacilli and testing their therapeutic potential. J. B Prajapati, Professor and Head of the department of Dairy Microbiology, Anand Agricultural University, Anand, Gujarat, India
10.00 Health Promoting effects of probiotics – two decades of research on human volunteers. C. D. Khedkar, College of Dairy Technology, Warud (Pusad); and Maharashtra Animal & Fishery Sciences University, Maharashtra State, India
10.50 B-glucans from microbial sources as novel ingredients for functional foods. Rekha S. Singhal, Mumbai University Institute of Chemical Technology, Matunga, India
11.20 Production and evaluation of biofilm based lactic starter cultires for immuno-modulatory properties. P.A.Shankar, Professor of Dairy Microbiology & Director of Post graduate Studies, Karnataka Veterinary, Animal and Fisheries Sciences University (KVAFSU) Regional Office, Hebbal, Bangalore, India
11.50 Approach to Utilize Filamentous Fungus as Functional food. G. Vijayalakshmi, Food Microbiology Department, Central Food Technological Research Institute, Mysore, India
13.30-14.50 Research on fermented foods in Sweden/Denmark
13.30 Fermented milk - the ideal functional food platform for nutrition and health. Peter Olesen, Chr. Hansen
13.50 Health promoting food ingredients. Egon Bech hansen, Danisco
14.10 Lactic Acid Bacteria as probiotics – Selection criteria. Åsa Ljungh, Division of Bacteriology, Department of Medical Microbiology, Dermatology and Infection, Lund University
14.30 Potential of fermented non-dairy products. Olof Mårtensson, Oatly AB
14.50-15.30 Q&A and discussion on opportunities Öresund – India

Report on the Fermented Foods Seminar in Copenhagen

by Nenda Wangchuk,
Masters student at the Dept. of Applied Nutrition and Food Chemistry, Lund Institute of Technology, Lund University

The SASNET-Fermented Foods Network has been formed to bridge a link between South Asian countries and Sweden. Fermented foods is one core area, where SASNET-Fermented Foods activity is focused. Consumption of fermented food products is known to have many health beneficial effects. Scandinavia is in forefront of fermented dairy products, with high tech inputs, and increase capital investment on R&D. Fermentation process in South Asia is still practiced in very traditional, and age old way. This indigenous preservation process is widely adopted at household’s levels to supplement need for this fermented product in all most all houses. It is eminent that there is lots of area to collaborate and learn from each other experience under the support of the SASNET-Fermented Foods network.
On Monday 23 October 2006, in Copenhagen a cluster of food scientists from South Asia and Scandinavia along with food company representatives met under the aegis of SASNET Fermented Foods and the Øresund Food Network on a day long seminar. Exhaustive presentations and discussions were made on wide ranging topic centered on its seminar theme, “Fermented foods, health status, and wellbeing”. Presentations and then discussions were made with focus on the objective of sharing know how and bridging gap between scientists and industries of theses two regions. A group of scientist from India shared their varied working knowledge in some of the widely accepted and locally fermented foods.
Success of the trial on human health, with focus on malnourish tribal children has shown very promising result. Change in economic status of average people in India has created different mindset in Indian fermentation industries. It is growing by many folds now. This group of scientists also took time to highlight and discuss at length about potential of joint venture with the representatives of food companies from Scandinavian regions. On the investment front, there was growing interest amongst company representatives. They suggested sharing of knowledge on improved bacterial culture to support development of superior fermented products can be one focus area. They also highlighted a possibility of having International development agencies such as DANIDA working together as a stakeholder for some Nobel ventures, like in case of trials conducted on tribal children of Maharashtra, INDIA.
In the end, this one day seminar and discussion around it turned out to be very fruitful. It bridged many gaps and brought in increased understanding amongst all participants from South Asia and the Øresund region.

More information about the SASNET-Fermented Foods Network, and its initial support from SASNET