Eminent scientists and industry players discuss solutions for sustainable urban farming and future foods
Organised by the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) and Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore), in partnership with Good Food Institute APAC and supported by the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), the inaugural Global Agri-food Scientific Symposium saw delegates from both local and international research organisations, academic institutions and industry players.
The symposium, which has a dual theme of “Resilient and Sustainable Urban Food Systems” and “Transformation of Future Food System”, was graced by Senior Minister of State, Ministry of Sustainability and The Environment and Manpower, Dr Koh Poh Koon.
As part of the Singapore International Agri-food Week 2022, the symposium held at the Marina Bay Sands Expo and Convention Centre on 27 October 2022, showcased cutting-edge research innovations for urban cities and serves as a knowledge sharing platform for researchers to foster deeper research and development partnerships, develop innovation capabilities, and build transformational market solutions.
Keynote speaker of the “Transformation of Future Food” theme, Chief Research Scientist from Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), Dr Mary Ann Augustin, touched on technological advances in alternative protein production, and how they are opening up new opportunities for the development of sustainable food systems. These include the application of synthetic biology and precision fermentation technologies for producing alternative protein ingredients and products.
One of the projects featured in the presentations is the Alternative Protein Development Platform (APDP): from lab to pilot scale. Dr Melanie Weingarten, Director of Biotransformation at A*STAR’s Singapore Institute of Food and Biotechnology Innovation (SIFBI), shared the global alternative protein market trends and explained how Singapore has a strong value proposition to accelerate the development and innovation of alternative proteins, including tapping on new or under explored indigenous Asian protein sources.