MIFT 11th National Food Science and Technology Competition

Opening ceremony of the competition

UTAR and the Centre for Biodiversity Research of the Faculty of Science (FSc) hosted the Malaysia Institute of Food Technology (MIFT) 11^th National Food Science and Technology Competition from 6 to 7 April 2019 at UTAR Kampar Campus. It was organised by MIFT.

The competition kick-started with an opening ceremony, which saw the presence of FSc Dean Assoc Prof Dr Lim Tuck Meng representing UTAR President Ir Prof Academician Dato’ Dr Chuah Hean Teik, President of MIFT Dr Koh Yew Ming, Centre for Biodiversity Research Chairperson Dr Wong Wey Lim, Organising Chairperson Dr Ong Mei Kying, MIFT Council Members, staff and participants.

The competition was participated by 16 universities including UTAR. The other 15 participating universities were Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM), Universiti Kuala Lumpur (UniKL), Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia (UTHM), Monash University Malaysia, Management and Science University (MSU), Tunku Abdul Rahman University College (TAR UC), Taylor’s University, UCSI University, University College of Technology Sarawak (UCTS), Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS), Universiti Malaysia Terengganu (UMT), Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin (UniSZA), Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) and Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM). 

Dr Ong delivering her speech

“We are very honoured to be given the opportunity to host this competition that showcases the innovativeness and talents of food science students. The MIFT National Food Science and Technology Competition serves as a platform for undergraduate and postgraduate students of food science, food technologist, food biotechnologist and nutritionist from private and public universities to meet, learn from each other and exchange ideas. The competition will also promote various core skills, including communication and critical thinking skills,” said Dr Ong in her speech. 

Dr Lim delivering his speech

“I would like to thank MIFT for the opportunity to host this 11^th MIFT National Food Science and Technology Competition. It is a very significant event for our undergraduate and postgraduate students to explore new perspectives in food science and technology area. I understand that there will be five sub-competitions, namely “Postgraduate Research Paper Competition (poster)”, “Postgraduate Research Paper Competition (oral)”, “Undergraduate Oratory Competition”, “Undergraduate Food Bowl Quiz”, and “Innovative Food Product Development Competition”. These sub-competitions are not only important to spark your competitive spirit, but also boosts your critical and creative thinking skills,” said Dr Lim.

He added, “Apart from developing a research culture among students, the sub-competitions are also a useful platform for you to improve communication skills as you interact with other teams. This will establish a wide network among students, researchers and industry. As you compete with other teams, you need to bear in mind that it is not about winning, but more on what you are able to learn and apply from your experience throughout this competition. I would like to highlight one extra and important skill that you will also gain from participating in this competition - analytical skill. As researchers, this skill is very important because you need to identify and analyse the problem, further proposing effective and viable solutions.”

Dr Lim also pointed out some global issues that mankind is currently facing and urged all participants to take up their roles and responsibilities as future food science technologists to come up with effective solutions. He also urged participants to start thinking on how to create a sustainable food system to solve insufficient food supply due to the growing world population.

“So use this competition as an opportunity to relearn things that you thought you have already known; look at it from a different perspective. Extract the important aspects as you interact and compete with other teams,” advised Dr Lim.

Dr Koh expressing his delight on the increased participation during his speech

“I am very delighted to see so many participants joining this competition. Back in 2003, when the first competition took place, we only had two participating universities. Today, the number has increased eight times and we are very happy to receive participation from 16 universities. This is the highest record of participation so far, and I am looking forward to more participation in the next competition. Your participation is also a great testimony to showcase that the programme is indeed relevant to the food industries and country, and for producing high-quality graduates that will ensure safe food for consumers in Malaysia. Therefore, this event is meant to support students because we believe students are the future leaders. We proudly do so by promoting long-term strategy with the objectives to feed the world in a healthy, sustainable and profitable manner. The competition also offers students a showcase with competition and exceptional networking opportunities in a truly informal and supportive environment. So make the most out of it,” said Dr Koh in his speech. He also thanked UTAR’s organising committee for all the effort in ensuring the success of the competition. 

Opening ceremony officiated by (from left) Dr Ong, Dr Koh and Dr Lim

The five sub-competitions held were Postgraduate Research Paper Competition (Oral), Postgraduate Research Paper Competition (Poster), Innovative Food Product Development Competition, Oratory Competition (no photography was allowed) and Food Bowl Quiz. 

Left: Dr Koh giving a talk on improving food safety standards in Malaysia
Right: Manida introducing the new technologies used for food analysis

Two talks were also held at the event. The first talk was delivered by Dr Koh who spoke on “Food Analyst Act 2011 and Regulation 2013: Moving towards higher food safety standard through empowerment”. His talk highlighted the importance of law in monitoring and evaluating the competency of people in carrying out food analysis. He also mentioned that the council will continuously monitor registered food analyst and meet every three months to evaluate the works done by the food analysts. He also educated the participants on the Annual Practicing Certificate. Without this certificate, it would be an offence for people to practice food analysis. He pointed out that the certificate is renewed annually and is subjected to specific requirements, and that applicants must prove continuous competency. He also listed the opportunities for one who obtains the certificate, which included, recognition of qualification, public confidence, marketability and empowerment.

The second talk, titled “Digital Integration and Traceability in Modernised Food Safety Testing” was delivered by Arachem (M) Sdn Bhd representative Manida Chapkiau. Her talk aimed to introduce the most advanced technology available in food safety analysis that is currently used by the industry in producing safer food. The examples of technologies that the speaker introduced were Lightning MVP Icon, Ridasmart, Ridacube and Crest/ICE.

The Lightning MVP Icon uses ATP technology to monitor hygiene of the product. It automatically identifies the problem and gives instant data on the product monitored. The Ridasmart is a smartphone application (app), produced by R-Biopharm AG, that enables a person to do laboratory analysis in a quick, smart and convenient way. Meanwhile, the Ridacube, which is also a product of R-Biopharm AG, enables the user to conduct biochemical testing with RFID touch technology. The last technology introduced was the Automated Immunoaffinity Sample Clean Up, which is time and labour saving; increases reproducibility; improves traceability; improves quality control; and is auto injection. 

From left: Dr Lim and Dr Koh delivering their closing speeches

The 11^th MIFT National Food Science and Technology Competition 2019 ended with a closing ceremony and awards presentation. Present at the closing ceremony were Dr Lim, Dr Koh and MIFT Council Members, Dr Ong, staff and participants.

“Congratulations to all winners, and to the rest, I applaud you for your effort and hard work in this competition. All participants have taken up the challenge and that is a very good effort. Regardless of whether you win or not, it is about the effort you put in to improve yourself. This improvement is very important and we need it all along our lives. Hence, your participation is more important than winning the competition because to prepare for the competition, you had to learn a lot and this experience will not be gained if you have not participated nor taken up the challenges,” said Dr Lim in his speech.

He continued, “I also thank all participants who have travelled from afar; thank you for your enthusiasm. The United Nations has reminded the governments of all countries that sustainability is important for all of us, for our future and the generations to come. For this competition, you have proven your understanding of sustainability as you tried your best to conserve resources and reduce the use of materials that would harm the environment. You have even made more friends and build important networks. Once again, thank you to MIFT for this opportunity to host the competitions as well as to the sponsors for making this event a success,” said Dr Lim.

Meanwhile, Dr Koh, in his speech, expressed his appreciation to UTAR and the committee involved in making the competition a smooth one. He also encouraged all participants to sign up as MIFT members. “I am glad that the competition had provided an avenue for all participants to make friends and to hang out with each other despite the tense moment. I saw smiley faces and laughter and I am glad that everyone enjoyed the competition and most importantly, gained experience,” said Dr Koh. At the end of his speech, he announced that TAR UC will be the host for the 12^th MIFT National Food Science and Technology Competition, which will be held in 2021.

The list of winners for the five sub-competitions is as below:

Postgraduate Research Paper Competition (Oral) 

Winners (from second left): Foo, Seow, Nadiah

Champion: Seow Eng Keng (USM)

Textural and Structural Breakdown Properties of Flour Gels and Dodol as Influenced by Honey Bee or Kelutut Bee Honey 

2^nd place: Nadiah Ramlan (UKM)

Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) Modified surfaces Targeted to Reduce Powder Stickiness in Spray Drying Process 

3^rd place: Jenny Foo Pei Yan (UCSI University)

Biocomposite using Stale Bread Incorporated with Sodium Alginate, Gellan gum, and Glycerol: Optimisation and Effect of Electron Beam Irradiation 

Postgraduate Research Paper Competition (Poster) 

Winners from left: Rumaisa, Yong, and Fazleen (second from right) 

Champion: Rumaisa Nordin (USM)

Comparative Assessment on Black Tea Quality between Superheated Steam and Conventional Dryer

2^nd place: Yong Hui Yin (USM)

The Effects of Gums on the Rheological and Textural Properties of Textured-Modified Rice Porridge

3^rd place: Fazleen Izzany Abu Bakar (UTHM)

Euphorbia Hirta (Ara Tanah) Tea as Functional Drink for Anti-Gout

Oratory Competition 

 Winners from second left: Loong, Parithyi and Sia

Champion: Parithyi Murali Tharan (UMT)

2^nd place: Loong Ye Heng (USM)

3^rd place: Zachary Sean Sia (Taylor’s University) 

Innovative Food Product Development Competition 

  Winning teams from left: UCSI University, UniSZA, and Taylor’s University

Champion: Taylor’s University

Product: Crunchy Jackfruit Rag Cookies

2^nd place: UniSZA

Product: VEFLOSS

3^rd place: UCSI University

Product: Jujubest 

Food Bowl Quiz  

From left: Top scorers and top three teams

Top scorers 

Champion: Chuah Sin Yian (USM) 

2^nd places:

Lim Pei Yiin (Monash University)

Su Pick Kiong (UPM)

Kong Yi Lin (UTAR)

Overall team

Champion: UMS Team A

2^nd place: USM Team A

3^rd place: USM Team B

For more photos, click here. 

About MIFT

MIFT is a non-profit professional body of food technologists and educators in the field of food science and technology, and other individuals involved in areas of work closely related to food technology. MIFT is the only non-governmental organisation in Malaysia that brings together food scientists and technologists.

The organisation of the National Food Science and Technology Competition are in line with MIFT's objectives to stimulate scientific and technological  research in various aspects of Food Technology; to provide a medium for the exchange, discussion, publication and dissemination of information on various aspects of Food Technology; and to promote the profession through raising educational standards, promoting the scientific approach to food, and increasing public awareness of the basic role of the Food Technologists in the industry.

Since 2003, the Malaysian Institute of Food Technology (MIFT), together with a host university have been organising the MIFT Food Science & Technology Seminar biennially.  This event brings Food Science and Technology, Food Science and Nutrition, Food Science and Biotechnology students from the public and private universities together in a series of friendly competitions at the undergraduate and post-graduate levels. This Seminar’s objectives are to develop research culture in FST students; to enhance competitive spirit; to boost critical thinking skills; to improve communication skills; to promote interaction among the students and to stimulate accumulation and retention of knowledge.

Since this competition first started in the year 2003 with only 2 universities competing, the number of participating universities has increased to 14 as of the year 2015 with over 400 students in attendance for the 2 day event. For 2017, the name of the event has been changed to MIFT National Food Science and Technology Competition to better reflect the nature of the event.

Esteemed educators and experts from the industry judge the various events with stringent guidelines of the competition. MIFT is involved in this process to ensure a fair and impartial competition. The winners of the Postgraduate Oral Competition and Food Bowl Quiz go on to compete in the prestigious ASEAN Food Conference and thereby gain much more exposure in an South East Asian platform.