Virtual industry-academic collaboration forum enlightens on nutritional and nutraceutical science

The virtual forum kick-started with an opening speech by Vice President for R&D and Commercialisation Prof Ts Dr Faidz bin Abd Rahman. He said, “Nutritional and nutraceutical sciences are closely related fields that focus on the study of nutrients, their effects on human health, and the development of functional foods and dietary supplements to promote well-being and treat various health conditions. Nutritional sciences encompass a broader study of nutrients and dietary patterns, while nutraceutical sciences focus specifically on the development and study of functional foods and dietary supplements with potential health benefits. Both fields also contribute to our understanding of how nutrition impacts health, and how dietary interventions can be used to prevent, manage, or treat various diseases.”

He added, “From the educational perspective, the UTAR Industry-Academia Dialogue will also enable research and development, human capital development, talent development, and curriculum development. Besides that, the dialogue session also aligned with Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) 3: Good Health and Well-Being, and SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals. I hope today’s dialogue will facilitate more collaborations to foster more insightful outcomes in human’s well-being.”

Dr Eddy Cheah introducing CBNR

First speaker, CBNR Chairperson Dr Eddy Cheah Seong Guan, gave an “Introduction of Centre for Biomedical and Nutrition Research”. He mentioned that the centre’s research focus areas are, Natural Products and Pharmacognosy; Medical Microbiology; Genetics & Molecular Biology; Public Health; Community Nutrition; Therapeutic Nutrition; and Genomics, Bioinformatics & Meta-Analysis. The centre’s research cluster encompasses Infectious Diseases; Lifestyle Diseases & Genetic Disorders; and Community & Clinical Nutrition. According to Dr Eddy Cheah, to date, the centre has established collaborations with 10 local universities, 12 foreign universities, two healthcare services, eight industries, along with the Ministry of Health, and Nutrition Society of Malaysia.

He also mentioned that the centre is open to collaborate with nutritionist and dietitians; health and wellness organisations; beauty and aesthetic centres; food industry; pharmaceutical companies; and genetic testing laboratories. Participants also learnt that potential collaborations may result in joint grant application for nutrition and dietetic research; consultancy projects; corporate training and workshops; joint events for professionals, academia, and community; internships and employment; and establishment of industry advisory panel.

Dr Anto explaining the transitioning of generic to precision nutrition

FSc academic Dr Anto Cordelia Tanislaus Antony Dhanapal, spoke on “Precision Nutrition Research: Holistic Approach”, which enlightened participants on the nutritional transition from generic to precision nutrition. She explained, “Precision nutrition takes into consideration these factors, namely nutrigenomics, genetics, and epigenetics; metagenomics; metabolomics; dietary habits; physical activity; other lifestyle behaviours; and demographic and clinical features. It works by firstly studying the individual to input data. Then, through the AI integrated data collection tools, data integration is formed, and classification of individuals based on individual’s response will be created. From those data, the recommended precision nutrition will be generated. However, precision nutrition approach in Malaysia is still lacking, because there is no nationwide data, lack of knowledgeable experts, and lack of accessibility and affordability to high throughput gene testing.”

She enthused, “Fortunately, we have established the N2RTU unit to (S) strengthen data, (T) technology/knowledge transfer through trainings and workshops, (E) create nutrigenetics and nutrigenomics research ecosystem, and (M) maximise manpower in translating knowledge to practise. Currently, we are conducting the Malaysian Obesity Nutrigenetics Environment Study (MONEY), which is a pilot study in collaboration with University of Reading, United Kingdom (UK). We are applying a holistic approach to create scientific evidence for precision nutrition in Malaysia. It encompasses clinical and family history; nutritional anthropometry; biochemical and nutritional biomarkers; dietary intake; physical activity; genetics; metagenomics; metabolomics; and physio-social behaviour.” She also welcomed participants with common interests in related fields to contact CBNR members for possible collaborations.

Muhammad Zulhusni explaining the ways to prevent chronic diseases

FSc Head of Bachelor of Science (Honours) Dietetics Programme Muhammad Zulhusni bin Suhaimi presented “Prevention and Treatment of Chronic Diseases through Nutrition: Our Research Focus”, which brought to light the seriousness of chronic diseases. However, he emphasised that there are ways to prevent chronic diseases, which are eating healthy foods, getting enough exercise, and refraining from tobacco and excessive alcohol use.

He also highlighted that food, diet, and nutrition can be used as preventative measures to keep an individual healthy, and treatments for patients with health problems. He explained, “In food, there are different bioactive compounds, nutrients calories and fibres, namely grain, fruit and vegetables, meat, and chicken. Diet would look into one’s eating pattern, food choices, timing, and composition. As for nutrition, it considers the interaction between food and the body, and the action of nutrients on processes, such as ingestions, digestion, absorption, utilisation, and excretion.” He then shared some of his cross-sectional studies, and welcomed participants with common interests in related field for possible collaboration in areas of providing fund, providing materials or samples, appointment as consultant, and research publication.

Dr Teh (in circle) explaining nutraceutical

FSc Department of Allied Health Sciences Head Dr Teh Lai Kuan presented, via video recording, “Human Study on the Treatment Effects of Nutraceutical Products”. She explained, “Human subject research is a systematic, scientific investigation that can either interventional (a trial) or observational (no “test article”), and involves human beings as research subjects, commonly known as test subjects. For instance, information or biospecimens through intervention or interaction with the individual. This includes, data obtained from medical records, surveys, observation, and from third parties like their family members.

She further elucidated using a research, titled “Dietary and Supplementation with Anaemia”, conducted with her postgraduate students, and said, “We know that anaemia refers to lower concentration of haemoglobin, thus having lesser haemoglobin to transport oxygen. Factors leading to anaemia include blood loss, pregnancy, chronic conditions, genetic factors, and vitamins and minerals deficiency. The most common type of anaemia is iron deficiency anaemia, meaning there is less iron to make haemoglobin. Iron is an important mineral, which is part of haemoglobin. The function of haemoglobin is to carry oxygen for cellular respiration. So, in this research, we studied the effects of dietary and supplementation on haemoglobin level.”

Dr Ng explaining the different types of bees

The final presenter, FSc academic Dr Ng Wen Jie spoke on “Quality Evaluation of Stingless Bee Honey in Malaysia: Physicochemical Properties and Bioactivities”. He started by informing participants that there are 20 thousand species of bees, encompassing seven families, namely Andrenidae, Apidae, Colletidae, Halictidae, Megachilidae, Melittidae, and Stenotritidae.

“In Malaysia, there are at least 32 stingless bee species. Stingless beekeeping or meliponiculture was launched by Malaysian Agricultural Research and Development Institute (MARDI) in 2004. The stingless bee honey industry has been a sustainable source of income for local beekeepers. It was even reported in 2019, that stingless bee honey has contributed RM200 million annually to the economy in Malaysia. Stingless bee honey industry in Malaysia has the potential to reap RM3.03 billion annually. However, the problems of authenticity and adulteration have arisen. The methods used for quality assessment on stingless bee honey are, physiocochemical properties, and bioactivities,” explained Dr Ng.

He concluded, “Studies have shown that physiocochemical and bioactivities of honey are significantly affected by bee species, nectar origins, processing, and storage conditions. The quality of honey, including adulteration, can be evaluated based on physiocochemical properties and bioactivities. It is a win-win situation for both industry and consumers.”

After each presentation, participants engaged in an interactive Q&A session with the presenter, and gained more insights.