printer-friendly version . send feedback on this newsletter
Protein and Co-Products Division web page

AOCS Protein and Co-Products Division
Newsletter April 2008

Candidates for the 2008 Elections of the Officers of Protein & Co-Products Division
Dr. Mila P. Hojilla-Evangelista

For Chairperson

Rotimi Aluko

• I graduated with a Ph.D. in food science from The University of Guelph, Ontario, Canada in 1996 with a specialization in protein chemistry. I am currently an Associate Professor in the Department of Human Nutritional Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg. My research interests include food protein-derived bioactive peptides and protein functionality in food systems. Since joining AOCS in 2000 I have participated as an invited speaker in organized symposia during the annual AOCS conferences. I am a regular reviewer of manuscripts submitted to the JAOCS and have published my research work in JAOCS. I was a member of the organizing committee for the 2001 conference of the Canadian Section of AOCS held in Winnipeg. I have also been Chair of the Manitoba Section of CIFST (Canadian Institute of Food Science & Technology) for the past two years and will be completing my term this April. I strongly believe in selfless service to professional organizations such as AOCS because of the great role the organization plays in sustaining scientific excellence and industrial growth.

For Vice-Chairperson

Phoebe Qi

• Phoebe Qi is a research chemist in the Dairy Processing and Product Research Unit, Eastern Regional Research Center (ERRC), Agricultural Research Service (ARS), U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). She has been a member-at-large government representative for the Protein and Co-products Division of the American Oil Chemists' Society since 2006. Dr. Qi holds a Ph.D. in Biochemistry from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and has been with USDA-ARS-ERRC since 1999. Her research interests lie in the interface between protein chemistry and structural biology, and its applications to the development of value-added food and non-food products utilizing dairy proteins. She has been involved in research projects aimed at understanding the effect of processing on the molecular stability, protein structure-function relationships and protein-protein interactions in dairy products using modern chemical physical techniques including spectroscopy, microscopy and computational modeling.

For Secretary/Treasurer

Phil Kerr

• Phil Kerr is currently executive director of Discovery Research at Solae, LLC. His field of research includes soybean-based ingredient science and technology, grain and oilseed biochemistry and genetics, and processing / bioprocessing technology of food ingredients. He has been a member of AOCS since 1993 and was previously a member-at-large, industry representative in the Protein & Co-Products Division. He is presently serving as secretary/treasurer, having taken over the responsibilities when the previous officer retired in 2007.

For Member-at-Large, Academia

Stephanie Jung

• I am an assistant professor in the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition at Iowa State University. I have a master's degree in biotechnology and food industry from ENSAIA, Nancy, France and a Ph.D. in food engineering and food processing from ENITIAA, Nantes, France. I joined AOCS in 2002 and started attending annual meetings the same year. I have published several of my papers in JAOCS and I am co-chair of the session on "Effects of Processing on Protein Functionality" for the Protein & Co-Products Division at the upcoming annual meeting. My research interest is on nontraditional food processing, including high-pressure processing and aqueous extraction of oilseeds. I am interested in optimizing processing parameters and assessing their effect on functionality of proteins.

Yoshinori Mine

• I am presently a professor in the Department of Food Science, University of Guelph, Ontario, Canada. I obtained my B.S. and M.S. in food science from Shinshu University, Japan, and a Ph.D. in biochemistry from Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology. My research fields include protein chemistry, egg science, food immunology, food allergy, protein engineering, peptides, neutraceuticals, functional foods, food analysis and molecular genetics.

For Member-at-Large, Government

Janitha Wanasundara

• Janitha Wanasundara is a research scientist in the Bioproducts and Bioprocessing National Theme of Agriculture & Agri-Food Canada, based in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan Canada. She holds a B.Sc. (Hon) degree in Agriculture from Sri Lanka and M.Sc. and Ph.D degrees in food chemistry from Memorial University of Newfoundland, Canada. Her research interests include seed chemistry, food protein functionality and bioactive peptides. Current research activities are focused on developing protein-based bioproducts from brassica oilseeds and pulses for food and non-food applications. She holds adjunct professor status in the University of Saskatchewan and involves in graduate student supervision and training also. She has been an active member of the AOCS and Canadian section of AOCS (CAOCS), and served as an organizing committee member of the 2005 CAOCS annual meeting.

For Member-at-Large, Industry

Nicolas Deak

• I obtained my B.S. in food technology in 1998 from Universidad Catolica Argentina and my Ph.D. from Iowa State University in 2004. I have been a member of AOCS and the Protein & Co-Products Division since 2002. I have presented numerous papers at AOCS Annual meetings and also have published in JAOCS several papers on soy protein processing. In 2003, I was given the AOCS Honored Student Award for my work with soy protein. My research interests while working towards my Ph.D. were focused on soy protein fractionation. From graduation in Dec. 2004 until Oct. 2007, I worked for the Center for Crops Utilization Research, focusing on economic development for the state of Iowa where I was basically helping Iowa-based soy processing companies with their science. In October 2007, I joined Solae, LLC, where I am working as a process scientist.

---

Also in this newsletter:

Message from the Chair, by Keshun Liu

NOAA Northwest Fisheries Science Center Tour

Message from the Secretary/Treasurer

Preparation of Protein-Stabilized β-Carotene Nanodispersions by Emulsification-Evaporation Method by Boon-Seang Chu, Sosaku Ichikawa, Sumiyo Kanafusa, and Mitsutoshi Nakajima

AOCS, 2710 S. Boulder, Urbana, IL 61802-6996 USA