IFST Young Scientist Competition 2012 18 May 2012

On Wednesday 25th April, 2012, The University of Huddersfield hosted the annual IFST (North of England Branch)  Young Scientist Competition.  Selected Undergraduate and Postgraduate students from across the North of England presented work from their current or recently completed projects within the areas of Food Science, Food Technology and Human Nutrition.

The presentations were judged for scientific originality, innovation, industrial application and effective communication. The panel consisted of five judges from across the food industry with Head Judge, Paresh Jejura from 'Curry Cuisine'.   The other four judges were John King (Food Consultant), Mercy Matewa (Technical Manager, Science in Sport) ,  Martin Nulty (Food Consultant) and Andy Kerridge (Chair of SCI Food Group). The SCI also provided some sponsorship for the event.

Finalists at the competition included students from The University of Leeds, Sheffield Hallam University, Manchester Metropolitan University and The University of Huddersfield.

Kathryn Armstrong, University of Huddersfield won the Undergraduate section with her work entitled 'Isolating Water Soluble Proteins from Instant Coffee Granules: An Investigation into Molecular Mass and Charge'. In addition to the main prize, Kathryn also went on to win the audience vote for best presentation, which emphasised Kathryn's excellent ability to communicate, and also in making her topic accessible to a wide audience.

Javier Garcia Lomillo, University of Leeds, won the Postgraduate section for his work entitled 'Should antioxidant activity assays be included in the quality control of the decaffeination process?' He was a very lively presenter, extremely confident in his material, and very engaging.

Kathryn and Javier will have the opportunity to publish their papers in Food Science & Technology and will receive free IFST membership and will be invited to join the SCI's Young Ambassadors programme.

The event was a great success, as it was well-attended by industry professionals, academics and students in the fields of food science and nutrition. It gave students an excellent opportunity to network and exchange ideas in their chosen field.

Helen Martin