Visiting Professor: Department of Public Nutrition IPB University Collaborates with Kasetsart University
The Department of Nutrition Science, Faculty of Human Ecology (Fema) IPB University has successfully held a series of inbound and outbound activities in the context of implementing the Visiting Professor program. This activity is supported by the International Research Institute (LRI) of Food, Nutrition and Health of IPB University and the 2024 Inter-University Center of Excellence (PUAPT) grant program.
In inbound activities, the Department of Community Nutrition presents guest lecturers from Thailand, namely Assoc Prof Wannee Jirapakkul from the Department of Food Science and Technology, Faculty of Agro-Industry, Kasetsart University. This activity includes a workshop with the title ‘The Role of Chromatography in Food Analysis’ as well as giving guest lectures at IPB University’s S1, S2, and S3 Nutrition Science programs.
At the opening of the workshop, Dr Zuraidah Nasution, as Secretary of the Department of Public Nutrition, delivered her speech. She hoped that this activity could provide benefits, especially for students who were or would conduct analytical research with gas chromatography (GC) and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) instruments.
“After we previously held workshops on food and nutrition policies and programs, this workshop is expected to help fellow lecturers and students who will conduct research in the laboratory. Hopefully the material obtained today can help in the preparation of analytical methods, especially those using GC and HPLC instruments,” said Dr Zuraidah.
On the first day of the workshop, Assoc Prof Wannee Jirapakkul presented material related to GC and HPLC instruments. He explained the main components, working principles, and analysis methods using these instruments. The activity was interactive and attended by several lecturers and undergraduate and postgraduate students of IPB Nutritional Sciences as participants.
The second day of the workshop was a lab demo. All participants were taken to visit PT Ditek Jaya in Kebon Jeruk, West Jakarta as the sole agent of the Shimadzu brand in Indonesia, to learn firsthand the GC and HPLC instruments.
After a series of inbound activities, the program continued with outbound activities. In outbound activities, seven workshop participants from the IPB University Nutrition Science Postgraduate Study Program have been selected and get the opportunity to take part in a training program to Kasetsart University, Thailand on September 26-27, 2024. The participants were accompanied by lecturers, namely Prof. Rimbawan and Dr Zuraidah Nasution, as well as laboratory staff of the Department of Public Nutrition, namely Ine Amalia, SSi. There, they did hands-on training using GC and HPLC instruments with direct guidance from Assoc Prof. Wannee Jirapakkul and his team.
The outbound activity was conducted for two days. On the first day, the participants received material on green tea and anti-obesity effect from Asst Prof Sudathip Sae-tan from Department of Food Science and Technology Faculty of Agro-Industry Kasetsart University, with the main points on bioactive components, mechanism of action, and testing methods. All participants practiced from sample preparation, extraction steps to the use of HPLC accompanied by Assoc Prof Wannee Jirapakkul as well as department scientist Mrs. Piyaman Sukwises and graduate student Ms Yosita Laoviriya.
On the second day of the workshop, the participants received material on the topic of nitrosamines in processed meat from Assoc Prof Kanithaporn Vangnai regarding the assessment of nitrosamine content in processed meat products which is a concern in terms of food safety. Participants had the opportunity to do sample preparation, extraction, and analysis using Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS), accompanied by Assoc Prof Wannee Jirapakkul and Mrs Piyaman Sukwises and Mr Yutthachai Ruanghchaisirwate as graduate students.
This training provided great benefits for the participants, especially in honing their skills in conducting laboratory analysis based on chromatographic principles. In addition, the academic collaboration between IPB University and Kasetsart University also further strengthens the international network and supports joint research in the field of food and nutrition. (*/Rz) (IAAS/RUM)
