IN BRIEF
FT417
FOOD
WARNINGS
PROFESSOR
CONRAD PERERA
(University of Auckland)
L WORKING ast year’s top award
Food safety warnings are working
well to prevent unnecessary cases of
miscarriages, still births and meningitis
in babies infected in the womb. A
University of Otago study into the
burden of listeria in pregnant New
Zealanders and their babies says –
whilst 12 unborn babies have died
in the past two decades and more
than 100 people hospitalised - on the
whole, women seem to be following
the Ministry of Health food safety
recommendations to avoid the disease.
This includes not eating foods such
as sushi, deli meats or salads that
are most likely to be contaminated
with listeria. Pregnant women are 18
times more likely to get the infection,
with disproportionately high levels of
Pacific Islanders. Researcher Emma
Jeffs says over two decades, there
were 143 cases of the disease; 115
(80.4%) cases in pregnant women and
28 (19.6%) cases in children. Of all
cases, 118 resulted in hospitalisation,
but the Pacific Island statistics are not
explained and warrant investigation
“and potentially a different food safety
approach from relevant authorities.”
in food technology –
the prestigious J. C.
Andrews Award of the
New Zealand Institute of Food
Science & Technology (NZIFST) –
has been presented to University
of Auckland’s Professor Conrad
Perera. The award, which
recognises institute members
who have made a substantial
contribution to science,
technology and leadership in the
food industry, was presented to
Perera at the institute’s annual
conference in Hamilton. Perera’s
international career started with
a physical science degree at
the then University of Ceylon in
1968, before he joined Lever
Brothers as a chemist. He won a
fellowship to study for a Masters
degree in food technology at
the FAO International Food
Technology Training Centre at
the Central Food Technological
Research Institute (CFTRI)
in India. After a short period
working in Mozambique for an
edible oil company, Perera went
to the United States, where
he completed a Doctorate
in food science at Oregon
State University, and was then
offered a professorship at the
State University of Londrina
in Brazil. Perera emigrated
to New Zealand in 1981,
where he worked as technical
manager for Hansells (NZ),
followed by him joining the
then Department of Scientific
and Industrial Research (DSIR)
and now the Crown Research
Institute. In 2000, Perera was
offered a professorship at the
National University of Singapore
(NUS), where he worked for
five years and then returned
to New Zealand to accept a
similar position at the University
of Auckland. He has served
as the director of the food
science programme in charge
of undergraduate and graduate
students, including supervising
several masters and doctoral
candidates. Perera has won
several awards including NZ
Ministerial Award, a Winston
Churchill Fellowship and now
the J. C. Andrews Award, the
most prestigious one offered by
NZIFST.
Two of New Zealand’s most
accomplished food technologists
have been feted by the industry in
the past 12 months.
Principal research technologist
Keith ‘KJ’ Johnston retired from
Fonterra in 2017 after 47 years of
service to the New Zealand dairy
industry, and has been recognised
for his work on Codex cheese
standards. Best known as the
‘mozzarella man’ who worked with
the team which produced a stable
cheese that could be eaten within
hours of manufacture, his work
spurred the $240m Clandeboye
plant in South Canterbury, which
exports enough mozzarella to top
half the pizzas (about 300 million)
made in China each year. Beyond
his day job, Johnston has played
a critical role in helping consumers
across the world have greater
access to dairy products through
the development of sensible
standards and regulations.
As the first full-time employee
of Massey University’s food
technology research centre (later
the Riddet Research Centre), Brian
Wilkinson has completed a range
of projects for New Zealand food
companies that includes feasibility
studies, consumer and market
research studies, product sensory
analysis and a large number of
product development projects for
sectors such as meat, vegetable,
bakery and fruit industries.
Wilkinson continues to research
meat hydrolysates with a view to
improving their flavour profile and
polypeptide MW distribution as well
as amino acid profile.
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