The focus this year is on hydrocolloids, found in seaweed. Photo: supplied / Nicole Miller
Two hundred international scientists are descending on Palmerston North this week to discuss the future of food.
The conference focuses on molecules called 'hydrocolloids' - which are commonly used as thickening agents and influence food texture, flavour, shelf life, digestion and nutrition.
It's the first time the conference has been held in New Zealand and 200 scientists from more than 20 countries are here to discuss one specific molecule - Hydrocolloids.
Riddet Institute at Massey University is hosting the conference, which is being chaired by David Everett.
"Consumers should care about what they eat because that impacts upon their health," he said.
Hydrocolloids form the building blocks of food and scientists will be presenting their research on everything from how the molecule can bind toothpaste ingredients together, to extracting hydrocolloids from New Zealand ferns and using animal hydes and skins to make pet food.
"Hydrocolloids are found in a lot of natural products, not just skins and hydes and ferns but they are also in other plant products and seaweed.. all of them have different functional properties and uses for food products and other products as well," he said.
New research shows the molecule can also moderate the bacteria in our bellies and be used for healing wound coverings. Everett said it can even be fed to cows via seaweed.
"That work is indicating it reduces the methane emissions when cows belch - so it's very important for New Zealand and our period of climate change," he said.
Riddett Institute senior scientist Alejandra Acevedo-Fani told RNZ that greenhouse gas emissions are playing an increasingly important role in food science.
"The main purpose underpinning this research is connected to what we know, that is that the food industry is responsible for a third of greenhouse gas emissions, so that is revolutionising the way we produce foods and eat foods," she said.
Her hydrocolloid research focuses on the digestibility of infant formula, and creating the next generation of ingredients from hemp seeds.
"We are using different strategies to understand more the collodoidal aspects of components of hemp seeds and how we can make ingredients out of it," Acevedo-Fani said.
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