FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Ana Gonzalez, a doctoral student in food science in U of A's Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences, placed third in a national contest sponsored by the Cereals and Grains Association.

Gonzalez finished third in the Carbohydrate Division Megazyme Outstanding Student Research Presentation category and earned a $500 award. 

Her research project is "Preparation of porous starches by combining acid hydrolysis or surface gelatinization with alpha-amylase digestion," under the guidance of Ya-Jane Wang, professor of carbohydrate chemistry in the Department of Food Science. Porous starches are attracting much attention due to their great absorption ability, which has applications in both food and pharmaceutical industries as carriers of bioactive compounds sensitive to processing and digestion conditions.

The national contest, Cereals & Grains 2019 annual meeting, was sponsored by the Cereals & Grains Association, formally known as the American Association of Cereal Chemists, AACC. The Cereals & Grains Association is a global non-profit entity that brings together professionals in the academic and the food industry to work on issues and advancements of cereal grains. The association also promotes new product development and research that leads to the advancement and understanding of cereal science. This year's meeting covered three main aspects: food security, innovation in the value chain, and health and wellness.

Gonzalez, who is from Colombia, received her bachelor's degree in food engineering from Universidad de Cordoba. As a senior in college, she worked as an intern in the carbohydrate chemistry laboratory in Bumpers College's Department of Food Science, which led her to U of A to work on her doctorate.

About the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences: Bumpers College provides life-changing opportunities to position and prepare graduates who will be leaders in the businesses associated with foods, family, the environment, agriculture, sustainability and human quality of life; and who will be first-choice candidates of employers looking for leaders, innovators, policy makers and entrepreneurs. The college is named for Dale Bumpers, former Arkansas governor and longtime U.S. senator who made the state prominent in national and international agriculture. For more information about Bumpers College, visit our website, and follow us on Twitter at @BumpersCollege and Instagram at BumpersCollege.

About the University of Arkansas: The University of Arkansas provides an internationally competitive education for undergraduate and graduate students in more than 200 academic programs. The university contributes new knowledge, economic development, basic and applied research, and creative activity while also providing service to academic and professional disciplines. The Carnegie Foundation classifies the University of Arkansas among only 2.7 percent of universities in America that have the highest level of research activity. U.S. News & World Report ranks the University of Arkansas among its top American public research universities. Founded in 1871, the University of Arkansas comprises 10 colleges and schools and maintains a low student-to-faculty ratio that promotes personal attention and close mentoring.