Several U of A Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences graduate students in food science recently placed in competitive programs at the Institute of Food Technologists First Event and Expo in Chicago.

Sumanjot Kaur's presentation "Converting rice processing byproducts into high-value bioactive compounds and nanoporous materials using supercritical carbon dioxide" won first place in the Sustainable Food Systems Division Graduate Student Oral Competition. 

Mattias Lenie took second place in the Carbohydrate Division Graduate Student Oral Competition with his presentation "Coaxial 3D food printing to develop a pH-responsive hydrogel system with an alginate-pectin shell and starch core." 

Arda Tuhanioglu was a finalist in the Product Development Division Graduate Student Oral Competition, presenting his work titled "Enhancing the flavor of white whole sorghum flour using supercritical carbon dioxide."

"It is a tremendous success that all students from my team were selected as finalists in their respective divisions at IFT," said Ali Ubeyitogullari, adviser to all three and assistant professor of food science. "Their remarkable achievement is a testament to their hard work and dedication. It is also great to see that their innovative research in the Food Engineering for Health lab was recognized by IFT."

Ubeyitogullari is a faculty member in Bumpers Colleges as well as a researcher and scientist with the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station, the research arm of the U of A System Division of Agriculture. Ubeyitogullari also has a shared appointment with the Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering.

IFT is a forum for science of food professionals and technologists to collaborate, learn and contribute with the goal of inspiring and transforming collective scientific knowledge into innovative solutions for the benefit of people around the world. The expo offers opportunities to access the latest food trends from IFT partners with over 700 exhibitors who showcase, demonstrate, educate and sample trending ingredients, machinery, and food and science intelligence.

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: As Arkansas' flagship institution, the U of A provides an internationally competitive education in more than 200 academic programs. Founded in 1871, the U of A contributes more than $2.2 billion to Arkansas' economy through the teaching of new knowledge and skills, entrepreneurship and job development, discovery through research and creative activity while also providing training for professional disciplines. The Carnegie Foundation classifies the U of A among the top 3% of U.S. colleges and universities with the highest level of research activity. U.S. News & World Report ranks the U of A among the top public universities in the nation. See how the U of A works to build a better world at Arkansas Research News.