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FOOD AND RESOURCEECONOMICSSung-Kyu Kim Sumeet GulatiMaking a Difference in AfricaHow far can a Masters degree in Food and Resource Economics takeyou? If you’re Sung-Kyu Kim, all the way to Africa.Kim was one of 19 students enrolled in the Faculty’s inaugural Masterof Food and Resource Economics (MFRE) program in 2009.“The MFRE program was very much aligned with my interests of foodsecurity and international development,” he said. “I was impressedwith the professors, their expertise and experience, and I reallyenjoyed the small group feeling.”As part of the program, students are required to complete agraduating project such as a work placement or internship thatmeets their learning objectives for their future careers. Kim spent fivemonths in Rwanda as part of an international nutrition project led byLFS Adjunct Professor Judy McLean, helping to conduct a baselineassessment of food security and nutrition in the Ngoma District.“The experience really opened my eyes,” said Kim. “Being from awestern country, I thought I could do better, that I would show themthings, but they taught me a lot.”While in Rwanda, Kim applied for a research intern position with theInternational Development Research Centre (IDRC) in Ottawa. He wonthe competition, open to graduate students all across Canada, and willbegin with IDRC in January 2011.Resource EconomicsThe Food and Resource Economics (FRE) group uses rigorous tools ofeconomic analysis to examine applied problems in the general area offood markets, and the economics of renewable resourcesand the environment.“Resource economics studies how we, as a society, use naturalresources like clean air, minerals, fish and forests,” said Sumeet Gulati,Assistant Professor. “Environmental economics helps us understandthe costs and benefits of using the environment.”Gulati’s research is centred on the cost-effectiveness and formationof environmental policy. He focuses on carbon taxes or subsidies forbuying energy efficient appliances or vehicles. Gulati has studied suchinitiatives in the U.S., Canada and Japan and recently co-authoreda study that analyzes the cost effectiveness of a B.C. governmentprogram that provides rebates to purchasers of hybrid cars.His work highlights the importance of measuring the price of ouractions on the environment.“We may not be in a crisis of the environment at the moment, butwe’re definitely at a critical point,” he said.The year-long contract will allow Kim to continue his research, whichproposes simple and practical strategies and interventions to improvethe livelihood of subsistence farming communities by tackling foodinsecurity, maternal and child nutrition, and sustainableeconomic development.“I’ll also be working with the IDRC’s agriculture and food securitydivision, so I’ll be learning about research on a program level as well,”he added.Kim received his MFRE degree at UBC’s Fall Convocationin November 2010.24 Faculty of Land and Food Systems Annual Report 2009 | 2010
FOOD SCIENCEKevin AllenBoiled Salad Anyone?Consumers who like their veggies raw may find themselves in theposition of “making faith-based purchases when it comes to produce,”says Kevin Allen, a UBC food safety expert who studies E. coli andother pathogens.In May, several U.S. states issued massive recalls for romaine lettucecontaminated by E. coli. Days later, the Canadian Food InspectionAgency also issued a recall of romaine lettuce.Currently, government and beef and produce industries haveprocedures in place to monitor and test for E. coli O157:H7 bacterium.However, there are not yet any detection methods available to showa strain such as E. coli O145 which was associated with the romaineoutbreak in May.While it is important that consumers continue to include fresh fruitand vegetables in their diet, notes Allen, they also need to understandthat our produce is not risk free. “Certain commodities such as alfalfasprouts and certain leafy greens are frequently associated withfoodborne disease.”An important facet of Allen’s work is looking at how and why E. coli isso successful at finding its way into, and surviving in, our food chain.Prior to joining LFS in January as an assistant professor in theFood, Nutrition and Health program, Allen worked within industry,researching a vaccine to minimize E. coli O157 prevalence in cattle. Hecontinues this task at UBC.Allen is also comparing various strains of E. coli O157 to devise betterfood safety policies and intervention strategies. This fall, he will collectphysiological data on how different stressors such as heat or chemicalsaffect the bacteria.“What we’re going to do is look at stress response and virulence geneexpression and compare three lineages to see if there are differencesexplaining why these lineages are linked differentially tohuman disease.”Roasting Coffee Beans a Dark BrownProduces Valued AntioxidantsTwo LFS food scientists have pinpointed more of the complexchemistry behind coffee’s antioxidant benefits, tracing valuablecompounds to the roasting process.The study, led by MSc student Yazheng Liu and Prof. David Kitts, foundthat the prevailing antioxidants present in dark roasted coffee brewextracts result from the green beans being brownedunder high temperatures.Liu and Kitts analyzed the complex mixture of chemical compoundsproduced during the bean’s browning process, called the “Maillardreaction.” The term refers to the work by French chemist Louis-Camille Maillard who in the 1900s looked at how heat affects thecarbohydrates, sugars and proteins in food, such as when grillingsteaks or toasting bread.Antioxidants aid in removing free radicals, the end products ofmetabolism which have been linked to the aging process.“Previous studies suggested that antioxidants in coffee could betraced to caffeine or the chlorogenic acid found in green coffee beans,but our results clearly show that the Maillard reaction is the mainsource of antioxidants,” said Liu.“We found, for example, that coffee beans lose 90 per cent of theirchlorogenic acid during the roasting process,” said Kitts, LFS foodscience professor and director of the Food, Nutrition andHealth program.The study sheds light on an area of research that has yieldedlargely inconsistent findings. While some scientists report increasedantioxidant activity in coffee made from dark roasted beans, othersfound a decrease. Yet other theories insist that medium roast coffeesyield the highest level of antioxidant activity.“We have yet to fully decipher all the complex compounds in roastedcoffee beans. We only know the tip of the iceberg,” said Kitts, who hasbeen studying Maillard reaction chemicals over the past 25 years.The study received support from the Natural Science and EngineeringResearch Council (NSERC) of Canada.Faculty of Land and Food Systems Annual Report 2009 | 2010 25
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