As co-host, CTHM handled the Culinary Challenge Competition Briefing, held on March 3, 2024, at the Buenaventura Garcia Paredes, O.P. (BGPOP) Building’s Multi-function Room (MFR), while the Food Styling & Photography Competition was also held at the BGPOP Lobby and Mezzanine on March 23, 2024. Both events were internally organized by the College of Tourism and Hospitality Management (CTHM) 3HCE1’s Solasta Productions, led by Mr. Wyett White Lee as the course facilitator and Mr. Rod Fredric S. Villamarin as the Overall Chairperson, as part of their partial fulfillment of the requirements for THM52027: Introduction to Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Events Management.

The highly anticipated event commenced with a remarkable turnout, welcoming 3,074 guests on its opening, where The ľĹÉ« Chorus of Arts and Letters set the tone for the event with a moving invocation followed by a stirring rendition of the national anthem.

The expo’s opening statements were delivered by a roster of prominent figures who have played pivotal roles in the agriculture and food industry. Among them were Mr. Roberto Angelo O. Amores II, Director of PhilFoodEx; Hon. Cynthia A. Villar, the Chairperson of the Senate Committee on Agriculture and Food; Hon. Francisco Tiu P. Laurel Jr., Secretary of the Department of Agriculture; Mr. William Tiu Lim, also a Director of PhilFoodEx; and Mr. Sergio Ortiz Luiz, President of the Philippine Exporters Confederation, Inc. Their insights set a forward-thinking agenda for the expo, emphasizing the importance of innovation, sustainability, and collaboration in the food sector.

The three days featured culinary competitions such as the Philippine Regional Table Setting Competition, Kitchen Masters, PINASarap Breakfast, Modern Filipino Dessert, Healthy Pasta, Mystery Ingredient, and the UST Dream Team competition, featuring 2nd to 3rd year Culinary Entrepreneurship and Hospitality Leadership students from the College of Tourism and Hospitality Management. The PFE Knowledge Challenge also debuted during this year’s expo, challenging students’ knowledge on various topics.

Additionally, Dr. Reinald A. Andaya, CHE, a UST CTHM Academic Staff and the Laboratory Coordinator, held a seminar on the third day called “Namit Gid!: Iloilo City’s Journey for the UNESCO Creative City on Gastronomy.”

The culinary competitions were hosted by Mr. Louis San Sebastian and Ms. Clarisse Ricablanca, 3rd-year Culinary Entrepreneurship students from UST CTHM. On the other hand, the PFE Knowledge Challenge was hosted by Mr. Louis Anjello Cheng and Ms. Anna Mae Paño, also from the same college.

The final day’s highlight was the awarding ceremony, a moment of recognition and appreciation for all participants who represented their schools with pride and passion.

The 16th Philippine Food Expo was organized by the Philippine Food Processors and Exporters Inc. (PHILFOODEX) and Cut Unlimited Inc. It is supported by 3HCE1’s Solasta Productions of the UST CTHM as partnered organizers and student marshalls.

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Arenas presented the research project during the Department of Science and Technology Collaborative Research and Development to Leverage Philippine Economy (DOST-CRADLE) symposium held on January 18, 2022.

Industrial food processing generates massive amounts of waste, and the unused byproducts, which are commonly disposed of and not maximized, lead to environmental problems and economic loss for businesses, particularly micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs).

Banawe Soybean Curd Food Products Corporation (BSCFPC), which produces soy milk, taho, and bean curd sheet products, also generates 200kg to 300kg of okara as a byproduct. They linked with the UST team through the DOST’s Government-Academe-Industry or GAIN workshop held in August 2019, and the one-year research project to make use of okara officially commenced on June 6, 2021.

The world production of okara, mostly coming from Asian countries, is about 1.4 billion tonnes, according to the team’s presentation. This large quantity of food byproduct is discarded or used as animal feed. To reduce food waste, the okara will be made into a high-volume food product, such as sausages.

The project’s team leader Arenas shared in an interview that, “Currently, there is a strong market demand for sausages, but unfortunately, high consumption of processed meat products like sausages is associated with an increased risk of chronic diseases. Thus, we envision a healthy vegan sausage made from okara, which is free of artificial food coloring and chemical preservatives.”

Okara is a low-cost source of bioactive compounds that are good for human health. It is high in dietary fiber and contains an appreciable amount of protein, oil and phytochemicals, such as isoflavones, added Arenas.

At present, the product is still being finalized to determine the ideal formulation and the team plans to conduct chemical analyses to determine its nutrient composition.

The team is composed of Research Center for Natural and Applied Sciences (RCNAS) researchers, Assoc. Prof. Elizabeth H. Arenas, Ph.D., who teaches at the Food Technology Department, and Assoc. Prof. Franelyne P. Casuga, Ph.D., who is the Laboratory Supervisor of the Pharmacy Department. With them are research assistants Mr. Kevin Rae Ngo and Ms. Kerstin Mariae G. Ponsaran, who are UST BS Biochemistry graduates, and laboratory aide Chelsea Apple T. Torio.

The project is expected to end on June 5, 2022. Once completed, the product formulation and process will be adopted by BSCFPC.

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Oklahoma State University’s Dr. Edralin Lucas presented the topic “Wheat germ, gut health and the prevention of obesity and insulin resistance.” Lucas gave a technical lecture about the gut, how food influences it, and how it contributes to the body’s homeostasis. In her talk, she shared her research studies on the beneficial effect of wheat germ supplementation in animals, focused on the gut microbiota, anti-inflammatory substance production, and glucose homeostasis markers, among others. Both the animal and human analysis showed that wheat germ can improve glucose homeostasis and attenuate the adipose tissue inflammation. The study also provided a rationale to use wheat germ as an effective and economical option to reduce insulin resistance. She ended her sharing with a quote from Anne Wigmore, “The food that we eat can be the safest form of medicine or the slowest form of poison.”

Dr. Azhar Mat Easa, who teaches at the University Sains Malaysia, talked about his study on “Making Noodles Functional.” Part of his discussion was about the various ways to make a food functional. He also mentioned the importance of considering the SGDs or the Sustainable Development Goals in making a food functional, as what he did with the noodles. The speaker considered in his study the 3 SDGs namely, the SDG 2 or the No Hunger, SDG 3, or Good Health, and SDG 12, or Responsible Consumption. He stressed that there are several ways in making food functional, and one of these is the addition of bioactive components, taking into consideration the process and formulation adjustment, and finally sustainability. He mentioned how he had come up with his SLIM (Sustainability-Led-Innovative-Mee) Project; “Mee” means noodles in Malaysia. He focused his research on the beneficial effect of insoluble fiber in the human gut, thus, giving rise to the idea of incorporating it into the noodles. He also noted that noodles are a staple food in his country.

The webinar was streamed via the YouTube channel of the College of Education. Over 500 participants composed of guest professionals, faculty members, and students from various higher education institutions attended the webinar.

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