PAIR Seminar: Prof. HUANG Dejian of National University of Singapore delivers “Sustainable Plant Proteins and Functional Staple Foods”
PAIR Seminar Series
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Date
08 Jun 2026
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Organiser
PolyU Academy for Interdisciplinary Research
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Time
14:30 - 16:00
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Venue
Lecture Theatre HJ302, 3/F Stanley Ho Building, PolyU (Seats are limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis) Map
Speaker
Prof. HUANG Dejian
Enquiry
PolyU Academy for Interdisciplinary Research info.pair@polyu.edu.hk
Summary
Abstract
The United Nations announced the Sustainable Development Goals with 17 global objectives adopted in 2015 to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure prosperity for all by 2030. As food scientists, we have a lot to contribute to achieve these objectives that include zero hunger and good health & well-being. In this talk, I will illustrate our work on upvaluing the plant proteins, (such as prolamins, mung bean proteins, pumpkin seed proteins) from coproducts of food manufacturing plants for down-stream applications including cell-based meat cultivation, vegan abalone, and vegan sea cucumber.
Furthermore, I will demonstrate, how proteins and dietary fibers can be reclaimed from spent crops (such as spent barley grains, peanut meal, sunflower seed meal, sweet potato coproducts) in the form of staple foods such as noodle, rice, and bakeries. Unlike conventional staple foods that are loaded with carbohydrates, these staple foods feature high protein and dietary fiber, low but good quality carbohydrates with low glycemic index (e.g. 38). Such staple foods not only can help to fight against high blood glucose but also minimize food wastes by achieving zero waste processing target. Our scalable approach, if adopted globally, would help reduce food processing co-products and help feeding the projected 10 billion people by 2050.
Prof. HUANG Dejian
Professor and Deputy Head of Department of Food Science & Technology
Principal Investigator at Bezos Centre for Sustainable Protein
National University of Singapore
Prof. HUANG Dejian is a Professor and Deputy Head of the Department of Food Science and Technology at the National University of Singapore (NUS). His research encompasses chemistry of bioactive constituents in edible plants, food as medicine, sustainable proteins and zero-waste food processing technology. With an interdisciplinary background in chemistry and food science, he has made significant contributions to research and innovation in health-related food science. He has also held several academic leadership appointments at NUS and is widely recognised for advancing the translation of fundamental science into emerging applications within the food sector. Dr Huang has published over 260 scholarly articles in food science and chemistry, with h index of 67 (google scholar). Prof Huang is a co-founder and scientific advisor of a spin-off company from NUS, Kosmode Health Singapore Pte Ltd, which won the Singapore Business Review National Business Awards 2026.
