Ph.D. student’s research recognized at Institute of Food Technologists meeting
Adeseye Lasekan, a Ph.D. student in the Food Science and Human Nutrition Program in the School of Food and Agriculture, was awarded first place in the Toxicology and Safety Evaluation Division student research poster competition organized by the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT).
He is working with Balunkeswar (Balu) Nayak, an assistant professor of food processing at the University of Maine. Lasekan was selected as one of the six finalists for the poster competition held at the 2016 IFT Annual Meeting and Food Expo in Chicago on July 16.
Lasekan has been exploring the effects of different food processing methods on the allergenic capacity of tropomyosin, a muscle protein and major shellfish allergen. He has worked on evaluating the effect of different thermal and chemical treatments on the immunoreactivity (binding to antibodies) of the allergen. His research found that shellfish tropomyosin retained its allergenic capacity during heat treatment and even in high-acid environments.
In addition, Lasekan was awarded the Feeding Tomorrow Graduate Scholarship at IFT16. The scholarship recipients were selected based on their outstanding scholastic achievements, leadership role in IFT, and their devotion to the field of food science and technology. At the conference, the recipients also had the opportunity to meet with the IFT board of trustees.