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There will now be less sun drying of fish products along the roads of Caroan, Gonzaga s the second set of multi-commodity Solar Tunnel Dryer (MCSTD) in the province of Cagayan was installed and inaugurated recently.

Sun drying is one of the most common and traditional methods of food preservation in the Philippines. Although the cost of the process is fairly cheap, sun drying becomes problematic during the rainy season. Also, sun dried products are more prone to microbial contamination due to exposure to wind and dust.

PHilMech bats for the solar tunnel dryer as an appropriate alternative to sun drying and commercial mechanical dryer. A modified type of dryer fabricated by researchers from the Hohenheim University in Germany, the solar tunnel dryer is convenient to use, cheaper, and entails lower operation costs compared with commercial dryers available in the market.

The dryer too is easily installed and maintained, and offers simultaneous, efficient, and hygienic drying of commodities. Food dried using the solar tunnel dryer has longer preservation time because the dryer kills microorganisms .

In January this year, DOST installed the first solar tunnel device in Cagayan at Minanga, Gonzaga.

Led by Gonzaga Mayor Carlito F. Pentecostes and Department of Science and Technology (DOST) Regional Director Urdujah A. Tejada, the inauguration of the second set of dryers was participated in by DOST Provincial Director for Cagayan Teresita A. Tabaog, Cagayan State University-Gonzaga CEO Ferdinand C. Oli, Philippine Center for Postharvest Development and Mechanization (PHILMECH) Enterprise Development Division Chief Dr. Helen F. Martinez and Rural Improvement Club President Mrs. Emelia Realica.

Mayor Pentecostes stressed the significance of the dryer in maintaining clean and hygienic products in the market. He mentioned that drying along the roadside will now be strictly prohibited. This is in accordance to the aim of the province to bring back to market the trademark “Gonzaga’s Best”. He has also mentioned that the use of the dryer will greatly benefit the people of Caroan as it will help them dry their fish products quickly and cleanly.

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Global interest on functional foods is ramping up and the Philippines is expected to catch on to this trend, said an official from the Department of Science and Technology’s Food and Nutrition Research Institute (DOST- FNRI). Yet these foods should come with valid health claims that are government approved and market accepted, he stressed.

Mario V. Capanzana, PhD, director of FNRI, spoke on the topic during the 62nd Annual Convention of the Philippine Association for the Advancement of Science (PhilAAS) held last September at Pearl Manila Hotel with the theme “Nutritional and Functional Food for Health and Wellness.” In his presentation titled “Functional Foods: Global Trends and Issues,”

At the convention, Dr. Capanzana revealed that functional foods, valued at US$ 168 B in the global market, is part of the new “health and wellness” market segment which also includes fortified foods, organic foods, traditional herbal products, and slimming products, among others.

Also called nutraceuticals, functional foods, as defined by the International Life Sciences Institute-North America, are those containing physiologically active food components, thus providing health benefits other than basic nutrition. Functional foods also refer to products isolated or purified from foods and generally sold in medicinal form like pills, or products that serve as supplement diets such as herbs. Some examples are rice, sotanghon noodles, coconut, malunggay, bitter gourd, sweet potato, taro, fruits, nata de coco, achara, and legumes that exhibit antimicrobial, anti-cancer, anti-diabetic, and anti-allergenic properties.

What are lacking but necessary, according to the FNRI director, are regulations which will protect the public from false and misleading claims yet, will not put a dent on trade. “We need to develop functional foods with acceptable health claims,” said Dr. Capanzana. To establish these health claims, he emphasized, clinical studies, biological or animal studies, in vitro studies which involve isolated cells, molecules and other organism components, and epidemiological studies which involve assessment of links between food and diseases, should be looked into.


According to the European Food Information Council, consumers must have a clear understanding of, and a strong confidence level in the scientific criteria used to document health effects and claims.


Dr. Jaime C. Montoya, executive director of the Philippine Council for Health Research and Development, another DOST agency, echoed Dr. Capanzana’s statement. “There needs to be a global framework that cuts across countries,” he declared in his presentation titled “Health Claims and Functional Foods: A Global View” during the PhilAAS Convention.


Dr. Montoya suggested that before buying any functional food or product, consumers should get information on product safety, the amount of beneficial ingredients present in the food, whether the herbs and other ingredients were tested for government approval, and nutritional benefits, among others.


Global trends in regulations actually point to the necessity for a broad range of safe ingredient and sufficient information about the foods, as well as globally recognized manufacturing standards and appropriate technical requirements, among others. Dr. Capanzana added that we also need to look at the increasing number and variety of supplements in the market for over-the-counter purchase.


“We do not know how many spoonfuls of a functional food should we eat to have enough amount of nutrients, or how many capsules or tablet should we take per day,” stated Academician Dr. Evelyn Mae Mendoza of the National Academy of Science and Technology, a DOST advisory body, during her talk on “Functional Foods of the Philippines.”
“Let food be thy medicine,“ the FNRI head intoned as he expressed the need for government, the academe, and the local food industry to join hands in solving the issues related to functional food.


The current surge of interest in functional foods is driven by several factors. Among these are globalization, urbanization, science and emerging technologies, the global aging population, increased health care costs, changing regulations, and business opportunities provided by functional foods. The new risk factors involved in strokes and heart attacks also contribute to this upward trend. Around the world, guidelines and regulations on functional foods are now being developed, with Japan leading the way for such efforts. The others are China, Brazil, Brunei, Israel, Estonia, Vietnam, Laos, Russia, Thailand, Venezuela, Vietnam, UK, and Cambodia to name a few.



Dr. Mario V. Capanzana, director of the Department of Science and Technology’s Food and Nutrition Research Institute, explains the necessity for valid health claims on functional foods backed by scientific studies during his talk on “Functional Foods: Global Trends and Issues” at the 62nd Annual Convention of the Philippine Association for the Advancement of Science last September at Pearl Manila Hotel. (Photo by Gerry Palad, S & T Media Service, DOST-STII)

 


Dr. Jaime Montoya, executive director of the Philippine Council for Health Research and Development, shares with convention participants and the media what the public should know about or look out for in a functional food before buying it during the 62nd Annual Convention of the Philippine Association for the Advancement of Science. Among others, he cited food safety and government approval as essential information which consumers should look for. (Photo by Gerry Palad, S & T Media Service, DOST-STII)



The Philippine Association for the Advancement of Science 62nd Annual Convention unreels at the Pearl Manila Hotel in Manila from September 12-13, 2013 with the theme “Nutritional and Functional Food for Health and Wellness”. (Photo by Gerry Palad, S & T Media Service, DOST-STII).

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Technopreneurs from the island provinces of MIMAROPA learned the basics of online selling that could position their products better in the local and even the global market in a forum organized by the Department of Science and Technology-Region IV-B (DOST-IV-B).


Dubbed “e-Marketing: Bridging island products to the mainstream,” the activity is part of the regional agency’s efforts to further support the adoptors of Small Enterprise Technology Upgrading Program (SETUP)—the DOST program that provides a package of intervention, including interest and collateral-free funding for technology upgrades to micro, small, medium enterprises (MSMEs).


Sheila Lina, president and CEO of Air21 Global, the company behind the online store Shopinas.com, freely shared to the SETUP adoptors the basics of online selling. She discussed at length that, in setting up an online store, one needs to invest in time, technical team, money, and project management. To balance her discussion, she also laid down several possible issues that an entrepreneur may face in online selling, such as the challenge of creating online traffic for the website and possible credit card fraud from unscrupulous buyers.


In addition, Lina assured that online selling platforms such as Shopinas.com are advantageous because they help minimize the costs in establishing an online store. These platforms also offer protection for both the buyer and the seller in online transactions. (Luisa S. Lumioan, S&T Media Service)



Sheila Lina, President and CEO of Air21Global, discusses how technopreneurs can take advantage of the internet in marketing their products in a DOST-sponsored activity held last August 27, at Traders Hotel.

Sheila Lina, President and CEO of Air21Global, discusses how technopreneurs can take advantage of the internet in marketing their products in a DOST-sponsored activity held last August 27, at Traders Hotel.

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For 10 years now, the furniture products of Dahile Bamboo Workers’ Association (DABAWA) in Brgy. Dahile, Mabinay, Negros Oriental have been producing sala sets and lounge chairs in basic designs. To help improve and expand their product line, the Forest Products Research and Development Institute (FPRDI) conducted a training on furniture and handicraft making last month through the invitation of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST)- Region 7 and the local government of Dumaguete City.

“Male participants were taught how to assemble furniture pieces such as bed, center table, sofas and lounge chairs using improved designs. The female attendees, meanwhile, were trained on making bamboo novelty items,” said Zenaida R. Reyes, FPRDI Training Coordinator.

Meanwhile, participants learned about bamboo treatment and seasoning, product development and finishing techniques, among others, from the lecture of Engr. Victor G. Revilleza, senior science research specialist at FPRDI’s Technology Innovation Division (TID).

“Before the training, the craftsmen used nails to fasten bamboo slats. This technique usually makes the slats prone to cracking. Though the training, the craftsmen learned to use cord instead to strengthen the furniture,” added Reyes.




Participants working on a bamboo sofa
Participants working on a bamboo sofa.



Mr. Eduardo M. Atienza (in black) of the Technology Innovation Division demonstrates basic finishing techniques to the participants.
Mr. Eduardo M. Atienza (in black) of the Technology Innovation Division demonstrates basic finishing techniques to the participants.


Some bamboo pieces assembled by the participants. Some bamboo pieces assembled by the participants.
Some bamboo pieces assembled by the participants.


The training course was attended by 44 participants and was part of DOST VII’s Program on Poverty Alleviation in Central Visayas, particularly in the Municipality of Mabinay. Talks are now brewing for a follow-up training course on bamboo pole treatment and drying.

Negros Oriental currently hosts the biggest bamboo nursery in the Philippines and is being developed by the Philippine Bamboo Foundation, Inc. as the country’s “center of bamboo propagation and development.” ###