Food Science and Technology Association - USJ

𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝 𝐅𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐒𝐚𝐟𝐞𝐭𝐲 𝐃𝐚𝐲 – 𝐉𝐮𝐧𝐞 𝟕 🌍🍽️

Every meal begins with a commitment to safety. From sourcing and processing to preparation and consumption, food safety is essential in protecting public health and ensuring quality at every step.

𝐒𝐚𝐟𝐞 𝐅𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐓𝐨𝐝𝐚𝐲, 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡𝐲 𝐓𝐨𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐰.

Designed by :- Dhanushk Rajendran
Caption by :- Janani Weerakon

ඔබ සැමට පින්බර වෙසක් මංගල්‍යයක් වේවා 🪔🙏

ලොව්තුරා බුදුරජාණන් වහන්සේගේ උපත, සම්බුද්ධත්වය හා පිරිනිවන් පෑම සිදු වූ වෙසක් පුන් පොහෝ දිනය අදයි.

බෝසතාණන් වහන්සේ නියත විවරණ ලැබීම, බුදුන් වහන්සේගේ තෙවන ලංකාගමනය, කිඹුල්වත් නුවරදී සුද්ධෝදන රජු හා ඥාති පිරිවර ඉදිරියේ යමා මහා පෙළහර පෑම, රුවන්වැලි මහ සෑයේ වැඩ ආරම්භ කිරීම වැනි වැදගත් ශාසනික හා ඓතිහාසික සිදුවීම් රැසක් සිදු වූයේ ද අද වැනි වෙසක් පුන් පොහෝ දිනකයි.

"ධම්මෝ හවේ රක්ඛති ධම්මචාරී"
(ධර්මයෙහි හැසිරෙන පුද්ගලයා ධර්මය විසින්ම ආරක්ෂා කරනු ලබයි)

මේ පින්බර පොහෝ දිනයේ අයහපතින් මිදී යහපත් දේ වෙත සිත යොදමු. 🪷

Designed by - Ashmini Gunawardane
Caption by : Pulathisini Amaya

🌙✨ 𝗪𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗮 𝗯𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗷𝗼𝘆𝗼𝘂𝘀 𝗘𝗶𝗱-𝗮𝗹-𝗔𝗱𝗵𝗮 ✨🌙

𝗘𝗶𝗱-𝗮𝗹-𝗔𝗱𝗵𝗮 reminds us of the values of sacrifice, gratitude, compassion, and devotion. May this sacred occasion inspire us to strengthen our faith, extend kindness to others, and cherish the spirit of unity and generosity within our communities.

May your hearts be filled with 𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗲, 𝗯𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 as you celebrate this meaningful day with your loved ones. 🕌✨

Designed by: Dhanushk Rajendran
Captioned by: Janani Weerakon

Processed meat ගැන WHO ඇත්තටම කියන්නේ මොකක්ද?

ලෝක සෞඛ්‍ය සංවිධානයේ (WHO) පිළිකා පර්යේෂණ ආයතනය (IARC) විසින්, සොසේජස්, හැම්, බේකන් සහ හොට්ඩෝග් වැනි සැකසූ මස් (Processed meat) වර්ග, 1 වන කාණ්ඩයේ පිළිකා කාරක (Group 1 Carcinogen) ලෙස නිල වශයෙන් නම් කර තිබෙන අතර ඔවුන් ඉන් අදහස් කරන්නේ ඒවා නිතර ආහාරයට ගැනීමෙන් මහාන්ත්‍රයේ පිළිකා (Colorectal Cancer) ඇති විය හැකි බවට ස්ථිර විද්‍යාත්මක සාක්ෂි පවතින බවයි. පර්යේෂණ වලට අනුව දිනකට සැකසූ මස් ග්‍රෑම් 50ක් (bacon තීරු 2ක් හෝ සොසේජස් එකක් වැනි ප්‍රමාණයක්) බැගින් නිතිපතා ආහාරයට ගැනීමෙන් මෙම පිළිකා අවදානම 18% කින් පමණ ඉහළ යන බව සහ කල් තබා ගැනීමට ගන්නා රසායනික ක්‍රම නිසා මෙලෙස පිළිකා කාරක සංයෝග ශරීරයේ සෑදීමට ඉඩ කඩ පවතින බව අනාවරණය කරයි.

එපමණක් නොව හරක්, ඌරු සහ එළු මස් වැනි රතු මස් පරිභෝජනය ද මහාන්ත්‍රය, අග්න්‍යාශය සහ ප්‍රොස්ටේට් පිළිකා ඇතිවීමේ අවදානම සමඟ සෘජු සම්බන්ධයක් ඇති බවට සාක්ෂි සොයාගෙන ඇති අතර, මස් අධික උෂ්ණත්වයකින් යුතුව සෘජුවම ගින්දරේ පුළුස්සා පිසීමේදී (Barbecuing හෝ Pan-frying) පිළිකා ඇති කල හැකි රසායනික ද්‍රව්‍ය (HCAs සහ PAHs) නිපදවෙන බව සොයාගෙන ඇත. කෙසේ වෙතත්, පිසින ක්‍රමය පිළිකා අවදානමට කෙතරම් දුරට බලපාන්නේ ද යන්න ස්ථිර කිරීමට තවමත් ප්‍රමාණවත් දත්ත ලැබී නැත.

මේ අනුව මස් ආහාරයට ගැනීමෙන් සිරුරට අවශ්‍ය ප්‍රෝටීන් සහ පෝෂක ප්‍රතිලාභ ලැබුණද, අධික ලෙස සැකසූ මස් සහ රතු මස් අනුභවය හෘද රෝග, දියවැඩියාව සහ වෙනත් බරපතළ ලෙඩ රෝග නිසා සිදුවන මරණ අවදානම ඉහළ නැංවීමට හේතු විය හැකි නිසා සෞඛ්‍ය ආරක්ෂාව වෙනුවෙන් මස් කෑම සහමුලින්ම නතර නොකර, සැකසූ මස් භාවිතය හැකි උපරිමයෙන් සීමා කිරීමටත්, රතු මස් මධ්‍යස්ථව පරිභෝජනය කිරීමටත් ලෝක සෞඛ්‍ය සංවිධානය (WHO) සහ ජාතික සෞඛ්‍ය අංශ මහජනතාවට දැඩිව නිර්දේශ කර සිටී.

Article by: Sanudi Dinara Jayawardana ( 3rd year )

Reference by: https://www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/cancer-carcinogenicity-of-the-consumption-of-red-meat-and-processed-meat

𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗿𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀, 𝗦𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗼𝗿 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗳𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗼𝗿 𝗜𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗿𝗮 𝗪𝗶𝗰𝗸𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗮𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗵𝗲!💐

We are truly delighted to celebrate this well-deserved milestone with you. Your dedication, passion, and tireless commitment to Food Science & Technology have been a constant source of inspiration to all of us.
This promotion is a beautiful reflection of everything you bring to our academic community

We are honoured to have you as a guiding light in our department and we look forward to all the wonderful things yet to come.

Wishing you continued success and fulfilment in every endeavour ahead. You deserve this and so much more!🤍✨

Gut Microbiome Revolution

The human gut or gastrointestinal tract hosts a vast and diverse community of microorganisms, including bacteria, archaea, fungi and viruses, collectively referred to as the gut microbiome. For many years, microorganisms were primarily associated with disease; however, advances in microbiome research have transformed this perspective. The gut microbiome is now recognized as a vital contributor to human health and physiological balance.

Often described as a “hidden organ,” the gut microbiome contains trillions of microbes whose combined genetic material greatly exceeds that of the human genome. Most of these microorganisms reside in the colon, where they perform essential metabolic functions. Beneficial bacterial genera such as Bacteroides, Bifidobacterium, Lactobacillus, Akkermansia play a key role in breaking down non digestible dietary fibers. Through fermentation, these microbes produce short chain fatty acids (SCFAs), including acetate, propionate, and butyrate, which serve as energy sources for intestinal cells, maintain gut barrier integrity and regulate inflammation and immune responses. Imbalances in microbial composition, known as dysbiosis, have been associated with several chronic diseases such as inflammatory bowel disease, obesity, diabetes, and neurodegenerative conditions.

The establishment of the gut microbiome begins at birth and is influenced by factors such as mode of delivery, breastfeeding, host genetics, diet and antibiotic exposure. Vaginal delivery and breastfeeding promote the growth of beneficial microbes, particularly Bifidobacterium species, while early or excessive antibiotic use can disrupt microbial balance and increase the risk of immune and metabolic disorders. Throughout life, dietary patterns remain a major determinant of microbiome composition, with fiber rich diets supporting greater microbial diversity compared to high fat and low fiber diets.

Beyond digestion and immunity, the gut microbiome communicates with the central nervous system through the gut brain axis. Microbial metabolites and neuroactive compounds influence mood, stress responses, and cognitive function. Several findings represent the gut microbiome revolution, highlighting its potential in disease prevention and maintaining human health.

Key words - Gut microbiome, Hidden organ, Dysbiosis, Human health, Antibiotics

References
Aslam, N., Fatima, N., Zia, S., Rasheed, R., Sarwar, R., Waris, A., Shahid, A., Pervaiz, H., Nasir, W. and Roobi, A., The Microbiome Revolution: Understanding Gut Health.
Collado, M.C., Devkota, S. and Ghosh, T.S., 2024. Gut microbiome: a biomedical revolution. Nature Reviews Gastroenterology & Hepatology, 21(12), pp.830-833.

Article by: Janani Gunasinghe

𝘚𝘵𝘦𝘦𝘱 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 🍃

Before the rush begins, there is tea, a quiet ritual shared for thousands of years.

In every cup lives a
journey: misty mountains, careful hands, and the calming warmth of tradition.

Tea reminds us to slow down, breathe, and enjoy the little moments.

Today, on International Tea Day, we celebrate the drink that has brought comfort, connection, and peace across generations.

May every sip bring a little calm to your day. 🫖✨

𝗕𝗲𝘆𝗼𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗩𝗮𝘀𝗲: 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝘂𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝗟𝗶𝗳𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗙𝗹𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿𝘀

For centuries, many cultures such as in Greeks, Romans and Chinese have incorporated edible flowers into their cuisine and medicinal practices. A wide variety of plant species, including herbs, vegetables, and decorative blooms, have edible flowers. These flowers are rich in antioxidants, vitamins, minerals and other bioactive compounds, which enhance their nutritional value. However, not all flowers are edible. Therefore, research focusing on assessing the safety of commonly consumed edible flowers has become important to ensure their safe usage and appropriate dosages across various industries has become a trend.

Edible flowers exhibit a wide variety of flavors, colors and textures enhancing both the visual appeal and sensory characteristics such as the taste and aroma of many dishes and beverages. They are used in a variety of cooked foods including syrups, sauces, jellies and desserts as well as in liquors, vinegars, teas, honey, essential oils, candied flowers, ice cubes and salads. Flower petals are often used for garnishes or consumed fresh in salads.

Common examples for edible flowers are nasturtiums, calendula, lavender, roses, chamomile, jasmine, hibiscus, chive blossoms, pansies, elderflower and orange blossom each providing unique flavors, fragrances, and nutritional benefits while adding aesthetic value to meal. The nutrient content of edible flowers can vary depending on the species, the conditions in which they are grown, and the preparation methods. In general, many edible flowers are rich in vitamins, particularly vitamin C, which acts as an antioxidant and supports the immune system, and vitamin A, essential for vision and skin health.

Considering the high nutritional value, antioxidant capacity, and appealing appearance of edible flowers position them as a new and promising and sustainable food source for broader use in human nutrition in future.

Key words;
Edible flowers, culinary applications, sensory appeal, food safety, antioxidants, bioactive compounds

References;
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/394929773_SCIENTIFIC_INSIGHT_ON_EDIBLE_FLOWERS_A_COMPREHENSIVE_REVIEW_ON_ITS_POTENTIAL_FOR_HUMAN_NUTRITION_AND_HEALTH_1
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/391223197_Edible_Flowers_A_Power_Packed_Nutrients_and_Potential_Future_Foods

Article by: M. K. Hirushi Nimreka (3rd year)

𝗔 𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗺 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗳𝗲𝗹𝘁 𝘄𝗲𝗹𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗳𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗳𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗹𝘆!

With great pleasure, we extend a warm welcome to 𝗗𝗿. 𝗜𝗿𝗼𝘀𝗵𝗮 𝗣𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗿𝗮 as a Senior Lecturer in the 𝗗𝗲𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗙𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗦𝗰𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 & 𝗧𝗲𝗰𝗵𝗻𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝘆, Faculty of Applied Sciences, University of Sri Jayewardenepura.

May this new chapter be filled with success, inspiration, and meaningful achievements as part of our academic community.✨

𝗔 𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗺 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗳𝗲𝗹𝘁 𝘄𝗲𝗹𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗳𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗳𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗹𝘆!

With great pleasure, we extend a warm welcome to 𝗘𝗻𝗴. (𝗠𝗿𝘀.) 𝗔𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗶 𝗟𝗶𝘆𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗲 as a Senior Lecturer in the 𝗗𝗲𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗙𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗦𝗰𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 & 𝗧𝗲𝗰𝗵𝗻𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝘆, Faculty of Applied Sciences, University of Sri Jayewardenepura.

May this new chapter be filled with success, inspiration, and meaningful achievements as part of our academic community.✨