As part of the students’ Christmas party on 9th December 2014, the Technische Universität München student chapter awarded three students at the Technical University of Munich, faculty of chemistry, for the best thesis in food chemistry. Winners were supposed to meet criteria such as literature research, application of scientific methods and presentation of results. The award included prize money of 250 euros.
The first thesis with the title „Release and dispersion of cooking salt – new ways to reduce cooking salt in frozen pizza” from Eva Müller (study group of Prof. Dr. Peter Köhler, Hans-Dieter-Belitz Research Institute for Flour and Protein) describes several experiments to reduce cooking salt in pizza dough without affecting taste in the baked product. Research results of experiments with bread were transferred to pizza dough applying sensory tests and analysis of sodium release in saliva when chewing the samples. Alternatives to cooking salt such as potassium chloride or commercial cooking salt substitutes as well as the influence of distribution of salt in the dough were investigated. Finally, the content of cooking salt was reduced about 30% in comparison to convenient pizza dough thus achieving substantial contribution to the common problem with high salt intake regarding human nutrition.
Chapter Research Award winner Eva Müller and Chapter President Philipp Schmidberger
Mario Flaig (study group of Prof. Dr. Peter Schieberle, chair of food chemistry at the Technical University of Munich) was awarded for his thesis with the title “Quantitation of chiral key odour compounds in Allium species”. His work was built on research results of Dr. Michael Granvogl. Beside the first-time synthesis of isotopically labeled standards of the key odorants found, Mario Flaig developed a method for enantioselective and high resolution gas chromatographic analysis. R- and S-isomers were separated successfully and quantitated by stable isotope dilution analysis. In onion species like bulb onion, shallots or leek, the results could be linked to precursor studies of the analyzed odor compounds.
Mathias Salger (study group of Prof. Dr. Thomas Hofmann, chair of food chemistry and moleculary sensory science at the Technical University of Munich) was the third to win this year’s student chapter award. The title of the thesis was “Isolation and structural clarification of bioactive structure in Garcinia buchananii”. This species - e.g. mangosteen fruit - show high amounts of antioxidant substances and enjoy great popularity as natural source of antioxidants. The thesis focused on isolation of bioactive compounds in the bark of Garcinia buchananii. Nine bioactive compounds were isolated and identified by means of mass spectrometry, NMR spectroscopy, polarimetry and circular dichroism spectroscopy. A new identification and separation method in liquid chromatography was developed as well. The compounds were classified as xanthones and biflavones. The antioxidant potency of the structures were determined by current methods and was of high value.
From left to right: Chapter Research Award winners Mathias Salger and Mario Flaig, Chapter President Philipp Schmidberger and Chapter Faculty Advisor Prof. Dr. Thomas Hofmann
Congratulations to all Student Chapter Research Award winners!
Philipp Schmidberger
President of the Technische Universität München Student Chapter