Kyungsoo Woo, Ph.D., Principal Scientist at MGP Ingredients (www.mgpingredients.com) has been selected as the winner of the 2009 Industrial Scientist Award by the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT), a nonprofit international society with 20,000 members working in food science, technology and related professions.
The IFT Industrial Scientist Award honors an IFT-member industrial scientist who has made a major technical contribution to the advancement of the food industry. The award will be presented at IFT’s Annual Meeting and Food Expo in Anaheim, Calif. on June 6, 2009 and includes a plaque and a $3,000 honorarium from IFT.
Dr. Woo has authored more than 30 journal articles, a book chapter and monographs and filed 17 U.S. patents. His patents on resistant starch are licensed to three major food ingredient companies in the U.S. and commercialized into four products. He serves as a staff and active member of professional societies including American Association of Cereal Chemists International, IFT and American Chemical Society. He is a prolific contributor for programs provided by those professional affiliations. He earned both his master’s degree and doctorate in 1995 and 1999, respectively, from Kansas State University, Manhattan.
Research conducted by Dr. Woo on phosphorylated cross-linked resistant starch showed that the RS4 type of this starch performs as a highly concentrated form of dietary fiber that can be produced from multiple starch sources, including wheat, normal corn, high-amylose corn, potato, tapioca, oat and banana. This discovery allowed commercialization of phosphorylated cross-linked resistant starch from wheat, tapioca, and potato starch.
Dr. Woo is currently working on the development of cross-linked resistant starch from other botanical sources. He is also working on the resistant starch as dietary fiber in various food systems. Applications for cross-linked resistant wheat starch, which consists of MGPI’s Fibersym® RW and FiberRite® RW, include white breads, nutrition bars, cookies, muffins, waffles, buns, bagels, pastas, noodles, biscuits, snack foods, tortillas, brownies, pizza dough, pretzels, breakfast cereals, crackers, ice cream, and drinks.
