In line with AOAC’s new integrated program on novel foods from alternative protein sources, Wiley Award winner Michelle Colgrave, deputy director for Science Impact in the Agriculture and Food Division with CSIRO (Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization; Australia’s national science agency) and professor of Food and Agricultural Proteomics at Edith Cowan University, will address the challenges of meeting the growing global food demand while maintaining human and environmental health. She will share how emerging alternative sources of protein are a viable option to meet these challenges, but analytical solutions like proteomics (large-scale study of proteins) are needed to address their potential for increasing prevalence of allergy or cross-reactivity.
The first priority project in support of AOAC’s new program will focus on standards development activities for determination of total amino acids, molecules that combine to form proteins.
Colgrave will deliver the Harvey W. Wiley Award Address at the 138th AOAC Annual Meeting and Exposition in Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
Estimates predict that 70% more food will be required to feed the growing global population, which will reach 9.7 billion by 2050. The challenge will be how to meet this global food gap while maintaining our planet’s health.
In Australia, the traditional animal and plant proteins offer an opportunity to address this gap with emerging sources of protein seen as complementary. Dietary patterns are changing, with increasing numbers of flexitarians, due to concerns over the environment, animal welfare, and personal health and nutrition.
In response to the growing demand for protein, technologists have been searching for cost-effective, resource-efficient, and environmentally friendly protein technologies and solutions that can support traditional industries or create new industries. To this end, different crops and food sources are starting to be explored from pulses to insects to algae and even microbes.
As the world pivots towards these under-utilized resources, potential exists for increasing prevalence of allergy or cross-reactivity. Soy is a mainstay of the plant protein ingredient market, but new plant protein sources are emerging. For instance, lupin seeds possess high protein content (35–44%) and many health-promoting benefits (lowering cholesterol and blood pressure, managing glucose levels). But lupin also contains proteins that can trigger life-threatening anaphylaxis.
Another complementary, sustainable source of protein to feed the world’s growing population is insects. Insects have been consumed by people for millennia but belong to the arthropod family, like crustaceans. Crustacean (shellfish) allergies are both relatively common and potentially severe; hence, the cross-reactivity of the immune system with insect proteins (e.g., tropomyosin and arginine kinase) is a potential health concern.
Development of novel proteins for food requires technology to explore their allergenic potential. In her Wiley Award Address, “Using Proteomics to Safeguard Our Health and Deliver Foods of the Future,” Colgrave, an Australian researcher, will examine the role of proteomics as a powerful tool to characterize both nutritional and antinutritional proteins in emerging protein sources.
Proteomics, which, broadly defined, is the study of the entire suite of proteins in a cell. Antinutritionals are compounds that aren’t technically allergens but can interfere with digestion or nutrient absorption.
Her address will be followed immediately by the Wiley Award Symposium.
This year’s Harvey W. Wiley Award goes to Michelle Colgrave, an Australian researcher (and rugby coach) who a magazine once dubbed a “protein detective.” She is currently deputy director for Science Impact in the Agriculture and Food Division with CSIRO (Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization) and professor of Food and Agricultural Proteomics at Edith Cowan University.
Colgrave, who has a PhD in Bioanalytical Mass Spectrometry, is a proteomics research scientist with over 20 years of experience deploying advanced mass spectrometry workflows to improve agriculture and food and for the benefit of human health. Her research focuses on foodborne proteins that trigger allergy or intolerance or, conversely, those peptides and proteins that can provide health benefits when included in foods.
Not long after becoming an AOAC member in 2018, Colgrave joined the AOAC Editorial Board in September 2020 and has been integral in helping shape the Journal of AOAC INTERNATIONAL. She is no stranger to scholarly publishing. Since joining CSIRO in 2007, she has applied proteomic approaches to diverse biological systems, ensuring the success of projects as well as production of high-quality publications. Her research, often applying innovative approaches, has been widely published in high-impact journals. She is editor of the book Proteomics in Food Science: From Farm to Fork, aimed at introducing the application of MS and proteomics to the food science and agricultural research communities. In addition to AOAC, she has served on editorial boards for Scientific Reports, Foods, and Frontiers journals. Colgrave is also a member of the AOAC Working Group on Gluten.
The Harvey W. Wiley Award, AOAC INTERNATIONAL’s highest scientific honor, is given annually in recognition of lifetime accomplishments in the analytical sciences.
