Dr. Weerapong Woraprayote, Researcher on the Food Biotechnology Research Team at BIOTEC, is the winner of Ajinomoto-FoSTAT Award 2021 for Young Food Science & Technology Research. The Award is given to Dr. Woraprayote’s invention on “Discovery and development of lactic acid bacterial- and food protein-derived antimicrobial peptides for food industry applications.” Ajinomoto-FoSTAT Awards are presented by the Ajinomoto Foundation and The Food Science and Technology Association of Thailand, representing excellence in research to food science and technology.
Dr. Woraprayote’s research centers on platform development and applications of antimicrobial peptides as creative solutions to the food value chain. The antimicrobial peptide platform builds upon every stage of the food value chain, from livestock farming to food storage. As a result, Dr. Woraprayote’s invention helps improve food security and reduces food waste, but also has an impact on public health; this includes preventing the emergence of drug resistant bacteria and hypersensitivity reactions to antibiotics and contamination in food preservatives. Dr. Woraprayote continues to develop the platform for the following applications.
1. Discovery of lactic acid bacterial- and food protein-derived antimicrobial peptides; the study focuses on searching for antimicrobial peptides from lactic acid bacteria isolated from Thai fermented food. Dr. Woraprayote has discovered new bacteriocin with extraordinary antimicrobial activity when compared with other previously reported bacteriocins. Dr. Woraprayote also successfully discovered 5 novel antimicrobial peptides derived from egg white protein and has developed value-added products which are used against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacterial pathogens found in food: eLysozyme-T1 and eLysozyme-T2. eLysozyme-T1 is typically used as a food preservative. Whist, eLysozyme-T2 can be used in food, animal feed, and industrial farming that require the control of on-farm pathogenic microorganisms.
2. Productivity of lactic acid bacterial antimicrobial peptides has been improved by two approaches including recombinant protein technology and optimization of culture medium for bacteriocin production. The patented recombinant plasmid harboring novel bacteriocin gene has been construct and used to produce bacteriocin with high yield. By means of culture medium optimization, different types of fruit peel were successfully supplemented in culture medium to increase bacteriocin production.
3. Applications of antimicrobial peptides in the food production chain; for example, the use of lysozyme peptides against Vibrio, an important pathogenic bacteria in Pacific white shrimp farming. This results in mortality reduction during the shrimp culture system and helps build a resilient food system. Lysozyme peptides can also be used as a food preservative to prolong shelf life of pasteurized liquid eggs. Besides, bacteriocins, another kind of antimicrobial peptides, are utilized as a natural antimicrobial agent in food packaging system which maintains the quality and shelf life of the packaged products.
4. Knowledge and technology transfer of antimicrobial peptides production to industry; the research team ensures that the antimicrobial peptide technology from production techniques to applications are accessible to a wide range of industries. Private sectors have been engaged in the technology transfer and commercializing the technology.
What is the Ajinomoto-FoSTAT Awards for?
The Ajinomoto-FoSTAT Awards for Young Food Science & Technology Research honor dedicated young scientists who influence excellence in research and applications to food science and technology in Thailand. Candidates can submit applied research or theoretical research in food science and technology. The Award winners are those whose work has shown far-reaching impacts on the science of food, the industry, and the community.