It will smell, look and even taste like regular satay, but it will not be chicken or beef on a stick. Instead, it will be a dish based 100% on plant-protein.
The vegetarian satay is one of the products that could emerge from the new WIL@NUS Corporate Laboratory, which aims to drive innovation in food technology and sustainable biochemicals.
The $110 million research facility, which is jointly set up by Wilmar International, National University of Singapore (NUS) and the National Research Foundation, was launched yesterday by Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat, who is also Chairman of the foundation.
The 2,000 square metres joint research lab will comprise of two key clusters. The first will look to address major public health issues through the development of healthier foods, like the plant-based satay. The other cluster will look at designing cost-effective and sustainable methods of producing chemical compounds using natural sources.
Researchers at the WIL@NUS Corporate Laboratory will also look at ways to formulate healthier cooking oils that could reduce cholesterol levels and in turn lower the risk of chronic diseases.
Mr Heng said in his speech at the launch ceremony: “This partnership between NUS and Wilmar is testimony to the increasing public-private R&D collaborations between universities and industry in our innovation ecosystem, which allows our universities to work closely with industry to develop commercially applicable solutions for problems faced by the industry.”
Mr Heng added that he looked forward to food products from the lab that could enhance people’s health and well-being, as well as to greener and more sustainable production of biochemical compounds for the industry.
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Source: The Straits Times, 20 June 2018