I am delighted to share that I recently had the honor of being invited as a Keynote Speaker and Expert at the IFP-Probiotics Research Inception and Lecture Forum, held from February 8-10, 2023, at Mariano Marcos State University (MMSU) in Batac, Ilocos Norte, Philippines. This inception workshop was organized for the newly funded project titled “Advancing Ilocos Indigenous Food Systems Through Academia-Industry Collaborative Research and Innovations Towards Healthy Food and Food Security.”
During the forum, I provided insights and expertise on probiotics and their potential applications, particularly focusing on indigenous food systems. The Asian Institute of Technology (AIT) will be contributing technical assistance and capacity-building support to the consortium, which includes MMSU, Ilocos Sur Polytechnic State College, and Don Mariano Marcos Memorial State University. Our role will involve guiding the establishment of research-based laboratories and curriculum development in indigenous food systems.
I would like to extend my sincere gratitude to MMSU President Dr. Shirley C. Agrupus and all consortium partners for this opportunity. It is inspiring to see probiotics derived from our indigenous foods being industrialized for healthy food, nutraceuticals, and pharmaceutical products. With my involvement in such projects for the past 15 years, I am committed to supporting the development of science, industry, and society as emerging suppliers of probiotics and related products in the global market.
