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Food Sciences professional body appoints Prof Arno Hugo as Vice-Chair

19 October 2021 | Story Leonie Bolleurs | Photo Supplied

Arno Hugo_web read more — Prof Arno Hugo was recently elected as Vice-Chair of the Professional Advisory Committee (PAC) for Food Science in the SACNASP.

Prof Arno Hugo from the Department of Animal Science at the University of the Free State (UFS) was recently elected as Vice-Chair of the Professional Advisory Committee (PAC) for Food Science in the South African Council for Natural Scientific Professions (SACNASP).

SACNASP, similar to other professional bodies, is the registration, regulatory and enabling body for natural science professionals. The Natural Scientific Professions Act, 2003 (Act 27 of 2003) mandates SACNASP to register practising natural scientists in one of various fields of practice. Food science is one of 26 fields of practice gazetted for natural science.

Acknowledged as experienced professional

As Vice-Chair of the PAC, Prof Hugo – who is familiar with the processes – is acknowledged as an experienced professional to evaluate applications in this field of practice, where candidates apply for professional registration in Food Science.

He explains that the Advisory Committee ensures that candidates have adequate and relevant training in the natural sciences and in the field of food science. “For registration as professional natural scientist in this specific field, the appropriately qualified candidates must also have one to three years of working experience in the food industry, depending on the level of their food science qualification,” he says.

Prof Hugo is also involved in interviewing candidates who want to register as professional food scientists via the route of recognition of prior learning (RPL). “Candidates with relevant qualifications can also register as professional food scientists via RPL if they have 10 years of working experience in this field,” he states.

Furthermore, he also evaluates the qualifications and work experience of foreign nationals applying for critical skills visas to work as food scientists in South Africa, due to a shortage of food scientists in South Africa.

Food safety – a basic human right

According to Prof Hugo, consumers should not have to hope and trust that their food is safe to consume.

Food safety is internationally regarded as a basic human right. Prof Hugo says people must have access to clean (meaning safe) food and water at all times. “When food processing and preservation activities are performed at commercial level, or food – including processed food – is traded to consumers who have no control over the process, the consumers should not only ‘trust’ that their food is safe to be consumed after processing.

“There need to be processes in place to ensure that consumers are served safe food and water.”

He believes that in order to achieve this, only sufficiently trained and registered scientists should be responsible for ensuring that food safety and quality principles are always applied and adhered to during the manufacture of food products.

“Individuals who want to work in this space must therefore show training and competency to take responsibility for risks such as food spoilage or food poisoning. We all remember the 2018 outbreak of Listeria in the meat processing industry, which caused the death of 200 consumers,” he adds.

Importance of quality education and lifelong learning skills

Prof Hugo is of the opinion that it is very important that education and lifelong learning skills, through continuing professional development (CPD), are of a high standard and are available to scientists who are contributing to the country's growth, as well as social and economic development.

“The Minister of Higher Education, Science and Technology consults a statutory body such as the SACNASP for input on the science professions. SACNASP is also mentioned in the White Paper on Science and Technology as the custodian of CPD, through which additional skills/re-skilling of scientists are conducted,” he explains.

He says some of the advantages of being registered as a professional natural scientist with SACNASP include that you are recognised as a professional; there is public confidence in you as a scientist, you are more marketable; and you adhere to a code of conduct (you are trusted for ethical values).

Regarding the work he is doing as the Vice-Chair of the Professional Advisory Committee (PAC), Prof Hugo says: “I consider this voluntary work as a privilege and part of my community service to the industry that employs our students.”

News Archive

UFS receives R13,7 Million for Research into Prehistoric Organisms

2007-03-27

Some of the guests attending the launch of the research contract are: Dr Siyabulela Ntutela (Deputy Director: Biotechnology at the Department of Science and Technology), Dr Godfrey Netswera (Manager of Thuthuka and the Support Programme at the National Research Foundation (NRF)), Dr Esta van Heerden (Platform Manager and lecturer at the Department of Microbial, Biochemical and Food Biotechnology at the UFS), Mr Butana Mboniswa (Chief Executive Officer of BioPAD), and Mr Vuyisele Phehani (Portfolio Manager for BioPAD).
Photo: Leonie Bolleurs

The University of the Free State (UFS) has been awarded a massive R13,7 million contract to conduct research into prehistoric micro-organisms which live under extreme conditions, for example in mineshafts.

This is one of the biggest research contracts awarded to the UFS in recent years.

The biotechnology research contract was awarded to the UFS by BioPAD, a South African biotechnology company that brokers partnerships between researchers, entrepreneurs, business, government and other stakeholders to promote innovation and create sustainable biotechnology businesses.

The project is endorsed by the Department of Science and Technology and the National Research Foundation (NRF), which contributes to the bursaries of the 17 postgraduate students on the programme.

The contract involves the establishment of a Platform for Metagenomics - a technique which allows researchers to extract the DNA from microbes in their natural environment and investigate it in a laboratory.

“Through this platform we will be able to understand deepmine microbial populations
and their potential application in the search for life in outer space. It is most likely
that, if life were to be found on other planets in our solar system, it would probably
resemble that which existed millions of years ago on earth. Apart from all this, these
organisms have unique properties one can exploit in biotechnological application for
South Africa and its community,” said Dr Esta van Heerden, platform manager and
lecturer at the UFS Department of Microbial, Biochemical and Food Biotechnology.
She is assisted by her collegues, Prof. Derek Litthauer and Dr Lizelle Piater.

“The platform aims to tap into the unique genetic material in South African mines
which will lead to the discovery of new genes and their products. These new and unique products will find application in the medical field (anti-cancer, anti-bacterial en anti-viral cures), the industrial sector (nanotechnology, commercial washing agents and the food industry), environmental sector (pollution management, demolition of harmful metals and other toxic waste),” said Dr Van Heerden.

According to Dr Van Heerden, the Metagenomics Platforms stems from the Life in
Extreme Environments (LExEN) programme which was started in 1994 by Princeton
University in the United States of America (USA) in South African mines with grants
from among others the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and
the National Science Foundation (NSF) in the USA. Other international collaborators
on the project include Geosynec Consultants Inc. (USA), Oak Ridge National
Laboratory (USA), the University of Tennessee (USA) and in South Africa the
Universities of the Witwatersrand, North West and Limpopo and companies like BHP
Billiton, MINTEK and mining companies like Harmony, Gold Fields and AngloGold
Ashanti.

The research field laboratory of the Metagenomics Platform, which was situated in
Glen Harvey, was moved to the Main Campus of the UFS in Bloemfontein. “In this
way the university has become the central hub for all research programmes. We are
also the liaison between the LExEN programme and the various mining companies
involved,” said Dr Van Heerden. The new laboratory was introduced during the
launch of the research contract.

“Our decision to commit BioPAD to this project stems from the company’s commitment to advance human capacity development to strengthen South Africa’s research infrastructure. It is also part of our aim to create and protect intellectual property,” said Mr Butana Mboniswa, Chief Executive Officer of BioPAD.

Talking on behalf of the UFS senior management, Prof. Teuns Verschoor, Vice-Rector
of Academic Operations, said that the university shares the excitement to be part of
the exploration of unknown forms of life, the discovery of new genes and
their products and in applying newly gained knowledge to better understand our
universe.

Media release
Issued by: Lacea Loader
Assistant Director: Media Liaison
Tel: 051 401 2584
Cell: 083 645 2454
E-mail: loaderl@ufs.ac.za
27 March 2007

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