Cassava and starch play a major role in both food and non-food industries. Cassava used to be considered crops only for the poor because it could thrive in harsh environments and poor soil conditions. However, it has now been widely accepted that in favorable environments, cassava plants can be very productive. Furthermore, recent interest has been directed towards the use of cassava and starch as an alternative energy source which could eventually have tremendous impact on the global economy.
BIOTEC-NSTDA, in collaboration with the Kasetsart Agricultural and Agro-Industrial Product Improvement Institute (KAPI), Kasetsart University, the Thailand Research Organizations Network (TRON) and the French Agricultural Research Centre for International Development (CIRAD), organized the Starch Update 2015: The 8th International Conference on Starch Technology on 3-4 December 2015 in Bangkok. The biennial Conference serves as platform to share and discuss the advancement on starch technology.
The program of Starch Update 2015 consisted of lectures from the international experts such as Dr. Waltraud Vorwerg from Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Polymer Research (Germany), Dr. Kerry C. Huber from Brigham Young University-Idaho (USA) and Dr. Agnes Rolland-Sabate from French National Institute for Agricultural Research (INRA), as well as 20 research posters. This year, the event was successfully held with 160 participants from 14 countries.
Held in tandem with Starch Update 2015 was a national conference “Target-oriented research on Thai cassava”, in which scientists who received funding support from TRON shared their latest discoveries to their peers and public. The national conference was held on 3 December 2015.
Posted on 14 December 2015.
