Medan, October 1, 2026 – The series of The 4th TALENTA-Agricultural Summer Course 2026 once again presented an International Public Lecture entitled “Smart and Sustainable Agri-Food Systems: From Local Wisdom to Global Solutions” on Thursday (October 1, 2026). The activity, which was held online via Zoom Meeting, featured Prof. Michelle Ji Yeon Yoo from Auckland University of Technology as the speaker.

This public lecture was the third public lecture in the summer course series, which involved Universiti Malaya as an international partner and was attended by participants from Indonesia and Malaysia. On this occasion, Prof. Michelle presented the topic “Sustainable in Food Processing and Product Innovation,” focusing on sustainable food processing, nutritional quality, and food product innovation.

In her presentation, Prof. Michelle emphasized that protein quality is determined not only by the amount of protein but also by the profile of essential amino acids, digestibility, and the influence of the food matrix. The characteristics of protein sources can vary based on species, cut type, muscle fibers, and oxidative activity. Understanding these aspects is important in determining suitable food ingredients and product forms according to consumer needs.

The material also discussed protein structure and the effects of cooking and processing technologies on digestibility, including nonthermal technologies such as High Pressure Processing (HPP) and Pulsed Electric Fields (PEF). In addition, meat product ageing methods, such as wet-ageing and in-bag dry-ageing, as well as Adaptive Laboratory Evolution (ALE) as an approach to developing food innovations, were discussed.

The discussion provided the perspective that food innovation needs to consider the interconnection between nutritional quality, processing technology, health, resource efficiency, and consumer needs. This approach also opens opportunities for developing value-added food products by utilizing local resources and knowledge to address challenges in food systems sustainably.

Through this activity, students gained international insights into the development of smart and sustainable agri-food systems while broadening their understanding of the role of food science in supporting the availability of nutritious food and the development of food products oriented toward community needs.

The activity was moderated by Adrian Hilman, S.T.P., M.Sc., Ph.D., Secretary of the Undergraduate Program in Food Technology, Faculty of Agriculture, Universitas Sumatera Utara, and the entire public lecture was conducted online via Zoom Meeting.

This activity contributes to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 1 (No Poverty) through capacity building and innovation that have the potential to increase added value in the food sector; SDG 2 (Zero Hunger) through the development of quality and sustainable food systems and products; SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being) through attention to nutritional quality and utilization; SDG 4 (Quality Education) through international learning and knowledge exchange; and SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals) through academic collaboration between Universitas Sumatera Utara and Universiti Malaya.

Through the series of the 4th TALENTA-Agricultural Summer Course 2026, international academic collaboration continues to be developed as a platform for exchanging knowledge and experiences to prepare students to face global challenges in agriculture and food.