Piet Buwalda

About him:

Dr. Piet Buwalda received his PhD degree at the University of Groningen on a topic on hybrid organic-inorganic polymers. He started working for AVEBE 1989 in starch modification research. Among others he headed the food application innovation center. Currently he holds a position as the Starch Technology Officer of AVEBE. He has a passion for carbohydrate modification and in particular enzymatic modification and the effect of these modifications on the properties of solutions in water. His focus was on transferase reactions with starch towards functional ingredients for dairy products. In recent years his focus has been on enzymatic modification of starch for food fibers and their health promoting effects. He has recently been appointed as a part time associate professor at the Wageningen University.

About his talk:

Isomaltomalto oligosaccharides (IMMP's) constitute a new class of soluble food fibers. They are produced from starch using a so-called  alfa 4-6 gluconotransferase. A detailed mechanism of this transformation is elucidated using specially developed analytical methods. The resulting products were subjected to fermentation in vitro using human feacal material. IMMP's break down slowly during fermentation and the structures of the  transient carbohydrates were elucidated. IMMP's stimulates the growth Bifido's and lactobacilli and a strong production of small chain fatty acids was observed.