Prof. Dr. Vural Gökmen Receives TÜBİTAK Science Award

Prof. Dr. Vural Gökmen Awarded TÜBİTAK Science Prize Prof. Dr. Vural Gökmen, a faculty member at Hacettepe University honored with the TÜBİTAK Science Prize, has established himself at the forefront of global food engineering literature through his discoveries on carcinogenic substances and their effects on emotions, as well as antioxidants. Prof. Dr. Gökmen, a faculty member in the Food Engineering Department at Hacettepe University, discussed his scientific research that was the subject of the 2022 TÜBİTAK Science Prize. Gökmen reported that he conducted his research under the umbrella of Hacettepe University's "Food Quality and Safety Research Group" and that the group focused its research on three topics. Stating that one of these concerns "the formation of acrylamide and similar carcinogenic substances in thermally processed foods," Gökmen explained: "If you combine simple sugar and amino acid and heat them at 150-200 degrees for a few minutes, more than 1,000 new substances are formed from these two compounds. 30-40 of these substances have carcinogenic properties." Pointing out that "acrylamide" is the most popular carcinogenic substance, Gökmen said that despite 20 years having passed since this substance was discovered, it still occupies the agenda of the scientific community. Gökmen stated that research groups have conducted studies contributing to international literature regarding acrylamide formation. [caption id="attachment_148749" align="aligncenter"] Prof. Dr. Vural Gökmen[/caption]

Carcinogenic substances can be reduced by 90 percent with calcium

Reporting that they have developed strategies applicable in homes and factories regarding the reduction of acrylamide formation, Gökmen stated: "Some of these have also been converted into national and international patents, and these strategies have been applied by companies. In other words, we have conducted significant knowledge and technology transfer work here."

Providing examples of the strategies they developed regarding the reduction of carcinogenic substances, Gökmen noted the following:

"When frying potatoes at home, to reduce the amount of acrylamide, after the cutting process, potatoes can be soaked in water containing calcium for a few minutes or half an hour. For this, all calcium-containing salts such as calcium sandoz, calcium chloride, and calcium lactate can be used. After the potatoes have soaked, if the water is drained and they are fried, the amount of acrylamide can be reduced by nearly 90 percent. This is a very significant reduction effect. When making biscuits and cookies at home, to reduce the amount of acrylamide, calcium salt at the 1 percent level, that is, about a pinch, can be added to the dough. In this way, the formation of acrylamide can be reduced through the same mechanism during baking in the oven. Calcium is one option. We have found multiple strategies for acrylamide reduction, such as reducing sugar and changing the type and amounts of leavening agents. Here, maintaining a balance is necessary so that the taste of food does not diminish." Noting that when searching scientific databases for "acrylamide" and "food," Turkey and Hacettepe rank first in the world, Vural Gökmen stated: "We have placed ourselves first in the field of food engineering. On these subjects, Hacettepe has produced more than 60 international research articles, 10 theses mostly at the doctoral level, more than 10 national and international research projects, and 3-4 patents."    

Prof. Dr. Gökmen reported that their second area of work concerns food antioxidants

Reporting that antioxidants, which are substances that slow aging in the body, exist in both soluble and insoluble forms and that through their studies they discovered that both forms can be meaningful for the body, Gökmen continued as follows: "We have suspicions that colon cancer may be caused by excessive oxidative stress. We believe that this excessive oxidative stress causing colon cancer can be suppressed through proper antioxidant nutrition regimens and that the body can develop a defense mechanism." Reporting that they are working on cancerous mice to provide scientific nutritional recommendations for colon cancer prevention, Gökmen said they will carry the positive results from this to human trials. Gökmen described his work on this subject as follows: "Therefore, we are conducting studies to reveal critical details so that eating and drinking recommendations not based on scientific data have an objective foundation. We are trying to decode the secrets of the digestive system, which is a black box. We are conducting a kind of digestive engineering. We are trying to develop eating and drinking regimens that will eliminate the effects of toxic substances ingested along with food. For example, you can reduce risks by consuming potato chips containing acrylamide alongside radish rich in sulfur compounds, or by consuming olive oil alongside boiled potatoes with a high glycemic index. With a digestive engineering approach, we are looking at food-food combinations based on scientific data."

"We aim to develop applications for obesity and weight control"

Prof. Dr. Vural Gökmen stated that his third area of work concerns the relationship between eating and drinking and mood, and that he is conducting these studies under the titles "food and mood." Noting that they have been researching people's consumption of bread for 10,000 years, Gökmen pointed out that while investigating this preference for bread, they observed that large amounts of "melatonin," or the happiness hormone, are produced during fermentation. Noting that these studies have had a major impact by entering the literature, Gökmen stated: "Then we looked at other fermented foods. In this way we know that many neuroactive compounds that affect the human nervous system are formed during fermentation. This is another topic we have focused on over the last 5-6 years."

After finding melatonin derivatives in bread, Gökmen, who has concentrated on substances called "endocannabinoids" that have an effect similar to "mild narcotics" in the body, noted the following:

"Particularly in fermented meat and dairy products, we have discovered that endocannabinoids are formed in many different numbers and amounts. This topic is also related to the obesity pandemic. Through our animal experiments, knowing which endocannabinoids stimulate appetite and which create feelings of satiety, we aim to develop applications for obesity and weight control. We have some clues. With clues we will get from experiments, we will process food using natural techniques and investigate its positive effects on human health. In other words, we are conducting a kind of black box analysis in foods." TÜBİTAK award winner Gökmen noted that the intestines are called the "second brain," that approximately one-fifth of a person's nerve cells are located in the large intestine, and that serotonin is also produced there, stating: "Both medicine and food science have focused on this area. We are also in this competition."   Source