Jeonbuk National University (JBNU) (President Yang Oh-bong) Professor Kim Mina-Gyeongmin (Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition) recently received the 2023 Rural Development Administration Commissioner’s Commendation as an "Outstanding Contributor to the Practicalization of Technology Dissemination for Food Crops". 

Since 2021, Professor Kim has conducted consumer satisfaction evaluations of new crop varieties at the National Institute of Crop Science of the Rural Development Administration. For new varieties of rice, potato, wheat, and sweet potato, she identified superior attributes and areas for improvement compared with conventional varieties, providing scientific evidence to guide the future direction of breeding research.

Based on the sensory characteristics of each variety, she also proposed variety-specific cooking and processing methods, providing practical information to support the dissemination and expanded cultivation of new varieties by farmers. These efforts have made a significant contribution to the dissemination and practical application of new varieties in agricultural fields.

Professor Kim is one of the few domestic experts in the sensory and consumer science field, which has recently attracted attention in food and nutrition. Through specialized research in sensory evaluation of product attributes to match consumer tastes during product development, consumer preference testing to verify marketability, and optimization of flavor characteristics tailored to products, she provides technical consultation to domestic and international food companies and contributes to increased sales through improved product quality.

In particular, she has secured and carried out numerous government national R&D programs for basic flavor research and human resource development. She has trained high-level personnel at the bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral levels in related fields, supplying outstanding talent to industry, universities, research institutes, and local governments.

In addition to textbook authorship and wide-ranging external activities—such as serving as an expert and advisory committee member for domestic and international academic societies and local governments—and having served as Director of the Technology Innovation Support Center of the LINC 3.0 Project Group (Leaders in INdustry-university Cooperation 3.0), she has identified challenges faced by regional companies in the smart agri-life (food) sector, one of North Jeolla Province’s core industries, and contributed to the development of the regional food industry by matching campus experts with local enterprises.

Professor Kim said, "Unprecedented extreme climate is bringing the threat of water and food shortages closer in the near future, increasing the need to develop and disseminate new varieties optimized for domestic conditions. To this end, breeding that suits domestic consumers’ tastes is urgently required. I will devote myself to training specialists specialized in the development and marketability evaluation of new food crop varieties and to developing core technologies," she added.

Meanwhile, Professor Kim currently serves as Director of the Technology Innovation Support Center of the LINC 3.0 Project Group and as Chair of the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition.