The main management keywords of SPC Group for 2021 was announced as ‘quality-first management, responsible management, change and innovation.’ Among them, ‘quality first management’ is a keyword that reveals the will to heighten the ‘class of work’ by implementing methodological systems and technologies based on the fundamentals of the food business, which are taste and quality. The 2021 SPC Magazine will meet with the stars of the SPC Group who are elevating the class of work every month through the ‘Interviews on Quality Management’ series. For our first issue, we visited the SPC Research Institute of Food and Biotechnology, which is the heart of systemic R&D at the SPC Group, that is working hard to offer tasty and high-quality products to consumers. Let’s meet with Seo Jin-ho, head of the SPC Research Institute of Food and Biotechnology who received the grand prize at the SPC People Awards, to learn about the institute’s achievements and visions.
Interview with Head of the SPC Research Institute of Food and Biotechnology Seo Jin-ho
Starting point of the Leading Research Paradigm, SPC Research Institute of Food and Biotechnology
Head of the SPC Research Institute of Food and Biotechnology Seo Jin-ho
Q. What does the SPC Research Institute of Food and Biotechnology do?
Hello. I am Seo Jin-ho and I became the head of the SPC Research Institute of Food and Biotechnology in July of 2020. In order for the SPC Group to become a global food company, or a front runner in the food industry, it was necessary to change our R&D strategies. We came to the decision that a paradigm shift from ‘chasing’ behind pioneers to ‘leading’ the industry in R&D was necessary. The SPC Research Institute of Food and Biotechnology was established in 2005 with the goal to inventive original technologies and knowhow through systemic research and development.
Research being conducted at the SPC Research Institute of Food and Biotechnology
The SPC Research Institute of Food and Biotechnology is currently developing and managing a variety of sourdough and quality improving materials to enhance the taste and health benefits of our products. Furthermore, the self-quality inspection institute and Sensory Lab under the SPC Research Institute are investigating the standards for products desired by consumers and are scientifically digitizing product quality standards to offer basic data for quality management of our products.
There are currently 29 researchers at the SPC Research Institute of Food and Biotechnology and it includes the four teams of the Food Materials Research Team, Fermented Microorganism Research Team, Product Application Research Team, and the Sensory Lab. By utilizing the nation’s top researchers and cutting-edge facilities, we are devoting all of our capacities in R&D to contribute to the achievement of the group’s vision of ‘Great Food Company’ by developing outstanding fermenting microorganisms, as well as developing food materials with a variety of features.
SPC Research Institute of Food and Biotechnology Leading the Mega Trends of the Fermented Food Industry
Panoramic View of the SPC Research Institute of Food and Biotechnology
Q. Could you name a development achievement of the SPC Research Institute of Food and Biotechnology?
The SPC Research Institute of Food and Biotechnology was moved to its current location with the opening of the SPC Agro-Bio Science Institute at the Seoul National University Gwanak Campus in 2009. Looking back, I think moving the research institute to the SNU campus to the current location was a ‘stroke of genius.’ Industry-academic cooperation with the outstanding researchers at SNU occurred naturally and in result, it was possible to perform convergence research, which was deemed to be very difficult, more easily.
Development of sourdough using unique microorganisms and yeast
The greatest achievement of our institute was the ‘development of sourdough unique to the SPC Group.’ A representative accomplishment was the development of the ‘100% native yeast suitable for baking’ as the fruit of 11 years of hard work back in 2016. By possessing our own proprietary sourdough, it was possible for the domestic bakery industry that depended on imports for procuring sourdough become technologically independent. In 2019, we developed the ‘Sangmijong’ that improved the taste and nutrition of bread. Thus, the age of bread made with cooperative fermentation from yeast and lactobacillus was newly opened. The development of least-lactobacillus cooperated fermented technologies that utilize both the advantages of yeasts, which is a representative microorganism used for producing fermented foods, and the advantages of lactobacillus has become a mega trend of the fermented food industry. Through the development of a proprietary sourdough, our institute has now become a leader of such mega trend.
We also launched the sourdough for steamed buns called ‘Balhyomijong’ and ‘Oxygen-free fermented coffee’ using our superb sourdough technologies. As sourdough technologies are not limited to just baking, but can be used throughout various food industries, and it is thus expected that the utilization of our sourdough will further accelerate.
Developing products using Sangmijong
Developing our own excellent sourdough and putting it to industrial use is an astounding technological feat that is comparable to individually developing an automobile engine in the motor industry. The first-generation sourdough called Native Yeast and the second-generation sourdough Sangmijong were successfully commercialized. This has technological significance as it went beyond the baking method focusing on ingredients and experience of the past, and established scientific baking technologies using our original sourdough. We essentially improved health and taste through science technology.
Through such accomplishments, the SPC Group became the only and superb company that bakes bread with proprietary sourdough and original fermenting technologies. There are high anticipations that the outstanding fermented products made with our sourdough and fermentation technologies will spread out to the entire world. In short, our technology will become the technological foundation for the globalization of K-Food.
Q. You won the SPC People Awards grand prize at the recent New Year’s Ceremony. Could you comment?
I won the grand prize in the collaboration sector at the SPC People Awards at the 2021 SPC Group New Year’s Ceremony. It is a great honor to receive the highest award of the SPC Group in my first year as the head of the institute. I am proud of all of the researchers who worked diligently to create such research achievements, and I would like to thank all of the other departments who helped us.
‘Sangmijong’ development team that won the highest SPC Award
The development of Sangmijong was possible through teamwork. First, tasty and healthy bread was made through the teamwork (cooperative fermentation) of yeast and lactobacillus. The development of the microorganism yeast and lactobacillus that make up Sangmjiong was the result of collaborative industry-academic research between our institute, Seoul National University, and Chungbuk National University. The development of high-quality products using Sangmijong was also the result of teamwork between our research institute and the Paris Croissant bread development team. As the entire process for developing Sangmijong was made through close cooperation, it became a success case that taught us the importance of teamwork.
Vision of the SPC Research Institute of Food and Biotechnology, ‘TIGER’
SPC Research Institute of Food and Biotechnology that leads innovative technological development
Q. What is the vision of the SPC Research Institute of Food and Biotechnology for 2021?
The core value of the SPC Research Institute of Food and Biotechnology is ‘TIGER’ that stands for ‘Teamwork, Innovation, and Globalization for Excellent Research.’ In 2021, we will develop innovative technologies based on the SPC Way using the core values of teamwork, innovation and globalization, while building a healthy research ecosystem through ongoing challenges. Like the saying that the antonym for ‘success’ is not ‘failure’ but ‘not challenging,’ failure should be tolerated for the sake of ‘creative challenges,’ which is the management principle of the SPC Group. A healthy research ecosystem is one that does not fear failure and takes on challenges boldly. It will be possible to develop pioneering technologies through such activities, and moreover, we will be able to accelerate our group’s grand vision of ‘Great Food Company.’
Products developed with Sangmijong, our crystal of accumulated knowhow and experience
Q. Quality-first management was mentioned as one of the management keywords of 2021. What do you think about this?
Anybody can make food that can fill a stomach. But in order to create tasty and healthy products that can spread and compete throughout the entire world, it is essential to establish a scientific production process and to standardize quality. The SPC Group has accumulated vast amounts of experience and technologies over the past 70 years. This year, we will scientifically establish SPC Group’s experiences and technologies for greater perfection and improve our work in the research sector so that our products may go beyond being simply food, and become a masterpiece.
We learned about the core values and visions of the SPC Research Institute of Food and Biotechnology with Mr. Seo Jin-ho. SPC Group’s efforts to produce not just food, but masterpieces, are based on the passion toward the customers who always support SPC Group. In order to respond to the trust and support of our customers over the past 70 years, we will again work hard this year to make the best products.
