NZ food scientist recognised for impactful protein study

Protein expert Dr Suzanne Hodgkinson has won the Journal of Nutrition’s inaugural Teresa A. Davis Award in Growth and Protein Nutrition from the American Society of Nutrition for the most impactful journal article published in 2025.

The three-year study managed by Hodgkinson focused on the protein quality of 97 foods. The research determined protein quality by measuring indispensable amino acids in the small intestine during digestion.

Hodgkinson said the food industry needs digestible protein data to accurately determine the nutritional value of foods. It has long been known that the current methods used to evaluate protein nutritional value are inaccurate, she said.

Hodgkinson is a Senior Research Officer who leads the nutrition team at the Riddet Institute, a New Zealand Centre of Research Excellence hosted by Massey University in Palmerston North. She won the award, along with fellow researcher and Riddet Institute Acting Director Distinguished Professor Paul Moughan, for a landmark Journal of Nutrition article the pair co-authored with six others.

For the research, Hodgkinson directed a team of global scientists to undertake three concurrent studies using identical research methods across three universities: Massey University in Aotearoa New Zealand, University of Illinois in the US and Wageningen University and Research in the Netherlands.

She managed all the studies after determining the list of foods to research. The 97 foods ranged from fruits and vegetables to baked goods, fish and meat, in the form they are normally consumed. Foods were classified by food type, establishing a comprehensive baseline dataset.

Hodgkinson said this was the first study to provide a standalone database with so many foods assessed simultaneously by internationally recognised laboratories using standardised methodology.

The food industry currently uses the older Protein Digestibility-Corrected Amino Acid Score (PDCAAS) system, an inaccurate method to calculate the protein quality of foods.

Moughan said: “This prestigious inaugural award recognises Dr Hodgkinson, the wider international team of scientists and the substantial international funding effort, co-ordinated by the Global Dairy Platform in Chicago. This is truly a landmark study.”

Hodgkinson will receive the award during the science and health conference Nutrition 2026 held from 25–28 July in Washington DC.

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