Trang Chủ Cooperation - Training International Cooperation

Professor Yutaka Tateda from Fukushima University, Japan, visited INST and engaged with the technical researcher team on isotope analysis for food safety

11/08/2025

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Within the framework of the research cooperation program among Institute for Nuclear Science and Technology (INST), Fukushima University, and Kanazawa University in Japan, Professor Yutaka Tateda from Fukushima University visited INST and took part in the KINET-ERAN-SUMITOMO Joint Research Program Meeting, hosted by INST from 4 to 8 August 2025.

Professor Yutaka Tateda is widely recognized as a leading Japanese expert in marine environmental science, radioecology, and marine ecology. His recent research works have shed light on the radioecological behavior of ¹³⁷Cs in rockfish of the southern coastal waters off Fukushima and the status of the transfer state of ¹³⁷Cs in zooplankton and surface water fish off Fukushima during 2018-2021.

As part of international efforts to strengthen cooperation in food safety and seafood traceability through nuclear techniques under the KINET-ERAN-SUMITOMO projects, his participation in the meeting was intended to provide technical guidance on analytical procedures for fish samples collected within the collaborative framework, with a focus on evaluating key indicators, including heavy metals, stable isotopes, and the radioisotope ¹³⁷Cs.

On the morning of 4 August 2025, Dr. Nguyen Huu Quyet, Acting Deputy Director of INST, together with several staff members, welcomed Professor Yutaka Tateda and provided an overview of the INST’s ongoing activities and strategic research orientations. For the rest of the meeting, Professor Tateda collaborated with the researchers from Isotope Hydrology Laboratory and Environmental Radioactivity Monitoring and Impact Assessment Center, concentrating on the following topics:

- Guidelines for fish sampling procedures using acid digestion and AMP precipitation treatment for the measurement of the radioisotope ¹³⁷Cs with a gamma spectrometry system, simulation exercises and sample measurement by gamma spectrometers;

- Discussions on the application of stable isotope ratio analysis for carbon/nitrogen quantification of the stable cesium isotope and heavy metals in fish samples through elemental analyzer–isotope ratio mass spectrometry (EA-IRMS) and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS);

- Data review, planning discussion of research finding analysis, and development of a Likert-scale questionnaire for sociological studies on public awareness of food safety in Vietnam and Japan.

After a productive workweek, Professor Tateda’s collaboration significantly contributed to both accelerating the progress of scientific cooperation and enhancing the research and technology transfer capabilities of the INST personnel. This partnership also fostered broader academic connections between scientific institutions in Vietnam and Japan. All the outcomes of the meeting represent an essential step forward in promoting the application of advanced nuclear techniques for food safety and public health protection.

The following photos were selected from the meeting.