Miller Magazine Issue 137 May 2021

83 INTERVIEW MILLER / may 2021 ta," becomes a topic of conversation. Stating that there is a trend not only in Turkey but also in many countries where wheat and bread are presented as something 'evil', Dr. Simsek notes that claiming that bread makes sick is completely unfounded and baseless. “We have revealed this with our scientific studies. I will con- tinue to study in these areas again. I want to clean up the false information on wheat. I'm ready to confront scientists who go on TV and claim with hearsay information alleging that bread is poi- sonous. These explanations are very useless and wrong. They keep saying, 'If you eat bread, you will get fat' or 'Bread is white poison'. Mankind has been eating bread for thousands of years. Wheat is a product that saves people from famine and hunger. There is no basis for the claims made about wheat. If a person consumes five loaves of bread in one meal, that bread will make him fat for sure. However, you will get fat if you eat 15 bananas a day either. You will also get fat if you eat food right before going to bed. 'Bread and wheat kill 'you'… All of this is wrong. You can wide variety foods, but it is the time and amount you eat that matters.” She also responds to the claims that the increases in celiac disease cases are caused by modern wheat varieties. Explaining that she has examined gluten levels in modern wheat varieties and compared them with ancient ones, Dr. Simsek states that they revealed that the relationship between modern wheat and gluten sensitivity does not stem from the genetic development of wheat varieties. “We have investigated whether the proteins that cause celiac disease were found in wheat varieties of hundreds of years ago. We sought an answer to the question 'Was it the breeders who produced these proteins?' As a result of our anal- ysis, we have found that there were proteins that cause celiac disease also in wheat grown 150 years ago.” 360° VIEW We also asked her advice for young students who want to ad- vance in an academic career like her. The first point she draws attention to was the "interdisciplinary approach". Dr. Simsek gave examples from her personal experience and said, “My specialty is chemistry. However, the application of this in food has con- tributed a lot to me. Everything that seemed in black and white to me suddenly became colorful. There are so many chemistry applications in food… Young people should adopt an interdisci- plinary approach rather than a 'this is my only field' approach." FINDING SOLUTIONS TO REAL AGRICULTURAL PROBLEMS Another point that she underlines is the "360° view". She de- fines this as 'being able to look at real problems from different points of view'. She states that it is important for young research- ers to follow the agenda very closely, to identify real problems, to address them scientifically, and to find solutions. At this point, she is reminding us of the close relationship between wheat produc- ers, academics, and flour industrialists in the USA. She explains that everybody wins in the collaboration among producers-uni- versities-industries. “When I talk to a miller as a scientist, I hear real problems from him. For example, the miller wonders whether the wheat he buys is premium quality and whether his money is worth it. We perform some tests in our laboratory to analyze wheat with our students. While a student gains experience with the experiments, a flour industrialist gets R&D knowledge that he wouldn't manage to afford on his own. On the other hand, the producer learns what kind of deficiencies the industrialist has for the expected quality wheat. Everyone wins. We come together with wheat producers, domestic and foreign wheat buyers, and wheat geneticists within the scope of the programs we provide at the university. Such training programs not only help industrial- ists and farmers but also allow our students to find solutions to real agricultural problems." Another recommendation by Dr. Simsek to young people is always setting goals for themselves. “These goals may be either short or long term. However, they should definitely set a goal and do their best to reach it. They should never be satisfied with the minimum. They need to push their limits. When you do this, believe me, something will come out. They must benefit from their teachers and professors at the maximum level. So do your best and hope for the best."