Food – Industry development & human health
Supporting infant health
Credit: Wavebreakmedia /istockphoto
Catherine Stanton
The microbiome plays a crucial role in infant health and development, but until recently, the impact of C-section delivery has been relatively unknown. The project ‘Missing Microbes in Infants born by C-section’ (MiMIC) began in 2017, recruiting 500 mother-infant pairs to investigate the effect of birth mode (C-section vs. vaginal birth) on infant gut microbiota over the first two years of life.
The study identified microbial populations that are missing in infants born by C-section, whose gut microbiota is often altered compared with natural birth.
In 2024, APC Microbiome Ireland and International Flavours and Fragrances announced a four-year extension of MiMIC to continue to study these children to age five. This follow-up study will provide insights into the long-lasting effects of early-life microbiome disruptions, which could have profound implications for public health policy and clinical practices.
This critical phase will chart the relationship between early life microbiota, and specifically missing microorganisms because of C-section birth, on a range of health outcomes from atopic disease to neurocognitive development.
The research is committed to understanding the role the gut microbiota plays in long-term health outcomes, particularly in the context of birth mode, and to generating actionable insights and strategies to improve outcomes for future generations, ensuring every child has the best start in life.
Contact: catherine.stanton@teagasc.ie
Other contributors: APC Microbiome Ireland/University College Cork
Funding: DuPont Nutrition; International Flavours and Fragrances; Research Ireland
Impact Pathways: Technology Development & Adoption; Capacity Building; Policy Influencing
Food products for patients with dysphagia
Credit: Ocras
Shay Hannon, Ciara McDonagh
The team at the National Prepared Consumer Food Centre, Ashtown, played a pivotal role in supporting innovative start-up company Ocras through product development, ingredient and equipment sourcing, facility design for production and scaling.
They worked on the development of texture-modified foods for dysphagia (difficulty swallowing) that are safe, nutritionally adequate, and visually appealing.
Ocras and Teagasc have established a strong and collaborative relationship that ensured the successful commercialisation of a range of unique products addressing a critical dietary need for individuals with dysphagia.
The company has secured contracts with the Health Service Executive (Ireland) and care homes, and is in discussions with the National Health Service to expand its offerings into the UK market.
Ocras’ innovative approach to food and packaging design has enhanced the quality of life for individuals with swallowing difficulties while promoting sustainability through waste reduction. This case study underscores the importance of collaboration between industry and research organisations like Teagasc in driving impactful innovations that respond to societal and market needs.
Contact: shay.hannon@teagasc.ie
Funding: Enterprise Ireland Innovation Voucher Programme
Impact Pathways: Technology Development & Adoption; Capacity Building
Improving milk powder production efficiency
Credit: Fergal O’Gorman
Jonathan Magan, John Tobin, Eoin Murphy, Sophie Gaspard, Poonam Rani, Norah O’Shea
In the energy-intensive process of skim milk powder (SMP) production, concentrate viscosity is a critical rate-limiting factor, particularly when aiming for high total solids content prior to spray-drying. Increasing solids content in the evaporation step enhances energy efficiency and plant throughput, but this is particularly challenging during the late-lactation period due to naturally higher concentrate viscosities.
As part of initial laboratory-scale and pilot-scale trial work to assess mitigating strategies for seasonal issues in SMP production, Teagasc researchers observed promising temperature-dependent reductions in skim milk concentrate viscosity under specific conditions.
Following successful trials scaling this solution to the pilot plant and using the recently installed data capture platform, results were shared with industry partners via the Dairy Processing Technology Centre, prompting an expression of interest from Kerry Group.
Subsequent collaboration led to the installation of an inline viscometer at Kerry’s Charleville powder plant, allowing for direct implementation and monitoring of the recommended process modifications during a full-scale commercial production run, attended onsite by the Teagasc researchers.
The observed viscosity reduction was achieved and proven at industrial scale, facilitating benefits for Kerry Group including a rate increase (increased solids throughput) and reduced energy consumption, through reduced dryer temperature and steam usage, critically achieving an overall 6% reduction in kWh/tonne of SMP produced. Powder quality parameters were also maintained under the new conditions and benefits were communicated to the wider industry.
Contact: jonathan.magan@teagasc.ie
Other contributors: Kerry Group; University College Dublin; University College Cork
Funding: Dairy Processing Technology Centre; Enterprise Ireland
Impact Pathway: Technology Development & Adoption
Biostimulants and packaging increase food shelf life
Credit: Iain White, Maxwell Photography
Lael Walsh, Shivani Pathania
Globally, approximately 1.3 billion tonnes of food are wasted annually, with fruit and vegetables consistently the highest wasted foods by weight. The Leaf No Waste project was awarded €2M to develop novel solutions that tackle food waste – combining plant fortification with sustainable packaging to extend the shelf life of fresh produce.
Utilising a combination of commercially available silicon-biostimulants and tailored alternative plastic packaging, the project set about to develop longer product shelf life with alternative plastic packaging. Two interventions were tested across a series of horticulture crops of economic value including mushrooms, strawberries and herbs. The findings show that either intervention, or in combination, provides a means to extend the storage period for fresh food. Mushroom quality is improved by the double interaction effects of biostimulant plus packaging, the storage period of strawberries is lengthened with packaging reformulation, and the shelf life of herbs improves with biostimulants.
Results have led to novel patented technology to extend strawberry shelf life by 14 days from the current 10 days, which is being evaluated by industry. Several leading Irish horticulture companies worked alongside the researchers to maximise knowledge exchange. This has ensured rapid adoption of the potential of new technology to further enhance the industry in Ireland.
Contact: lael.walsh@teagasc.ie
Other contributors: Technological University Dublin
Funding: Research Ireland (previously SFI) through the Leaf No Waste project
Impact Pathways: Technology Development & Adoption; Policy Influencing
Food digestion models
Credit: unomat /istockphoto
Andre Brodkorb, Linda Giblin
Innovation in the food sector is leading to the continuous development of new foods and food ingredients. To better understand the relationship between food and health, scientists need to monitor the digestion and absorption of food in the human body. However, animal or human studies on food digestion can be expensive and require invasive and sometimes unsuitable or unethical methods. It is now possible to simulate food digestion in vitro, i.e., the disintegration and breakdown of food into bioaccessible nutrients and their absorption across a simulated intestinal gut barrier.
Teagasc researchers, in collaboration with international scientists from academia and industry, have helped develop and validate in vitro digestion models across age groups – most notable being the INFOGEST method, published in 2019. This scientific paper has been the highest cited Teagasc publication for the last three years running, which is an indicator for scientific excellence and worldwide acceptance of the digestion method.
Digestion of food ingredients and products are now offered as a service to food companies as part of Teagasc Moorepark’s technical services to industry, SMEs, national and multinational companies alike. The INFOGEST method is currently being approved as an international IDF/ISO standard for the nutritional assessment of protein quality and digestibility (in vitro DIAAS method).
Contact: andre.brodkorb@teagasc.ie
Other contributors: INRAE (France); CSIC (Spain); Agroscope (Switzerland)
Funding: Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine; VistaMilk (Research Ireland); Enterprise Ireland; Horizon Europe; EU COST action; client funding
Impact Pathway: Capacity Building