Research Awards
2018
On July 11th 2018 the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Michael Creed T.D., today announced awards of almost €14.3 million in funding for collaborative research projects arising from the 2017 Research Call under his Department’s three competitive research programmes.
- Food Institutional Research Measure (FIRM) is the main programme for funding food research in research performing organisations in Ireland including Teagasc and the Higher Education Institutes (HEI) thereby contributing to building and maintaining a research capability that helps underpin a vibrant, competitive and innovative food manufacturing industry.
- Research Stimulus Fund (RSF) aims to facilitate research that fills gaps in the mainstream Teagasc programme, supports sustainable and competitive agricultural production practices and policies, and contributes to building and maintaining a knowledge economy and research capability in the agriculture sector.
- Programme of Competitive Forestry Research for Development (CoFoRD) aims to develop a scientific foundation and support for a sustainable, competitive, market orientated and innovative forest industry.
Teagasc was among 12 Irish Research Performing Organisations benefiting from the awards. Teagasc is the lead institute for 12 projects and are collaborating with other research institutions in a further 5 projects.
Summary Information on research awards announced by Minister Creed on October 4th
| Coordinator/Lead Institute + Collaborating Insitiutions funded | Project Title and Summary | Total DAFM Award |
|---|---|---|
| * denotes project co-funded by DAERA | ||
| Agriculture (Research Stimulus Fund) | ||
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Prof. Donagh Berry, Teagasc
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GREENBREED: Sustainable ruminant breeding programs for low environment footprint. Globally, cattle production is undergoing seismic challenges, not least of which is the growing concern of the impact of ruminant production on climate change. Animal breeding is cumulative and permanent meaning that the performance of the current generation is a function of past breeding decisions. Hence, modern-day breeding programs must consider both monetary and social values. The objective of GREENBREED is to reduce the environmental footprint of cattle and sheep production systems through the development and deployment of short, medium and long-term sophisticated breeding strategies while remaining cognisant of other efficiency and performance metrics. The environmental traits considered are methane, ammonia, nitrous oxide and nitrates. Deployment will be through the national cattle and sheep breeding goals underpinned by accurate DNA-based statistical evaluations of animal genetic merit for a whole gamut of traits relating to environmental load based on carefully designed data collection strategies. | €2,988,827 |
| Food (Food Institutional Research Measure -FIRM) | ||
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Dr Eibhlís O’Connor, University of Limerick
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FIBREMET: Characterising the effect of Dietary Fibres on the Gut Microbiota and Metabolic Health in ‘at-risk’ individuals: Opportunities for New Food Product Development. In line with the general population, declining metabolic health (increased blood pressure, lipids, glucose, cholesterol and body fat) is a phenomenon that is rapidly replacing historical projections for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) sufferers including weight loss and suboptimal nutrient intake. Increased research focus has investigated the role of the gut microbiota and its implications in disease pathogenesis including IBD. Furthermore, poor metabolic health has also been associated with an altered gut microbiota. This study will investigate the role of specific functional dietary fibres in modifying the gut microbiota to alter metabolic parameters. We will use human dietary challenge studies to assess the ability of defined dietary fibres to modulate important microbiota species and clinical parameters of metabolic dysfunction in IBD sufferers. Thus we will identify specific health promoting ingredients that can be incorporated into novel, functional foods by the Irish food industry to support health claims and promote health. | €628,991 |
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Prof Dmitri B. Papkovsky, University College Cork Lead Institute: University College Cork
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MICROSENS: Demonstration of sensor-based rapid microbial testing technology to increase shelf life, safety and traceability of industrial fresh meat products in Ireland. Will apply the emerging sensor-based microbial testing technology and demonstrate its operational and commercial benefits for producers of raw meat products. The team of two academic and two industrial partners will employ the validated benchtop screening test and two newly developed mobile platforms for centralised and on-spot testing of raw and processed meat (crude homogenates), carcasses, manufacturing surfaces and equipment. These three analytical oxygen sensor based systems will be set up and thoroughly assessed in laboratory and industrial settings with meat products and manufacturing processes used by the Irish companies, with the view of replacing the slow, laborious and inefficient colony counting tests. Thus, MICROSENS technology will provide meat companies easier, faster and more comprehensive microbial testing, significant improvement of shelf life through faster batch release, reduced microbial contamination, improved quality and microbial safety of final products, better control of production process and hygiene. | €534,018 |
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Prof. Frank Monaghan, University College Dublin
Collaborating Institutions: |
Beef-Sig: Signature of Irish Grass-fed Beef. Irish beef is increasingly marketed on the basis of the uniqueness of its grass-based production. There is, however, currently no way of proving to what extent Irish cattle are grass-fed or proving that Irish beef for the U.S. market meets the “More than 80% Grass Diet” standard, for example. The project aims to establish if there is a unique grass-fed “signature” in Irish grass-fed beef. This will involve measuring compositional differences in beef from Irish farms with different levels of grass feeding, and comparing Irish grass-fed beef with beef from other competitor countries. The research will provide scientifically based evidence to support the authenticity of Irish grass-based beef production and underpin grass-fed claims used to market Irish beef. | €594,116 |
Summary Information on research awards announced by Minister Creed on 11th July
| Coordinator/Lead Institute + Collaborating Insitiutions funded | Project Title and Summary | Total DAFM Award |
|---|---|---|
| * denotes project co-funded by DAERA ** denotes project co-funded by EPA |
||
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Dr. Declan J Bolton Lead Institute: Collaborating Institutions: |
Foodborne C. diff.: The foodborne emergence and epidemiology of Clostridium difficile in Ireland. Clostridium difficile is an emerging bacterial pathogen of public health concern. Control of foodborne transmission is reliant on identifying sources, dissemination routes and other relevant factors, such as animal treatment practices that may promote the emergence of new more dangerous strains. In collaboration with key stakeholders, this project will; [1] investigate animal carriage and foodborne sources; [2] establish if human and food strains are genetically identical; [3] provide data on the ability of Irish isolates to cause serious illness; [4] investigate the link between antibiotic usage on farms and the emergence of hypervirulent C. difficile, and [5] explore control options. The main outcome will be data that will be used by the stakeholders to co-design effective control actions, as part of a C. difficile risk management strategy. | €839,739 |
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Dr. Patrick Forrestal Lead Institute: Collaborating Institutions: |
NBPT- Safe: Ensuring food safety in grass systems using NBPT treated urea. Fertiliser nitrogen plays a key role in the productivity grass based systems; these systems in turn underpin the Irish agri-food industry. However, fertiliser nitrogen is also a source of greenhouse gas and ammonia emissions when applied to soil. Previous work at Teagasc Johnstown Castle has shown that inhibitor technology, specifically the compound NBPT, will reduce emissions and improve fertiliser nitrogen efficiency. The funded work will determine if this technology has potential to be taken up by grass, to enter milk, to survive the dairy product processing chain and if so could a human health risk be posed. To meet national commitments to reduce emissions while realising the opportunities set out in the FoodWise 2025 report new technical solutions must be adopted. This work will deepen our understanding of inhibitor uptake potential, an important knowledge gap, for a very promising technical solution to mitigate emissions from a growing agriculture industry. | €599,941 |
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Dr. Mark Fenlon
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PastureProd: Comprehensive review of the advantages and disadvantages of pasture based feeding systems to the chemical composition, characteristics and quality of milk and dairy products. Comprehensive review of the advantages and disadvantages of pasture based feeding systems to the chemical composition, characteristics and quality of milk and dairy products. There is Global interest in the nutritional benefits of milk and Dairy products from pasture fed cows. Thus, the objective of this project is to comprehensively review studies / literature on pasture based feeding systems and their effect on the compositional and nutritional quality of Dairy products. The study will compare systems using various pasture based swards and the use of zero grazing systems against the more conventional indoor total mixed ration feeding systems comprised of silages. The aim is to highlight the advantages and disadvantages of Ireland’s pasture based sustainable production systems, and provide a greater scientific knowledge on the nutritional benefits of such systems on consumer products; which will ultimately enhance Ireland’s competitiveness in existing international and emerging markets. |
€61,510 |
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Dr. Kieran Jordan Lead Institute: Collaborating Institutions: |
ListeriaChallengeStudies: Understanding Listeria monocytogenes growth in food in order to simplify the guidelines for undertaking food challenge studies. The European Union places the responsibility for production of safe food on the food producer. Listeria monocytogenes is an organism of concern to public health authorities, and the food industry. A feature of L. monocytogenes contamination is that it generally requires growth of the organism in the food so that sufficient numbers to cause disease are reached. The aim of this project is to study the physical and genetic characteristics of L. monocytogenes isolated from Irish food, the physical characteristics of the food and the genetic characteristics of other bacteria in the food in order to understand the growth of L. monocytogenes, and to differentiate foods into those that support growth and those that do not. Understanding the growth of L. monocytogenes in food and undertaking challenge studies to determine such growth will help to address the public health issue of disease-causing bacteria in food, and possible product recall/withdrawal issues. | €1,190,686 |
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Dr. Norah O’Shea Lead Institute: Collaborating Institutions: |
3DDAIRY: Exploitation of dairy ingredients in the development of 3 Dimensional Structured Dairy Snacks. 3D printing has been recommended as a technology of the future in major strategy documents (e.g. Horizon 2020). However, its application has not yet been fully explored in the food sector. Benefits of 3D printing include flexibility to print products in any shape or size, optimal and efficient use of ingredients, and end-products with personalized nutrition. The objectives of the current project include the design and utilisation of a novel 3D printer that is tailor-made for printing dairy edible inks produced from Irish dairy ingredients. 3DDairy will focus on characterising the nutritional, functional and sensory properties of these novel 3D-printed dairy snacks. In tandem, a consumer study will also generate a greater understanding of consumer’s attitudes towards such products. The potential impact of this project for the Irish Agri-food sector will include a new application for Irish dairy ingredients, a novel high protein, low sugar 3D printed snack that would promote health and wellbeing for the Irish consumer and have direct application in the Irish dairy and prepared consumer foods industries. |
€585,091 |
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Dr. Noel McCarthy Lead Institute: Collaborating Institutions: |
NowGen: Commercialisation of Next Generation Infant Formula. This FIRMplus proposal builds on the outcomes of an outgoing FIRM-funded project “Concept Protein Ingredient for Next Generation Infant Formulation”. The latter project highlighted the complexity of altering the protein profile of bovine milk for use in first-stage infant formula and successfully manufactured a protein ingredient similar to that present in human milk through the use of membrane filtration. The aim of this FIRMplus project is to move this process up to commercialisation scale, and to also continue on the journey of improving the bioavailability of bovine milk protein for use in IMF. This will lead to the production of a softer more digestible curd in the infants’ stomach. This type of ingredient will also offer considerable potential in terms of the Irish export market for Dairy Ingredient and Irish IMF-based companies. | €97,760 |
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Dr. Dilip Rai Lead Institute: Collaborating Institutions: |
ProcessPotato: High pressure processing and ultrasonication on improving the shelf-life, nutritional and functional qualities of Irish potato cultivars. Application of high pressure processing and ultrasonication to improve a multitude of different quality attributes such as shelflife, nutrition, bioactivity and safety of potatoes is a novel endeavour. Optimisation of these physical processing technologies could also deactivate the main enzyme responsible for browning in minimally processed potatoes. This project aims to optimise these two novel processing technologies to retain nutrition, quality and ‘healthy’ attributes of potatoes and improve the shelflife of routinely consumed Irish potato varieties. The project’s research outputs have the potentials to enhance the market share of potato growers and food processors through scientific evidence of nutritional and functional qualities of processed potatoes. Replacement or reduction of the usage of sulphites as anti-browning agents, through the usage of the clean and green technologies, is a possibility that would help to gain the trust of the consumers. | €199,989 |
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Dr. Conor McAloon Lead Institute: Collaborating Institutions: |
SWAB: Surveillance Welfare and Biosecurity of farmed animals. Will address major current and emerging animal health and welfare issues in Irish agriculture. SWAB uses a carefully selected range of expertise from the disciplines of sociology, psychology, economics, veterinary medicine, animal welfare and epidemiology. This interdisciplinary approach will address three overarching research aims: factors influencing utilisation of DAFM animal health surveillance and diagnostic services; multi-stakeholder perspectives and behaviours impacting on animal welfare and antimicrobial use; and quantification of the benefits of farm biosecurity practices. Involvement of representatives from DAFM, the farming community and industry will ensure that outputs are appropriately balanced between scientific enquiry and practical application. Methods involving all stakeholders (farmers, practicing veterinarians, industry, animal health professionals, consumers, other actors) will be used to create policy/veterinary/extension tools that put into practice and create direct impact of research findings generated by the project in operational settings. | €772,049 |
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Prof. Gary Lanigan Lead Institute: Collaborating Institutions: |
AGRI-SOC: Evaluating Land-Use and Land Management Impacts on Soil organic Carbon in Irish Agricultural Systems. Carbon (C) sequestration associated with pastures and improved grassland management could provide a mitigation option without impacting on agricultural production. In addition, improved soil carbon should lead to better nutrient cycling and soil nutrient availability. Management practices that can increase soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks to mitigate climate change will provide the basis for inclusion of grassland soils into both carbon trading schemes and life-cycle assessments (LCA's), which will assist the sector both in terms of carbon credits and a reduced carbon footprint on agricultural produce. This project seeks to quantify carbon sequestration within managed grasslands, to identify the upper limits of soil carbon storage and identifying the regulators within a pastoral system that control soil carbon capture. As such it will directly address the 4 per mille initiative to enhance C stocks and improve soil quality in agricultural soils. |
€598,052** |
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Dr. Denis Griffin Lead Institute: Collaborating Institutions: |
CREDIT: Cadium: Reduce, Evaluate, Detect, Inform with Technologies. Cadmium and other heavy metals occur naturally in soils and can accumulate in plants. Maximum levels are established in legislation and while levels found in Irish produce do not present an unacceptable risk to the consumers it is necessary to continually strive to reduce levels in food. A fundamental understanding of the soil chemistry, and development of novel rapid detection methods are required to develop sustainable, effective solutions for farmers while adhering to good agricultural practice. This project “CREDIT” will harness a range of scientific, knowledge transfer, farming and policy & regulatory expertise to develop appropriate strategies to manage cadmium and heavy metals in crops. The various project outputs will support key stakeholders, including farmers, agronomists, the horticultural industry and policy makers & regulators to combat these issues and preserve Ireland’s horticulture industry and reputation as a producer of quality food into the future. | €1,164,864 |
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Dr. David Meredith Lead Institute: Collaborating Institutions: |
BESAFE - Behaviours for Safer Farming: The health and safety of farmers is a significant challenge for the social sustainability of Irish agriculture. Though fatality rates have fallen in other industries in the past 20 years, rates in agriculture have remained stubbornly high. Farming is not like other occupations. Farmers commonly work alone for extended periods of time. They self-supervise their work practices and behaviours. Farming involves multiple tasks that can be affected by external factors, e.g. the weather. Given the unique occupational characteristics of farming there is a need to tailor approaches that seek to improve safety. The aim of the BeSafe project is to develop and support the adoption of these approaches thereby effecting positive lasting change. The BeSafe project is led by Dr. David Meredith (Teagasc) and involves researchers from Teagasc, NUI Galway, and UCD. The team is complimented by extension specialists from Teagasc, regulatory specialists from the Health and Safety Authority and supported by the Farm Safety Partnership. The work of the team will be overseen by an International Research Advisory Group and a Stakeholder Advisory Group. | €595,271 |
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Dr. Niall Farrelly Teagasc niall.farrelly@teagasc.ie Lead Institute: Collaborating Institutions: |
GENESIS: Genomic evaluation for the sustainable Improvement of Sitka spruce. A new research project aims to increase the productivity and economic value of timber from Irish forests. The GenESIS project coordinated by Dr. Niall Farrelly at Teagasc will collect new and important phenotypes on Sitka spruce, and develop DNA-based assays to interrogate genetic variation in the Irish Sitka spruce tree improvement programme. DNA-based tools will be used for DNA fingerprinting and guiding crossing decisions for the development of the next generation of improved trees. This research also hopes to identify superior trees at an early age that can utilise resources more efficiently, have greater recovery and have increased added value at the forest and processing stage. The proposed research will deliver increased value and competitiveness to the wood processing sector while ensuring the resilience of the forest resource. The project will bring together academic researchers from Teagasc, UCD, Trinity College, NUI-Galway, National Botanic Gardens and Coillte (The state Forestry Board). |
€597,100 |