Public Funding for Quadram Institute Bioscience

Molecular spectroscopy techniques are a family of rapid analysis methods that use electromagnetic radiation (infrared and radio waves) to obtain information about the chemical composition of a wide range of different samples. Two of these techniques – infrared, IR, and nuclear magnetic resonance, NMR, spectroscopy – will be used on the present project to establish fast, cheap methods for quality assurance in the food industry. We aim to use a new low-cost, benchtop NMR approach, along with proven IR technology and in tandem with DNA testing, to develop comprehensive screening protocols for verifying the species of origin of animal fats, edible oils, raw and cooked meat products. Beneficiaries of the research will be retailers, producers and other intermediaries in the food chain, analytical service providers, public analysts, and ultimately the consumer.

Awaiting Public Summary

We aim to create a new high-fibre juice-shot enriched with a proven fibre blend to support gut health. This offers a tasty and affordable way for the UK to meet their daily 30g fibre goal.

Micronutrient (MN) deficiency is a form of malnutrition that occurs due to low intake and/or absorption of minerals and vitamins, with adverse consequences for human development and health. Children, adolescents, women of reproductive age (including pregnancy) and older adults (representing ~70% of European society) as well as immigrant/ethnic minority groups and those affected by social inequality or poverty, are at risk of MN deficiencies. While addressing this public health problem is a priority, it is not possible until data on the prevalence of MN deficiencies across the EU population and the causes for these deficiencies is available to predict and identify those most at risk. Without this information, discussions on how to meet dietary requirements for the priority MNs of public health concern, and improve their status, take place in a vacuum. The Zero_HiddenHunger_EU project aims to 1) provide estimates of the true prevalence of MN deficiencies, based on priority biomarker and MN intake data in European populations and their associated health costs, focused on high-risk population subgroups, and 2) provide the best possible evidence to develop context-specific, tailored food focused solutions to ensure adequate supply of vitamins and minerals from diets from sustainable sources. The consortium will focus the research effort around existing high-quality data resources and biobanks from diverse and representative population groups around Europe, supplemented by targeted studies in under-represented groups, maximizing research investment and adding value. Using high throughput biomarker and advanced data analytical and modelling techniques, Zero_HiddenHunger_EU will deliver credible evidence enabling policymakers and food system actors to deliver food-focused strategies to eradicate MN deficiencies from Europe.

The CATALYSE project will create a network of food safety actors with the aim to support adoption of knowledge and innovative solutions along the value chain. The network will foster collaboration and food safety knowledge sharing in a model that COLLECTS and then TRANSLATES knowledge and practices across our community through active EDUCATION and FACILITATION. The project aims to bridge the gap between end users, innovators, practitioners, trainers, and regulators by facilitating communication among these parties while matching practical needs with innovative solutions. During network activities we will set priorities for future work, provide food safety education and training, and support food business start-ups and SMEs Data on inventions and practices related to food safety will be made available on an open access platform to support broad communication. Education and facilitation will be cornerstone activities to support innovation and change management to ensure the successful implementation of newly designed solutions and adoption by member states food safety authorities. CATALYSE will establish a community of practice to connect stakeholders from the complete value chain and promote cross-fertilization of ideas to create a more resilient, sustainable, and equitable community.

Our vision is to develop a novel carbonated soft drink fortified with a fibre-blend with evidence-based benefits to gut microbes that offers a tasty, convenient and affordable way for the UK to easily achieve their recommended fibre intake of 30g each day. An initial assessment of the current carbonated drink formulation (FUNKi-1.0) on the gut microbiome using advanced _in vitro_ colonic fermentation models at Quadram Institute (QI) will identify an optimal fibre-blend for reformulation. This project will enable FUNKi to launch the UK's first carbonated soft drink fortified with a fibre-blend (FUNKi-2.0) that has proven digestive tolerance, benefits to gut microbes and potential to improve human health. FUNKi-2.0 will enable consumers to increase their fibre intake in a novel and innovative way that is convenient. Eating plenty of fibre is associated with lower risks of heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and bowel cancer (NHS). Despite this, only 9% of the UK population achieve the recommended fibre intake of 30g per day! (FDF). The UK's appetite for CSDs is growing with annual consumption rising from 4.6 billion litres in 2021 to an estimated 4.9 billion litres in 2026\. This concept of providing optimal fibre intake in CSDs is powerful; if only 1% of the UK had one can of FUNKi-2.0 each day, that would mean 6.7 million more people would achieve their dietary fibre intake and reduce their risk of cardiovascular disease and obesity - helping to offset the 9% of all NHS spend on diet-related chronic disease and the estimated £49.9 billion wider societal costs predicted to arise from obesity by 2050\.

no public description

The proposed project aims to tackle two of the major hurdles in the fight against AMR, new drugs and new diagnostics. The new diagnostics will utilise cutting edge UK technology (Oxford Nanopore sequencing) to provide test results with unprecedented depth of information within 6 hours as opposed to the current technologies which routinely take 24-48 hours. The approach to new drugs entails developing "Potentiators" - agents that can permeabilise the cell wall of bacteria allowing the use of established antibacterial compounds. The Potentiators in this project target Gram-negative (OPT-200) and Gram-positive (OPT-1) bacteria and both have novel modes of actions representing first-in-class antibacterial programmes. The focus of this project will be on Hospital Acquired Pneumonia (HAP) and subset of HAP Ventilator Acquired Pneumonia (VAP). HAP/VAP are important infections throughout the world and are a major cause of morbidity, mortality and increases in hospital stay resulting in escalation of healthcare costs. The long-term goals of this project are to provide rapid diagnosis technology for HAP/VAP that can be combined with a potentiator treatment regime. Finance Summary Table – How to complete this section

"Antibiotic overuse contributes to increasing the reservoir of resistant bacteria, resulting in increased human mortality (10million deaths a year globally by 2050), increased hospital stay lengths (20-30days), and estimates of global direct- and indirect- costs up to c.£77 trillion. Currently, no new antibiotics are under development and alternatives are ineffective. Consequently, animal production globally is under increasing pressure to reduce antibiotic use as resistance here enters the human food chain. However, limiting the availability of medical interventions to prevent and control animal disease on the farm is directly impacting global food security and food safety. Therefore, there is a major unmet need for effective alternative treatments to antibiotics which are simple, cheap and more sustainable compared to current methods. This project seeks to develop the use of a novel gene editing technology to target a range of currently prevalent bacterial pathogens and deliver a 100% killing system. This will enable Folium, in collaboration with the University of Bristol and the Quadram Institute of Bioscience to establish a leading market position as the first company to formulate this specific genetic technology in to a product range for livestock treatment. The impact of this project would provide an initial cost avoidance to the livestock industry of c.£128million by offering an alternative to current treatment methods and reducing antibiotic resistance in the food supply chain, with potential to go on and transfer this technology to crop treatment applications, human health applications and manufacturing cleaning solutions."

To prevent transmission in the human food chain this feasibility project will target control of biofilms formed by microbial pathogens in the meat supply chain. The work will be tested Campylobacter and Salmonella, two of the most common foodborne pathogens in the United Kingdom. A particular focus will be given to the possible inhibition and removal of such biofilms using natural products. The research will build-up on multi-disciplinary expertise in pathogen biofilm, meat supply chain processing, and natural product chemistry. This will underpin future research on the design of anti-biofilm products for the meat packaging or cleaning product industry, which will be used in subsequent projects for usage in cleaning products formulation for the food industry, or in meat packaging (MAP trays, soaker pads or sealing foils). This work will have an impact on food poisoning, which represents a major challenge to the food industry, and to the National Health Service.

The aim of this project is to exploit recent UK research to develop and evaluate the feasibility of a process to recycle 150,000 tonnes of waste paper crumble produced during the recylcing of waste paper. The crumble will be exploited for the component inorganic material. The organic cellulose component will also be used as a low cost source of glucose for producing platform chemicals and fuels. The outcomes will ensure added value, reduce carbon footprint of the process, and a reduction in disposal costs enhancing the competitiveness of the industry in the UK.

The SUSSLE Process/Shelf Life is an outcome from the recently completed LINK project. It is an intermediate heat process and shelf-life that can be used for the safe production of cooked chilled foods. However, the SUSSLE Process/Shelf Life cannot presently be used in the production of all cooked chilled foods. The project aims to combine details from industry of processing energy/efficiency, environmental impact, waste reduction etc with robust new scientific data to resolve this practical issue faced by manfacturers thermally processing cooked chilled foods with intermediate shelf lives, and aims to extend the range of foods for which the SUSSLE Process/Shelf Life can be applied. The findings will be exploited by food manufacturers in the continued safe production of a greater range of cooked chilled foods.

Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy is a method ideally suited to measuring subtle chemical changes. Unfortunately the exploitation of this chemical sensitivity for process control and quality assurance is hampered by the high costs involved in buying and maintaining a spectrometer and the necessity for expert staff. The issue of cost is being addressed by Oxford Instruments, however deskilling data acquisition and data processing is of critical importance. The funding obtained from the Technology Strategy Board brings together Oxford Instruments and the Institute of Food Research. The combined expertise will allow us to exploit the advantages of low cost instrumentation and robust data analysis to provide automated process control and quality assurance solutions.

An innovative broccoli product with a health claim would enable increased consumption of vegetables and improve public health. Broccoli naturally accumulates significant amounts of the phytonutrient glucoraphanin (GR), the dietary source of sulforaphane implicated in mitigating oxidative stress and inflammation. New commercial broccoli varieties, developed with conventional breeding and derived from UK public research, with improved levels of GR pave the way for a commonly consumed vegetable providing health benefits to UK consumers. This proposal will examine the cardiovascular health benefits of a new GR (Beneforté®) broccoli in comparison to standard broccoli. Proof-of-concept has been obtained with a High GR prototype; this study will provide appropriately powered statistical evidence of health benefit to enable accredited claims and value creation for consumers.

PepsiCo International, in conjunction with academic partners, are focusing on the development of new technologies to ensure heightened functionality of future products. With more and more products hitting the marketplace on a daily basis, PepsiCo International is seeking to develop new technologies to enhance their products and continue to stand out in the world of the consumer. Such technologies require advanced process knowledge in order to maintain high standards of quality, flavour, and functionality. These studies, therefore, will ensure that such new developments are fully understood and thus PepsiCo will continue to provide an exciting and delicious consumer product whilst being at the forefront of food technology.

The consortium led by Dr Peter Williams of AB Agri are building on work started by him to develop a product called ‘Yeast Protein Concentrate’ (YPC) which is derived from the co-product streams of bioethanol production, otherwise known as DDGS . This product is produced by processing and recovering the spent yeast in the bioethanol co-product stream to produce a valuable high protein supplement that can be used in a wide range of specialist animal feeds including feed for fish. The valuable proteins generated and found in the co-products have the potential to substantially reduce the need for the importation of foreign feed protein supplements and could also help contribute to the UK’s self sufficiency in feed protein. YPC, the team’s first product is already in the pilot phase of production and the business is actively seeking other bioethanol partners across Europe with which they could partner. The new injection of funding to this exciting project has been awarded by the government-backed Technology Strategy Board . The grant that has been awarded to the consortium, led by AB Agri and including The Institute of Food Research , Ensus , Vireol and ADAS . In total the project is worth over £1.5 mill over three years and the Technology Strategy Board is contributing half to the project. The Technology Strategy Board grant award will fund further process development for the YPC project but will primarily fund research into methods of separating the fibre from the protein in DDGS. The exploitation of DDGS as a feed supplement under certain circumstances can be limited by the presence of high levels of insoluble dietary fibre. The success in developing a method to recover a high protein but low fibre product from DDGS will further increase the nutritive and economical value of bioethanol derived co-products within the animal feed industry.’ The goal of the project is to produce a high protein supplement that can be used in diets for pigs and poultry, and to reuse the hydrolysed cellulose and hemicelluloses in either anaerobic digestion or within the fermentation process to further increase ethanol yield. Dr Williams said “The UK relies on imported Protein concentrates to support meat production through the feeding of livestock. If successful the project will contribute to reducing the UK’s reliance on imported proteins such as Soya Bean Meal.” He continued “What we also aim to do is to improve even further the sustainability of first generation Bioethanol production by increasing the value of the co-product, increasing the versatility of the co-product for animal feed production and capturing a greater proportion of the available energy from the feedstock”.

To develop new and cost optimised liquid food glaze products via improved understanding of the mechanisms and chemistry which determine glaze product performance.

Awaiting Public Summary

Awaiting Public Summary