{"help": "https://opendata.agriculture.gov.ie/en_GB/api/3/action/help_show?name=datastore_search", "success": true, "result": {"include_total": true, "limit": 100, "records_format": "objects", "resource_id": "01799b8f-c0d2-4ec1-8f71-a6dc834b649c", "total_estimation_threshold": null, "records": [{"_id":1,"Call Year":2019,"Programme":"RSF","Research Theme":"Animal Production","Lead institution":"University College Dublin","Project Title":"Development of genomic epidemiology systems for tracking and eradicating Mycobacterium bovis in Ireland","Project Summary":"The Irish control programme for bovine tuberculosis (bTB) currently costs farmers, the exchequer and EU €84M. While progress has been made in reducing bTB prevalence, the current government strategy to eradicate bTB by 2030 will not be achieved if solely based on existing controls and policy. Bovine TB (bTB) control hinges upon efficient identification of reactor animals and infection sources. Whole genome sequencing (WGS) provides a high resolution molecular characterisation of pathogens allowing their transmission to be efficiently tracked in time and space. Hence, WGS represents a technology that, if integrated with the current bTB control programme, can precisely identify strains of Mycobacterium bovis circulating in herds and associated wildlife and hence greatly improve the efficiency of attributing sources of residual infection. The goal of our project is to integrate M. bovis WGS with the current bTB control and surveillance programme in the Republic of Ireland (RoI) and Northern Ireland (NI) and demonstrate how M. bovis WGS can support bTB eradication. We will compare WGS data from NI and RoI to develop a detailed understanding of the population of M. bovis on the island of Ireland. Our overarching objectives are: to optimise M. bovis WGS to facilitate integration with routine M. bovis culture; to develop the computational tools that summarise the genomic data in the context of existing cattle and wildlife population databases; to use WGS to estimate transmission rates of M. bovis within and between cattle and wildlife populations; and to combine RoI and NI WGS data to define the population of M. bovis on the island of Ireland. Our extensive collaborative national and international network will act as a foundation of expertise to draw upon during the project and provide a broad platform for the dissemination of our outputs.","Amount Awarded":408403,"Unit":"Euro"},{"_id":2,"Call Year":2019,"Programme":"RSF","Research Theme":"Cross-cutting Issues","Lead institution":"Teagasc","Project Title":"Rural Generational Renewal 2050","Project Summary":"What future drivers of change and challenges will matter most to renewing rural jobs, agriculture and forestry in the period to 2050; what are the implications of these drivers for the attractiveness of farming/forestry, generational renewal and, ultimately, rural jobs; how, in the context of these developments, can new generations be invigorated to participate in farming and forestry; what policy initiatives are required to support new generations, develop human capital and deliver the skills needed to ensure the continued sustainable development of the sector in the period to 2050? These are some of the questions that guide Rural Generational Renewal 2050 (RENEW2050). RENEW2050 brings together a multi-actor consortium of researchers, farm extension professionals, rural policy stakeholders and practice partners with significant knowledge and experience of agricultural and rural development policy. The project draws on the team’s knowledge, skills and experience to develop a trans-disciplinary research network that will undertake research, design and implement foresight processes and engage is participatory policy evaluation and design initiatives. RENEW2050 applies a mixed methods research approach to develop detailed understanding of the key challenges and applies this knowledge to inform the foresight process. Trans-disciplinary foresights will be undertaken in three regions, ensuring that geographic differences in challenges and opportunities are reflected in the development of foresight scenarios. These scenarios will provide a means of assessing the performance of current policy or public and private strategies which impact farming and forestry attractiveness and identify potential new policy options and their likely impacts. The study will identify skills challenges associated with the visions of the future and current and potential new methods to address associated human and social capital needs. The research findings will be translated into a policy tool kit for, particularly, policy stakeholders to use in implementing actions renewing rural jobs, agriculture and forestry.","Amount Awarded":346617,"Unit":"Euro"},{"_id":3,"Call Year":2019,"Programme":"CoFoRD","Research Theme":"Forest Protection & Utilisation","Lead institution":"University College Dublin","Project Title":"A smart and open-science approach to monitor and analyse deer populations in the Republic of Ireland and set the scene for evidence-based deer management.","Project Summary":"Deer populations have reached extreme levels in many parts of the Republic of Ireland (RoI), resulting in serious financial and environmental damage to forests, agriculture, welfare and road safety. Neither the precise distribution nor the population density of the four deer species is currently known. This lack of knowledge makes the country unready to face upcoming challenges with deer management, namely costly human-wildlife conflicts and climate change. For a deer management policy to be effective, we propose three actions needed to implement a nationally-coordinated strategy. (i) We aim to collate the deer data collected by stakeholders over the last 25 years. This includes national deer culling data, which are key to study long-term population trends. Furthermore, we need to interact with stakeholders and congregate finer spatial resolution datasets unexploited so far, e.g. systematic deer observations by hunters, forest damage data, and deer-car collisions. The involvement of stakeholders will be maximised through the organization of workshops. The data will be aggregated into an open-access library, creating an evidence base that would drive deer management decisions. (ii) We aim to model subsets of the deer spatial data gathered in the open-access library using recent advances in species distribution and habitat modelling. We will disentangle the biotic and abiotic drivers of deer population dynamics and distribution. This will produce the most up-to-date distribution maps of deer species in the RoI, including the identification of the hotspots of human-deer conflicts to prevent forest damage, traffic collisions, interaction with livestock. (iii) We aim to develop and test a smartphone application for hunters to report the number of deer observed while hunting, a cost-effective means to collect systematic deer observations to significantly improve deer monitoring in the RoI. New evidence-based guidelines for the management of deer will be released at the end of this project.","Amount Awarded":244800,"Unit":"Euro"},{"_id":4,"Call Year":2019,"Programme":"FIRM","Research Theme":"Food Chain Integrity & Safety","Lead institution":"Teagasc","Project Title":"Quantifying, understanding and mitigating microbial and chemical food safety risks in horticulture","Project Summary":"HortAssure aims to support the horticulture industry in mitigating risks associated with microbiological and chemical contamination in horticultural food crops, through provision of evidence based knowledge regarding sources of contamination and assessment of validated technologies and alternatives to mitigate the identified risks in a sustainable and affordable manner. HortAssure will define where critical issues arise for both microbial and chemical contaminants in horticultural crop production. It will tackle the parallel challenge of reducing chlorine usage, whilst ensuring product quality and safety, through assessing the efficacy of alternative biocidal agents, technologies and packaging alternatives which can be incorporated into current production systems. This will support the development of risk exposure models for chlorates and specific microbial contaminants in target crops. Ultimately, HortAssure will support the horticulture industry in meeting their obligation to produce safe food and enable them to take advantage of market opportunities for expansion, underpinned by increased food safety assurance.","Amount Awarded":995412,"Unit":"Euro"},{"_id":5,"Call Year":2019,"Programme":"RSF","Research Theme":"Sustainable Management of Natural Resources","Lead institution":"Galway Mayo Institute of Technology","Project Title":"High Nature Value Farmland and Forestry Systems for Biodiversity","Project Summary":"Conservation of natural resources, halting the loss of biodiversity and the degradation of ecosystem services are key environmental objectives of the European Union. High Nature Value farmland and forest (HNVFF) areas are associated with high biodiversity and other public goods. HNVFF areas are thus headline indicators in the Rural Development Programme and EU legislation requires that High Nature Value farmland and forests are identified, monitored and targeted for agri-environment payments. The HNV_FarmForBio project will develop a (geo-spatial) methodology to identify, characterise and map the national extent of HNV farmland and forest areas (Tasks 1 & 2). For the first time, we will investigate an approach towards assessing the quality (in terms of biodiversity and ecosystem service provision) of HNV farmland and forests (Task 1 & 3), using national scale indicators of HNV quality. This approach will build on experiences and guidance from existing quality assessment of forest areas (i.e. National Forest Inventory). We will model incentives for the maintenance and enhancement of HNV farmland and forest areas, not only for biodiversity, but also for associated ecosystem services (including carbon storage and water quality) (Task 4). This approach will facilitate the development of an integrated policy framework incorporating a range of innovative agri-environment climate measures and areas of biodiversity enhancement for forests and farmland (Task 4). The results of the project will be disseminated to key stakeholders (Task 5). The HNV_FarmForBio project will provide a methodology that will contribute to the baseline indicator for HNVFF for Ireland, under the Common Monitoring and Evaluation Framework. The outcomes of the project will inform policy, but also benefit broader sections of our society and economy. The project will answer questions in relation to the management of our HNV farming and forest areas, including understanding the existing state and establishing systems for monitoring change.","Amount Awarded":449166,"Unit":"Euro"},{"_id":6,"Call Year":2019,"Programme":"FIRM","Research Theme":"Food Processing Technology & Engineering","Lead institution":"University College Cork","Project Title":"Eco-friendly compostable pectin based packaging material derived from waste sources of fruit pulp and its validation in bread packaging","Project Summary":"Addressing packaging waste has become one of the most pressing environmental issues facing us globally today. Attempts to reduce, reuse and recycle packaging materials have not had the desired effect in controlling packaging wastes. Therefore, there is an urgent requirement to develop, novel, rapidly-compostable, eco-friendly packaging that is sustainable, but initially, fit-for-purpose for food packaging applications. Fruit processors in Ireland generate by-product wastes as fruit pulp and is usually discarded. A more sustainable use of such material would be to manufacture simple food packaging materials, suitable for fresh bread packaging, which could be subsequently composted for use as plant fertilizers. The Circular- and Bio-Economies have become key strategies for European economic growth, targeting reduction of CO2 emissions, utilizing sustainability conceptions of reusing materials and reducing wastes by utilizing them for new product manufacture. This project addresses these strategies by converting fruit pulp, to biodegradable packaging, to natural plant fertilizers.","Amount Awarded":591558,"Unit":"Euro"},{"_id":7,"Call Year":2019,"Programme":"FIRM","Research Theme":"Nutrition, Health & Diet-related disease","Lead institution":"Cork Institute of Technology","Project Title":"National Adult Nutrition Survey II","Project Summary":"Data will be collected on intake and composition of foods, body weight, lifestyle, food choice, and blood and urine. The data will be analysed to assess compliance of food and nutrient intakes with dietary recommendations, status for key micronutrients, prevalence of overweight and obesity, compliance with physical activity guidelines, and factors affecting food choice and eating behaviour. The overall objective of the study is to establish a nationally representative database on food consumption, lifestyle and health status of adults in Ireland to complement similar recent data on children and teenagers. The database will be an important resource for government agencies concerned with developing healthy eating guidelines and obesity prevention and with food safety risk assessment. It will also be used to underpin new product development and product reformulation in the Irish food industry.","Amount Awarded":1241131,"Unit":"Euro"},{"_id":8,"Call Year":2019,"Programme":"CoFoRD","Research Theme":"Forest Protection & Utilisation","Lead institution":"University College Dublin","Project Title":"Hydrological and sediment impacts of forestry operations in Ireland","Project Summary":"Forestry remains a significant pressure in many watercourses at risk of not meeting their WFD status with sediment release being a recognised stressor in this regard. The recognition of these pressures highlights issues with the adequacy and/or implementation of good management forestry practices. This project assesses flow changes and sediment releases from different forestry operations (afforestation, harvesting, windrowing and reforestation) and the efficacy and performance of commonly adopted sediment mitigation measures. Seven forestry sites with adjacent or nearby lotic waterbodies covering three major soil types (peats, peaty mineral soils and mineral soils) have been identified for study. The study sites have been specifically chosen to reflect the significant role of private forest operators in meeting our national target of 18% forestry land cover by 2046 and where mineral soils as opposed to traditional peats (often in upland catchment fractions) are expected to increasingly underpin the establishment of new forests. Study sites will be extensively instrumented and continuously monitored over a three-year period for rainfall, river discharge and sediment input from the forest block using a ‘paired-catchment’ approach that will facilitate the direct assessment of changes in hydrology and sediment input from forestry activities, with potential influences from any confounding factors being kept to a minimum. Direct measurement of flow and sediment inputs at study sites will be complimented by measures and fingerprinting of deposited sediment in channel bed substrates and the impact of changes and inputs will be related to changed biological status downstream of forest sites. In adding value to the measured datasets, the project will also explore the development and parameterising of hydrological models for the study sites and the integration of LiDAR surveys and hyperspectral imaging as a possible means of assessing changes to forestry drainage networks and the longer-term performance of sediment control measures.","Amount Awarded":597505,"Unit":"Euro"},{"_id":9,"Call Year":2019,"Programme":"FIRM","Research Theme":"Food Chain Integrity & Safety","Lead institution":"Teagasc","Project Title":"Shelf-life and safety of fermented and smoked foods","Project Summary":"Shelf-life and safety of fermented and smoked foods Researchers at Teagasc Food Research Centre (Ashtown), University College Dublin and Technological University Dublin will study the growth of pathogenic and spoilage bacteria under different conditions. The data generated will be used to develop models to predict the safety and shelf-life of a range of fermented and smoked foods including pepperoni, salami, sauerkraut, kefir and smoked salmon. The target bacteria include Listeria monocytogenes, Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli, Clostridium botulinum, Staphylococcus aureus and heat resistant coliforms. In addition to assuring the safety and providing accurate shelf-life determination, research on virulence gene expression, physiochemical and sensory attributes and packaging will provide the scientific basis for safety and shelf-life optimisation. This work will be undertaken in full consultation with relevant stakeholders using commercial recipes and processes. Full training on predictive software application will be provided.","Amount Awarded":789995,"Unit":"Euro"},{"_id":10,"Call Year":2019,"Programme":"FIRM","Research Theme":"Food Processing Technology & Engineering","Lead institution":"University College Dublin","Project Title":"Assessment of the risk and route of contamination of Bisphenol A (BPA) in Irish origin meat and meat products","Project Summary":"Assessment of the risk and route of contamination of Bisphenol A (BPA) in Irish origin meat and meat products The project aims to address the challenge posed by the potential contamination of Irish produced meat products by the toxicant Bisphenol A (BPA) an additive used in the making of plastics and food cans. Recent studies have indicated that levels of BPA were present in some the French produced meat products at levels that could be harmful to consumers. This project will investigate the occurrence of BPA in Irish produced meat products. In addition, at the present time the source of the BPA contamination is unknown the project will also investigate the route by which the contamination occurred. This project will generate information regarding the presence of BPA in the Irish food chain and in commodities destined for export and estimate levels of dietary exposure for Irish consumers. This information will then be used in consultation with industry stakeholders to recommend suitable strategies to minimise or eliminate BPA in meat.","Amount Awarded":248304,"Unit":"Euro"},{"_id":11,"Call Year":2019,"Programme":"RSF","Research Theme":"Sustainable Management of Natural Resources","Lead institution":"Teagasc","Project Title":"Sensing Nutrients for Agronomic Advice and Sustainability Measures","Project Summary":"Agriculture is a pressure on water quality and assessing the right location for mitigation measures on farms without rapid access to biogeochemical and hydro-chemical data will be challenging for sustainability advisors. Likewise, improving nutrient use efficiency across the whole farm requires higher spatial and temporal resolution soil information than our current methods allow. SENSUS will optimize a number of sensor technologies that can be deployed in Irish agricultural landscapes to provide rapid assessment and diagnostic tools for agricultural and sustainability advisors to help them make decisions on the ground. Applications in passive sampling, portable lab-on-a-disk and handheld spectroscopy will be deployed for in situ analysis of soils, sediments and surface waters, in fields and surface drainage networks. Nutrient loss from fields and farm yards can reach small streams and rivers via a network of connecting surface ditches and subsurface drains. SENSUS will map the connectivity to identify the right location for in-ditch mitigation options and deployment of sensor technologies. Connectivity mapping and portable phosphate (lab-on-a-disk) sensors will inform locations for in-ditch mitigation measures and deployment of passive samplers to monitor their effectiveness. Handheld X-Ray Fluorescence spectrometry and mid Infra-red spectroscopy will be optimized for soils and sediments to capture nutrient dynamics and soil fertility parameters for agronomic advice. Developing field applications for spectroscopy will be used to collect high spatial and temporal soil and sediment data across the whole farm to improve nutrient use efficiency. Chemometric calibrations for pH, organic matter, particle size and phosphorus sorption properties, will be uploaded onto hand-held spectrometers for agronomic advisors to capture a holistic view of soils and sediment across the farm. Integrating connectivity mapping with rapid diagnostic tools for soil, sediment and water will advance our ability to support nutrient use efficiency and water quality protection.","Amount Awarded":599700.25,"Unit":"Euro"},{"_id":12,"Call Year":2019,"Programme":"CoFoRD","Research Theme":"Forest Protection & Utilisation","Lead institution":"National University of Ireland Galway","Project Title":"Modular mass timber building for the circular economy","Project Summary":"The supply of raw material from Irish forests is predicted to double in the period 2017-2035. In parallel with this, the Government predicts that the population of Ireland will grow by 1 million by 2040 requiring 550,000 new homes to be provided. In addition, supporting infrastructure, such as schools, hospitals, retail outlets and industrial buildings, will be required. This presents both a challenge and an opportunity. The challenge is to develop infrastructure in a sustainable way accounting for the whole life cycle of the buildings, while an opportunity exists to grow the circular bio-economy by utilising the increased supply of timber in Ireland to satisfy this demand and creating sustainable employment particularly in rural areas. This project will design, develop and test a sustainable modular timber building solution to support national needs while also creating export opportunities in the sector. The proposed modular building solution will maximise the use of Irish timber in cross-laminated panels for walls and floors and will be optimised for structural integrity, fire, acoustics and vibration. Underlying all aspects of the design is ensuring the modules are optimised for future deconstruction and reuse. To achieve this, high-performance connection systems using thermally compressed Irish Sitka spruce will be developed as part of the project, which will significantly reduce adhesive use in the modules. The prefabricated units will be precision-manufactured offsite and will be capable of acting as standalone single- or multi-storey structures, or as extensions to existing buildings to form a larger footprint or additional storeys. Leading-edge researchers at NUI Galway and Cork IT together with five industry partners bring significant experience in timber product design, development and testing, and design and delivery of modular buildings. Unique state-of-the-art testing facilities at NUI Galway and Cork IT will be used in the delivery of the project.","Amount Awarded":592067.3,"Unit":"Euro"},{"_id":13,"Call Year":2019,"Programme":"RSF","Research Theme":"Sustainable Management of Natural Resources","Lead institution":"Teagasc","Project Title":"Towards an Agricultural Greenhouse Gas Research & Innovation Centre","Project Summary":"The Food Wise 2025 and Origin Green initiatives aim to increase agricultural production and value, whilst reducing the carbon footprint and enhancing sustainability. Conversely EU Climate and Energy Framework targets require large reductions (30%) in absolute emissions. The Marginal Abatement Cost Curve for Irish Agriculture has identified a maximum potential abatement of 3 Mt CO2e yr-1 by 2030 (Lanigan et al. 2018). In order to achieve this target, there is an urgent need to incorporate these measures into production systems and encourage uptake measures at a farm level. This requires improved co-ordination between research, advisory and farmers. Many of these measures require the collection of activity data or research to refine the emission factor associated with a given measure in order to incorporate GHG reductions into national inventories. While most measures improve efficiency and directly address nitrous oxide and soil carbon, there is an absence of measures to directly de-couple methane emissions from production. Methane comprises two-thirds of agricultural emissions, with the majority of these emissions associated with the enteric fermentation of carbohydrate in the rumen of bovines and ovines. While there is a large body of research in terms of reducing methane in confinement systems, there is an urgent need to more fully develop mitigation strategies for reducing enteric methane emissions associated with grazed livestock systems and to rapidly incorporate these measures into systems on the ground. This desk study seeks to a) assess current methane mitigation measures associated with enteric fermentation and manure management, b) horizon scan for future avenues of GHG mitigation research, c) compare the approaches of other countries in terms of the co-ordination and funding of agricultural GHG research/outreach and National GHG Centres of Excellence and d) make recommendations in terms of the structure, focus and funding of an Irish Centre of Excellence.","Amount Awarded":70988,"Unit":"Euro"},{"_id":14,"Call Year":2019,"Programme":"FIRM","Research Theme":"Food Processing Technology & Engineering","Lead institution":"University of Limerick","Project Title":"Development of novel sustainable enzyme-based cleaning-in-place regimes for cheese production","Project Summary":"In response to circumstances including increased milk production, changing markets and Brexit, the Irish cheese industry is undergoing significant expansion. Cleaning practices adhere to high quality standards, ensuring safe, flavoursome and nutritious cheeses. However current international cleaning practices are resource-hungry, involving harsh chemicals and large quantities of heated water which challenge sustainability goals. This project will assess the cleaning and sanitation potential in cheese production of commercial biodegradable enzyme-based cleaning agents using lab-, pilot- and industrial-scale characterisation. The project will validate that new cleaning practices will not compromise the flavour, ripening or consistency of a range of cheeses. The outputs will focus on providing documented codes of practice on the minimum enzyme requirements for efficient cleaning of cheese processing facilities to provide an alternative sustainable avenue for cleaning thus assisting the dairy industry in achieving targets set for reduction of carbon footprint and water usage, and improving sustainability.","Amount Awarded":577476,"Unit":"Euro"},{"_id":15,"Call Year":2019,"Programme":"RSF","Research Theme":"Sustainable Management of Natural Resources","Lead institution":"Teagasc","Project Title":"Development and validation of novel technologies to reduce methane emissions from pasture based Irish agricultural systems","Project Summary":"Agriculture is the single largest contributor (~30%) to overall Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions in both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland accounting for the majority of methane emissions produced in both jurisdictions primarily due to ruminant livestock production. Methane, a GHG 28 times more potent than carbon dioxide, is released as a by-product of rumen microbial fermentation and from stored manure and slurry on farm. Under EU legislation, the Republic of Ireland has committed to reduce GHG emissions by 40% by 2030, compared to 2005 levels and in the UK, a reduction of 34% by 2020 and 80% by 2050 has been targeted. Hence there is an urgent requirement for innovative strategies to reduce methane emissions from agriculture on the entire island of Ireland. The aim of this cross-institutional, cross-jurisdictional, multidisciplinary proposal is to develop novel farm-ready technologies to reduce methane emissions from ruminant fermentation and stored manure and slurry. Specifically, we will investigate a number of promising feed additives to mitigate methane emissions from sheep, dairy and beef production, while simultaneously monitoring their effects on animal productivity, and novel technologies to reduce methane losses from stored manures. For pasture-based delivery, technologies for encapsulation to ensure slow release and early-life supplementation strategies will be developed. The effect of these technologies on the nutritional and toxicological composition of meat and milk will be investigated to confirm consumer safety of ruminant products. Sequencing and bioinformatics technologies will allow a fundamental understanding of mechanism of action of these interventions in the rumen and manure. To ensure appropriate implementation, we will develop a new methane additive component for the existing Teagasc Life Cycle (LC) Analysis models to quantify the LC effect of developed technologies on overall methane and GHG emissions. Finally, farm level cost effectiveness will be evaluated through the national farm survey.","Amount Awarded":980611,"Unit":"Euro"},{"_id":16,"Call Year":2019,"Programme":"FIRM","Research Theme":"Food Product Development, Formulation & Sensory Science","Lead institution":"Teagasc","Project Title":"Innovative food processing and new technological solutions for the design of novel healthy products for the prepared consumer foods sector","Project Summary":"As we live in an obesogenic world, foods that generate satiety sensations have benefits for weight management and improved health. InFoTech aims to develop food and beverage formulations with increased satiety modulation for the prepared consumer foods sector, which also have extended shelf-life for exporting to far-reaching international markets. The structure, texture and sensory acceptability of the re-designed products will be fully characterised. Concurrently, microbial safety and in-vitro screening for satiety will be undertaken. Through innovative processing and analytical technologies, this project will build new scientific capability and transferable technologies to the food industry. The combined expertise of the project team will generate a project which goes beyond the current state of the art. This project will strengthen the existing knowledge base in food processing by directly addressing current industry needs and economic risks, which include Brexit, environmental sustainability and consumer health.","Amount Awarded":968038,"Unit":"Euro"},{"_id":17,"Call Year":2019,"Programme":"RSF","Research Theme":"Sustainable Management of Natural Resources","Lead institution":"Teagasc","Project Title":"Farm Sustainability Tools for Efficient Nutrient management","Project Summary":"Low soil fertility levels on Irish farms pose a real threat to meeting environmental sustainability targets in agriculture and achieving resource use efficiency in food production systems. When applied to grassland and crops with suboptimal nutrition, nitrogen (N) fertiliser recovery is usually low (<​50%) and can be a major source of nitrous oxide and ammonia gas emissions, and nitrate losses to water. While the input and management of fertilisers and nutrients to agricultural soils is a key driver of productive and economical farming systems these nutrient inputs to soils, especially nitrogen (N), need to be carefully managed to ensure they are not lost to the surrounding environment. Losses of nutrients from soil, particularly N, but also phosphorus (P), present challenges for Ireland as over one-third of national greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and a significant proportion of losses to water are attributed to this sector. Both Food Wise 2025 and Origin Green initiatives aim to simultaneously increase agricultural production, whilst also reducing the carbon footprint and enhancing sustainability associated with food production. Conversely EU Climate and Energy Framework targets require a 30% reduction in emissions. Nitrogen losses from managed agricultural soils have been identified as a key area to achieve these emissions reductions, and offers an opportunity for farmers and the agricultural industry to achiever these sustainability goals The FaSTEN project will develop new knowledge to improve N use efficiency on farms thus reducing the potential for N losses and emissions to the environment. FaSTEN will build new understanding of soils and key technologies for efficient nutrient management and will identify best knowledge transfer methods for primary stakeholders. In addition nutrient management support tools tailored to specific soils, environments and farming systems will be developed to aid farmers and advisory personnel to make sustainable nutrient management decisions and benchmark future success.","Amount Awarded":1199737.1,"Unit":"Euro"},{"_id":18,"Call Year":2019,"Programme":"CoFoRD","Research Theme":"Other Forest & Misc","Lead institution":"Teagasc","Project Title":"Response of tree species to climate change","Project Summary":"The decisions regarding the selection of suitable planting material to establish new forests will play a key role influencing the response and resilience of Irish Forests to future climate change. This research will focus on key species in Irish Forestry to provide up to date information on the best provenances and seed origins adapted for future Irish climatic conditions. The proposals aims to provide critical information to assess the performance and adaptation of key forest tree species to climate change by performing the following key tasks :1-Collecting and analysing data from historical provenance trials to assess the adaptability of various seed origins to environmental change, 2-conduct new experiments to assess the impact of climate parameters on the phenology and physiology of key species of importance to Irish forestry, 3-assess variability in timing bud burst and flowering for key broadleaves tree species, 4-determine if species from biogeographic regions show tolerance to drought events and 5-assess the impact of extreme climatic events on the phenology of known tree species. Running concurrently to these tasks a state of the art climate modelling framework will perform biogeoclimatic envelope modelling, utilise information from tasks to assess the likely impact of rising temperatures, changes in precipitation and the risk of extreme events to inform the predicted response of various key species to various climate change scenarios. To inform our predictions about the likely response of tree species to changing climates and to ensure completeness in species information we aim to utilize information from UK and European species and provenance trials. Finally we aim to assess whether the current range of planted material for Sitka spruce, Douglas fir, birch and alder are suitably adapted for current and warmer climates by incorporation of qualified and tested material into new trials in Ireland and France","Amount Awarded":641064,"Unit":"Euro"},{"_id":19,"Call Year":2019,"Programme":"RSF","Research Theme":"Animal Production","Lead institution":"University College Dublin","Project Title":"Novel nutritional and management strategies to reduce antimicrobial reliance and antimicrobial resistance on Irish pig farms","Project Summary":"The objective of PigNutriStrat is to use a multidisciplinary research approach to develop solutions to prevent and manage multifactorial enteric diseases in pigs as a means of reducing the need for antibiotic use. Reducing infection pressure and optimising gut microbiome, immunity and enzyme secretory capacity will be the focus. In Task 2 we will investigate improved internal biosecurity (improved sanitisation with and without bacterial competitive exclusion) and management practices (stocking density and feeder space allowance) in farrowing and weaner houses as a means of increasing lifetime pig health and productivity and reducing antimicrobial use. Until recently, the main focus on finding alternatives to in-feed antibiotics has been dietary manipulations in pigs post-weaning. However, there are also other strategies that enhance the growth and health of the newly weaned pig. One of these is the use of maternal nutrition during gestation and lactation and this will be investigated in Task 3. Task 4 will assess management (split suckling) and nutritional strategies (supplementary milk to suckling pigs with/without gradual introduction of liquid starter diet and novel non-antibiotic dietary additives). In Task 5 the feeding of supplementary liquid milk replacer and/or liquid starter diet to newly weaned pigs will also be investigated. We will additionally formulate diets to reduce their acid binding capacity and protein content, to help ensure that an acidic gastric environment is ensured immediately post-weaning, thereby ensuring the first barrier to gastric infection is secure. Specific alternatives to antibiotic feeding approaches will be investigated in Task 6. We will link hygiene and biosecurity, management, sow and piglet nutrition, health and antibiotic use to economic outcomes in Task 7. Transfer of knowledge is assured via direct involvement of the Teagasc specialist advisors, SFI BEACON centre, ARMIE theme network and via collaboration with relevant stakeholders in DAFM, veterinarians, pig producers and processors.","Amount Awarded":1247592,"Unit":"Euro"},{"_id":20,"Call Year":2019,"Programme":"RSF","Research Theme":"Sustainable Management of Natural Resources","Lead institution":"Teagasc","Project Title":"Lowering the carbon and ammonia footprints of pasture-based dairy production","Project Summary":"Since phasing out of the milk quota there has been a >50% increase in milk output from dairy farms with a concomitant increase in greenhouse gas (GHG) and ammonia emissions contrary to national emissions reduction targets. More dairy cattle (cows and replacements) mean more methane, from rumen fermentation, and more nitrous oxide (a very potent GHG) and ammonia emissions from their excreta. National Fertilizer N use has increased, increasing national nitrous oxide and ammonia emissions. There are possibilities for lowering emissions from dairy farms. The objective is to evaluate a Low Carbon & Ammonia (LoCAM) System of milk production. The LoCAM system uses a range of best available 'off the shelf' technologies to halve GHG and ammonia emissions while maintaining current levels of milk output per ha and profitability. This project will involve the assessment of productivity, profitability, nutrient losses to aquatic systems, GHG and ammonia emissions from the LoCAM System compared with standard practice (Control System) and national averages. Both systems consist of 24 dairy cows and replacements. Fertilizer N will not be applied to the LoCAM system and soil N supply will be primarily maintained by biologically fixed N (BFN) from pasture legumes, which has much lower GHG and ammonia emissions than applied fertilizer N, and by efficient recycling of slurry. Methane will be lowered by using high economic breeding index (EBI) cows with traits for high output of milk solids and low replacement rate. External inputs to the LoCAM system will be minimised. Ecosystem carbon dioxide emissions and changes in soil carbon will be measured and modelled. Emission factors for nitrous oxide, methane and ammonia from BFN and carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide from reseeding will be determined. The economic and environmental implications of the more widespread adoption of the LoCAM system will be evaluated.","Amount Awarded":599820.52,"Unit":"Euro"},{"_id":21,"Call Year":2019,"Programme":"FIRM","Research Theme":"Food Chain Integrity & Safety","Lead institution":"National University of Ireland Galway","Project Title":"Genomics to Investigate Risks of Toxin-Producing Vibrio in Irish Shellfish","Project Summary":"The marine bacteria Vibrio cause gastroenteritis after consumption of infected shellfish. Due to climate change and warmer marine waters, these bacteria have now extended into Europe, leading the EU to classify Vibrio as emerging pathogens posing a serious threat to human health. Dr Aoife Boyd (NUIG) and Dr Fiona Walsh (MU) will investigate potential risks to shellfish aquaculture and human health in Ireland from pathogenic Vibrio. We will assess environmental effects on presence of toxigenic Vibrio in oysters and mussels. Genomic analysis will identify disease-causing genes of Irish Vibrios. Genes for TTX, a potentially fatal neurotoxin recently discovered in European shellfish, will be targeted for developing novel DNA detection methods. This project will help sustain and grow Irish shellfish production, by assessing current and forthcoming risks of pathogenic Vibrio. This knowledge will minimise contaminated shellfish reaching the market and table, reduce cases of seafood-borne gastroenteritis and increase human wellbeing.","Amount Awarded":196560,"Unit":"Euro"},{"_id":22,"Call Year":2019,"Programme":"CoFoRD","Research Theme":"Other Forest & Misc","Lead institution":"Waterford Institute of Technology","Project Title":"Digitalisation in agriculture and forestry through data security","Project Summary":"Digitalisation in agriculture and forestry through data security (AgriDISCRETE) will address multifaceted challenges related to data use, data security, data sharing and data ownership in the application of digital technologies in agricultural and forestry sectors in Ireland. Bringing together an interdisciplinary research team comprised of data scientists, business scholars, and social/behavioural scientists, the AgriDISCRETE project ensures a holistic approach to considering both the technical and the socio-economic and ethical challenges introduced by data usage and sharing in agriculture and forestry. Five integrated tasks will facilitate the research team to map current technological challenges, identify diverse stakeholder concerns, and develop societally-acceptable technological solutions and social responses. The project will develop practical strategies, tools and solutions that can be used by policy-makers, researchers and innovators to ensure good data governance and responsible data sharing. Embedding a multi-actor approach,AgriDISCRETE aims to inform good data governance practices within Irish agriculture and forestry so that the benefits of digitalisation for agriculture and forestry in Ireland can be realised in a trajectory which is responsible and societally acceptable.","Amount Awarded":347996,"Unit":"Euro"},{"_id":23,"Call Year":2019,"Programme":"FIRM","Research Theme":"Nutrition, Health & Diet-related disease","Lead institution":"Teagasc","Project Title":"Food based dietary guidelines for sustainable and healthy lifestyles.","Project Summary":"Substantial consumer behaviour changes are required to reduce the environmental impact of feeding the growing global population. SuHeGuide will undertake a range of consumer studies from food consumption to sustainable behaviours in the context of sustainable and healthy food lives. In a first-of-its-kind dietary intervention study, we will test the hypothesis that a sustainable diet, which is acceptable to consumers, can reduce greenhouse gas emissions, while simultaneously achieving nutritional requirements, thereby providing an effective solution to the sustainability and food challenge. SuHeGuide will develop food-based dietary guidelines for healthy and sustainable lifestyles that are acceptable to consumers and meet nutritional requirements, while simultaneously, reducing food related GHG emissions and respectful of biodiversity. These outputs","Amount Awarded":961235,"Unit":"Euro"},{"_id":24,"Call Year":2019,"Programme":"RSF","Research Theme":"Animal Production","Lead institution":"Teagasc","Project Title":"Optimised breeding program for efficient and quality beef from dairy herds","Project Summary":"The expanding Irish dairy herd, coupled with improving reproductive performance, is resulting in a greater proportion of slaughtered cattle originating from dairy herds; these include both purebred dairy animals but also beef-sired germplasm from dairy dams. Although breeding programs are already in place for both dairy and beef cattle, these breeding programs have heretofore operated in isolation. The objective of Dairy4Beef is to develop an optimum dairy-beef breeding program by: 1) developing further the new dairy-beef index just launched nationally by the project team, 2) establish production blueprints for dairy-beef cattle divergent in genetic potential for age at slaughter, 3) understanding, and where necessary and feasible, rectifying the impact of the national dairy cow breeding program on the carcass merit of dairy-beef animals, 4) using genomic technologies to enhance the dairy-beef breeding program, 5) designing the optimal breeding scheme to produce genetically elite beef sires for the dairy herd, and 6) generating and deploying management aids to support more informed value-creating decisions. The objectives will be achieved through a combination of data analytical techniques of the national phenotypic and genomic database, coupled with a globally novel controlled experimental study comparing animals genetically similar on carcass merit but divergent in genetic merit for age at slaughter. Tangible outcomes includes a clear roadmap for the expanding dairy-beef population based on a combination of optimized production systems coupled with an efficient and effective national breeding scheme underpinning a bespoke national breeding index designed to provide a balance between the desires of the dairy and beef farmers. A 0.22 standard deviation change in the dairy-beef index is worth €25.6m annually which is cumulative and permanent indicating a 25:1 return on investment based on just one year of genetic gain.","Amount Awarded":993689,"Unit":"Euro"},{"_id":25,"Call Year":2019,"Programme":"RSF","Research Theme":"Sustainable Management of Natural Resources","Lead institution":"Teagasc","Project Title":"Abating Ammonia in Agriculture","Project Summary":"The National Emissions Ceilings (NEC) Directive (2001/81/EC) and Gothenburg Protocol (UNECE, 1999) places limits on ammonia emissions, with agriculture comprising 98% of national emissions. The majority of these emissions (>80%) arise from animal housing/storage and the land-spreading of animal manures. Revisions to the NEC Directive under the EU Clean Air Package will require Ireland to limit ammonia to 112kT per annum between 2020 and 2030 and 107.6kT per annum post-2030. However, the Food Wise 2025 initiative, combined with the abolishment of milk quotas has resulted in the rapid expansion of the dairy sector and this has resulted in Ireland breaching NEC Directive limits since 2016 (EPA 2018). In the absence of abatement strategies, ammonia emissions are forecast to increase which may result either in substantial fines or the imposition of a de-facto quota based on emission levels. Furthermore, large point-sources of ammonia are a threat to adjacent to vulnerable peatland and heathland habitats. Increases in ammonia-N deposition may result in critical load exceedance in contravention of the Habitats Directive. As a result, the abatement of these emissions is of vital sectoral and national importance. This project seeks to quantify the abatement potential of a range of measures associated with the storage and land-spreading of bovine slurry and generate the associated national emission factors for each option for inclusion in Ireland’s national ammonia inventories. These measures will include the chemical amendment of slurries as well as a range of low-emission spreading technologies. The regional impact of sectoral expansion on critical N loading to vulnerable ecosystems as well as the potential impact of abatement measures will be also assessed. Ultimately, the objective of this project is to quantify a low ammonia emissions trajectory for agriculture and decouple as far as possible ammonia losses from agricultural production.","Amount Awarded":784187,"Unit":"Euro"},{"_id":26,"Call Year":2019,"Programme":"FIRM","Research Theme":"Food Chain Integrity & Safety","Lead institution":"Teagasc","Project Title":"Investigation of chlorates in foods: using the dairy industry as a transferrable knowledge model","Project Summary":"EU regulation and customer specification requires the dairy sector to critically manage chlorate residues in milk and dairy products. Chlorine based detergents represent common approaches used to disinfect water and assist in cleaning milk contact equipment on-farm and in food processing plants. This project seeks to develop mitigation strategies for the primary ‘at risk’ dairy sector to control chlorate through the milk production and processing pipeline. This will be achieved through (i) establishing baseline chlorate levels in Irish milk and dairy foods; (ii) investigating alternative non-chlorine cleaning protocols for effectiveness, in terms of microbiological quality; (iii) examining the impact of water chlorination under Irish conditions on chlorate levels in water. In impact terms, this project will enable assurances of regulatory standards to be achieved and surpassed, thus allowing Irish dairy foods to be recognised internationally as achieving gold standard status in terms of absence of contamination from chlorate residues.","Amount Awarded":592377,"Unit":"Euro"},{"_id":27,"Call Year":2019,"Programme":"CoFoRD","Research Theme":"Forest Protection & Utilisation","Lead institution":"University College Dublin","Project Title":"Improvements to the dynamic yield models and to Growfor","Project Summary":"The dynamic yield models for Irish forestry have become the standard tool for forest management planning. However, due to developments in the forest estate, with afforestation of better land by private landowners now dominating, the dynamic models, especially for conifers such as Sitka spruce, have been found to inadequately cover the full range of yield classes now experienced in forest management decision making. Therefore, it is necessary to explore ways to improve the models, especially for high and very high yield class stands. It is proposed to carry out an exploration for suitable data first, to assess the quantity and quality of available data that consist of pairs of plot measurements at two points in time in high yield class stands. In addition, the possibility of collecting new data, where plot data from one point in time is available and the second measurement can be carried out at the same location, will be explored. Based on the assessment of these available data, it will then be decided if the development of new yield models that include these new data is warranted, and if so, new models will be parameterised. In addition, the project will develop a web-based application of the Growfor system, which is the user interface for the full set of dynamic models.","Amount Awarded":211853,"Unit":"Euro"},{"_id":28,"Call Year":2019,"Programme":"FIRM","Research Theme":"Food Processing Technology & Engineering","Lead institution":"Teagasc","Project Title":"Distilling And Brewing – BuildING CAPacity","Project Summary":"Substantial amounts of imported grain are used by the Irish drinks industry, particularly maize for whiskey production. Substituting imported maize with Irish wheat would provide an additional market for growers but could cause processing problems within the distilleries. In addition, many of the waste streams from the industry are used in relatively low value end uses such as animal feed. The project aims to develop the knowledge to produce and effectively utilise natively grown cereals, principally wheat but also rye and spelt, in Irish whiskey distilleries. The raw material requirements (grain and water) of the drinks industry and the waste streams and their potential for use in higher value end products will also be investigated. The results of the project will underpin greater utilisation of natively produced grain in the Irish drinks sector as well as identifying higher value end uses for the waste streams from the sector.","Amount Awarded":856746,"Unit":"Euro"},{"_id":29,"Call Year":2019,"Programme":"CoFoRD","Research Theme":"Forest Protection & Utilisation","Lead institution":"Trinity College Dublin","Project Title":"NEXCELSIOR: Next steps in managing the impact of ash dieback","Project Summary":"Ash trees have considerable economic, cultural and environmental value on the island of Ireland for forestry and ecosystem service provision. Given the rapid spread of ash dieback disease on the island since its first finding in 2012, and the extensive and severe damage caused by the pathogen in mainland Europe, research is needed to inform the governments (north and south) and industry on ways to minimise the impact of this fungal pathogen. The pathogen is now past the point of eradication, being present in all 32 counties. This spread of the disease has been reflected in the recent change of policy in Ireland and Northern Ireland to one of management rather than eradication. NEXCELSIOR will therefore devise strategies for managing ash forests (infected and at-risk) under Irish conditions. Key knowledge gaps exist in our understanding of alternative management strategies and their effect on (i) wood quality degradation, (ii) impact of other pathogens with ash dieback infected trees, and (iii) pathogen spread in relation to management regime and microclimate. Our group including Trinity College Dublin, University of Dublin and AFBI Northern Ireland recognise that an all-Ireland approach is required to address its management. We will use state-of-the-art acoustic velocity testing of wood strength and degradation, molecular DNA identification of associated pathogens, and field experiments testing differing silvicultural practices aimed at limiting the impact and spread of the disease. We will couple these with literature reviews and horizon scanning to further guide management and predict future impacts of new pathogens. The overall aim of NEXCELSIOR is to develop evidence-based guidance for foresters to minimise the impact of the disease and to maximise the recovery of timber or other products/services and preserve ash as a component in Irish forests. Involvement of stakeholders from industry, government and NGOs will contribute to developing this guidance.","Amount Awarded":132600,"Unit":"Euro"},{"_id":30,"Call Year":2019,"Programme":"CoFoRD","Research Theme":"Forest Expansion","Lead institution":"National Botanic Gardens","Project Title":"Reviewing and updating the network of gene conservation units for target native forest species in Ireland","Project Summary":"Forest Genetic Resources (FGR) are the basis on which the health of our future forests depend as FGR are the ingredients of adaptation. Genetic diversity enables tree populations to adapt to conditions and optimise their performance to succeed. A greater level of genetic diversity is a buffer against biotic or abiotic change, while a lack of diversity increases the vulnerability of a population or species to changing conditions and pathogens. International best practice for FGR conservation involves establishing a network of populations as conservation units to be maintained in situ for dynamic conservation. The EUFGIS database, an initiative by European countries under the EUFORGEN programme, maps and maintains data on these conservation units throughout Europe. To date Ireland has 17 units listed on EUFGIS including populations of oak, birch, mountain ash, alder, ash, aspen and Scots pine. This project proposes to further characterise the 17 sites and to add additional sites to the Irish network. Populations will be selected to be added to the network based on criteria such as geographical coverage and using climatic zonation as a proxy for adaptive potential. An estimate of approximately 84 additional sites will be added and characterised based on literature and GIS surveys. These will include 14 species considered of high, medium and low priority in terms of conservation. Ground-truthing and genetic characterisation will be carried out on the high and medium priority species (7 species). GIS surveys will include searches of existing forestry and woodland databases and remote assessment using aerial photography and satellite imagery. Genetic characterisation will involve assessing variation between populations and establishing phylogeographic patterns through comparison to other European data. All of the data generated will be built into a GIS that can be used by DAFM for future management and for uploading to the EUFGIS portal.","Amount Awarded":249378,"Unit":"Euro"},{"_id":31,"Call Year":2019,"Programme":"RSF","Research Theme":"Animal Production","Lead institution":"University College Dublin","Project Title":"Genetic Improvement of the Sport Horse Population for Show Jumping in Ireland","Project Summary":"The Sport Horse Industry contributes €816 million and over 14,000 full-time equivalent jobs to the Irish economy. The breeding sector is worth 33% of the total value of the Sport Horse Industry and contributes €271 million to Irish economy. The majority of the economic and employment activity occurs in rural Ireland and supporting the Sport Horse industry through innovation in genetic technologies will contribute to the sustainability of the rural economy and provide a risk mitigation strategy for Brexit. In recent years the Irish Sport Horse (ISH) studbook has had a decline in the WBFSH show jumping rankings moving from 7th place in 2004 to 15th in 2018. Competitor studbooks are surpassing the Irish Sport Horse studbook in the WBFSH show jumping rankings due to their greater uptake of animal breeding selection index methodologies. This scientific method of genetic selection for multiple relevant traits is important for producing a successful show jumper and provides the opportunity for permanent and cumulative genetic improvement over time. Implementation of a scientific breeding programme offers the ISH studbook the opportunity to reverse the decline in WBFSH show jumping rankings. The overall aim of the GENJUMP project is to develop a show jumping selection index using phenotype and pedigree information that are currently available in the Horse Sport Ireland database. GENJUMP will identify the appropriate goal and index traits and determine the heritabilities and estimated breeding values of these traits. Genetic correlations will be estimated between these traits so that they can be included in a multi-trait selection index. As part of the GENJUMP project a road map will be formed to help determine how breeding values can be implemented into the breeding industry and deliver sustainable genetic improvement for traits related to show jumping in the Sport Horse population in Ireland.","Amount Awarded":235906,"Unit":"Euro"},{"_id":32,"Call Year":2019,"Programme":"CoFoRD","Research Theme":"Other Forest & Misc","Lead institution":"University of Limerick","Project Title":"Forest growth and development on high pH soils and marl sites","Project Summary":"Forest tree roots have varying tolerance of carbonate or high pH in soil solution. Knowledge in Irish conditions is summarised by Horgan et al. (2003) and Huss et al. (2016). The indications are that all tree species may be limited by carbonates, with alder the most tolerant, though even alder can fail on high water tables. A simple soil field test, in use for over two centuries, the original “acid test”, demonstrates the presence of carbonates by a fizz response to applied dilute hydrochloric acid. The test remains valid, and is used in screening lands for suitability for afforestation. However, although sites showing a positive acid test are rejected for grant approval, forest managers report cases of sites showing a positive test where successful plantations have developed. This project will investigate, review and evaluate forest establishment and management practices and protocols with a view to proposing improvements that would increase forest productivity and help ensure sustainability. Specifically, this work will investigate —Performance of a range of tree species on high pH sites, across the national estate, based on the National Forest Inventory and other surveys; —Investigate individual cases reported of successful establishment and growth where soil conditions show positive tests for carbonates; —Examine root-limiting layers using acid testing, and by measuring acid neutralising capacity, pH, and redox potential, supported by soil coring and X-ray CT scanning of roots in soil cores. The study will aim to inform policy and establishment practices on these sites.","Amount Awarded":247839,"Unit":"Euro"},{"_id":33,"Call Year":2019,"Programme":"CoFoRD","Research Theme":"Other Forest & Misc","Lead institution":"National University of Ireland Galway","Project Title":"Modelling Opportunities for Forestry Recreation","Project Summary":"Forest benefits are now commonly understood through the ecosystem service framework and recreational visits to forests are considered an important cultural service. In the context of ambitious private afforestation targets, increasingly diverse ownership structures and the adoption of ecosystem service focused policies, it is necessary to adopt a holistic, participatory approach to identify the challenges and opportunities across the entire forest recreation Innovation System, in order to make recommendations in relation to how the potential for forest recreation ecosystem services can be capitalised. Aligned with this overall systems approach, a spatially explicit recreation demand model for Ireland is necessary to understand how visitation differs across the population, based on population characteristics and existing recreational resources. In order to achieve this, the project undertakes the piloting of protocols for annual estimation of annual forest visitation and the development of a demand map that highlights where forest expansion could be targeted to maximise the recreational value of afforestation. The development of this spatial and monitoring infrastructure also creates opportunities to quantify and maximise the economic value of associated (tourism) services, within the wider economy. An additional benefit of developing a spatially explicit demand map is the ability to target afforestation to enhance the value of locations for recreation.","Amount Awarded":214498,"Unit":"Euro"},{"_id":34,"Call Year":2019,"Programme":"FIRM","Research Theme":"Nutrition, Health & Diet-related disease","Lead institution":"University of Limerick","Project Title":"Blue whiting protein hydrolysates for management of sarcopenia","Project Summary":"This project focuses on the development of blue whiting protein digestion products (hydrolysates) for application in the management of sarcopenia. Consumption of high quality protein/protein hydrolysates has the potential to reduce the extent of sarcopenia, a condition linked with the loss of muscle mass and strength in the elderly. The specific objectives of this project are: to generate and fully characterise blue whiting protein hydrolysates, to determine the potential of specific hydrolysates to promote cell regeneration and protein synthesis in muscle cells, and to perform a human trial to assess the ability the protein hydrolysates to beneficially alter parameters associated with the risk of developing sarcopenia. In developing scientific evidence of the ability of hydrolysates to protect against the development of sarcopenia, the project will impact public health by improving the quality of life for elderly populations resulting in reduced healthcare costs while adding value to the marine processing sector.","Amount Awarded":322107,"Unit":"Euro"},{"_id":35,"Call Year":2019,"Programme":"FIRM","Research Theme":"Food Processing Technology & Engineering","Lead institution":"Teagasc","Project Title":"A novel method to produce haemoglobin based films for food packaging applications","Project Summary":"Using a renewable and biodegradable material, blood proteins, we will focus on the development of innovative bio-materials. Blood is high-volume, high-polluting and underutilised and yet contains, among other components, valuable functional proteins. Teagasc researchers have developed a patentable method to create bioplastics using the lower value blood proteins as raw materials, showing potential as a replacement for petroleum-based plastics. The first objective is to more fully characterise the traits of relevance for downstream use in packaging applications i.e. mechanical and barrier properties, active ingredient carrying properties and biodegradability. Secondly we will examine different fabrication steps to enable continuous production of the film. A third objective will see successful film(s) applied to meat products and tested in real food scenarios. The final objective revolves around communication and dissemination of the outputs.","Amount Awarded":99342,"Unit":"Euro"},{"_id":36,"Call Year":2019,"Programme":"FIRM","Research Theme":"Food Product Development, Formulation & Sensory Science","Lead institution":"Teagasc","Project Title":"A simple method of encapsulation for food","Project Summary":"Encapsulation is a technology to protect a substance or organism from processing, storage and gastric transit and to control the release at the target site intact. Teagasc researchers have recently developed a simple method for the encapsulation of bioactive compounds for food. This low-tech method, based on health-promoting polymers has potential applications for a range of dairy and non-dairy-based products. This project will address some of the short-comings for a successful technology transfer, namely: (i) Formulation - optimisation of the encapsulation matrix in terms of cost and functionality; (ii) Process optimisation - the methods needs to be adapted for different applications while keeping the ease and robustness of the process; (iii) Applications - prototypes of encapsulated bioactive will be produced and evaluated. It is the ambition of the project team to fully transfer the developed technology to an Irish company while protecting the intellectual property rights.","Amount Awarded":99850.72,"Unit":"Euro"},{"_id":37,"Call Year":2019,"Programme":"FIRM","Research Theme":"Food Processing Technology & Engineering","Lead institution":"Teagasc","Project Title":"Validation of a Combined Vision and Robot Test Platform for Commercialisation","Project Summary":"This proposal builds on results from the “SMART Dairy ingredients” project that investigated the behaviour of infant formula (IF) after the application of different thermal evaporative and drying processes, for optimisation of powder functionality. From this work a robotic platform was developed for repeatable reconstitution of IF powders. To meet the end-customers expectations, IF powder must return to a liquid form that resembles milk. The aim of this proposal is to further develop and validate a robotic test platform which consists of a dual arm robot with integrated vision. A streamlined automated method using vision analysis tools will be developed to evaluate the reconstitution properties of IF; in particular the method will be designed to be sensitive enough to detect and diagnose the presence of white damaged powder particles. This proposal will give IF manufacturers the methodologies required to ensure IF exported from Ireland is of the highest reconstitution quality.","Amount Awarded":80177.44,"Unit":"Euro"},{"_id":38,"Call Year":2019,"Programme":"RSF","Research Theme":"Animal Production","Lead institution":"University College Dublin","Project Title":"Identifying functional SNPs to strengthen genomic selection for feed efficiency in pigs","Project Summary":"Feed efficiency (FE) is a trait of great economic importance being central to profitable, sustainable and efficient pig production. However, a major constraint to genetic progress is the difficulty and expense of measuring it directly. While genomic selection is utilised in the pig industry, SNP panels are generated with non-specific markers evenly distributed throughout the genome. Previous research as part of DAFM project (IdentiFEED) identified a panel of differentially expressed genes associated with FE in pigs from two different farms of origin. This current proposal will identify SNPs associated with FE with a particular focus on functional SNPs in the promoter region of differentially expressed genes, which are likely to have major impacts on FE. This proposal aims to validate approximately 200 functional SNPs associated with FE in a population of 2000 commercial pigs. DNA-based biomarkers for FE pigs will result, which can then be incorporated into SNP based breeding strategies.","Amount Awarded":99999,"Unit":"Euro"},{"_id":39,"Call Year":2017,"Programme":"CoFoRD","Research Theme":"Forest Protection & Utilisation","Lead institution":"Maynooth University","Project Title":"Towards integrated pest management for pine weevil in Ireland.","Project Summary":"The large pine weevil Hylobius abietis is a serious pest of reforestation sites for up to five years post felling, and can kill up to 100% of trees if not protected. Currently, cypermethrin is the only effective insecticide that can be used in Ireland against pine weevil, but its use continues under derogation only until 2021. Thereafter, alternative means of managing pine weevil will be required for Irish forestry to retain Sustainable Forest Management (SFM) certification. Forestry plays an important economic, environmental and social role in Ireland with a contribution to the economy of €2.3 billion; it contributes to rural stabilisation and viability, and climate change mitigation through carbon sequestration. It is national policy to practice SFM, and more generally to reduce chemical pesticide use in accordance with the EU Sustainable Use of Pesticides Directive. Integrated pest management (IPM) seeks to manage pests rationally through appropriate silvicultural practices, biological control, and application of pesticides only when necessary. This proposal will review tools available as components of an IPM system for pine weevil, including alternative pesticides, identifying the strengths and weaknesses of each and its applicability in an Irish context, and identifying knowledge gaps and future research or policy needs. Knowing when plants are at risk facilitates more targeted timing of pesticide application, thereby minimising use. We will use simulation modelling and existing data on weevil populations in Ireland in a novel approach to improve forecasting of weevil attack, and likely impacts of climate change on weevil life cycles. Bringing together Teagasc, Coillte and the higher education sector, with an advisory panel representing regulatory and industry interests, the project will help develop critical mass in IPM in Ireland. Involvement of external assistance from Forest Research will ensure that the project is up to date with research and practice in the UK.","Amount Awarded":168181.25,"Unit":"Euro"},{"_id":40,"Call Year":2017,"Programme":"CoFoRD","Research Theme":"Forest Protection & Utilisation","Lead institution":"University College Dublin","Project Title":"LiDAR Integrated FORecasting","Project Summary":"A timber supply forecast is compiled for Ireland on what is routinely becoming a 5‐year basis. In brief, the forecasts provide an indication of the potential roundwood production over the following 20 years. This is valuable information to the wood processing industry, timber growers and policy makers. These groups help maximise the production benefits from forestry in a sustainable way. Compiling an accurate picture of timber availability is challenging, and our knowledge of the current state of private forests and how fast they are growing has significant limitations. This proposal outlines a framework to utilise aerial LiDAR to improve productivity estimates both in terms of growth rates and productive forest area. Processing LiDAR information can determine the average canopy height of a stand, delineate areas of stands based on canopy height and identify top height, i.e. an important indicator to estimate stand yield class. Aerial LiDAR can also identify openspace, roads, extraction paths and other features within forests, which can provide a more accurate estimate of a stand’s productive area than the 17.5% – 20% reduction assumed in the 2016‐2035 forecast. This aerial LiDAR‐based assessment will undergo a ground truthing process through manual inventory carried out by a research master’s student. This will include a range of species types and there will be sufficient sample estimates to ensure that productivity can be estimated for a wide range of species. There will be a range of processing techniques investigated and each will be compared, and the benefits/drawbacks will be assessed. The main outcomes will be a comparison these productivity estimation methods, both for the status of a forest and for forecasting outputs using the model used to generate the private aspect of the 2016 – 2035 forecast.","Amount Awarded":199978.21,"Unit":"Euro"},{"_id":41,"Call Year":2017,"Programme":"CoFoRD","Research Theme":"Forest Expansion","Lead institution":"Teagasc","Project Title":"Genomic evaluation for the sustainable Improvement of Sitka spruce","Project Summary":"Tree breeding enabling the selection of faster growing trees with desirable traits has the potential to increase productivity and increase the output of sawn timber for the forestry sector in Ireland. However it is a long term process taking many years to test and produce improved material. This proposal will (i) develop and evaluate a genomics platform to accelerate, improve decision making, and increase efficiencies in the Irish tree breeding programme, and (ii) generate important phenotypes for traits not previously evaluated in the Irish tree breeding programme. This will deliver increased value and competitiveness to the wood processing sector while ensuring the resilience of the forest resource. The proposed research involves development of a novel and cost effective genotyping platform (GenoSpruce) that will be available to the Irish Sitka spruce tree improvement programme (ISSTIP) to be utilised for DNA fingerprinting, characterisation of genetic diversity, evaluating efficiency of seed orchards and within-family genomic selection. We will also make use of emerging genomic resources (SNP Chip) to characterise advanced material in the Irish Sitka Spruce Tree Improvement Programme (ISSTIP) with genome-wide markers, and evaluate using ‘diversity index breeding’ to make better crossing decisions within the ISSTIP. We will collect new phenotype data (tree form, wood quality, and acoustic properties) on advanced material within the ISSTIP and combine it with the genotype data for cross selection. Finally we aim to evaluate the breeding population for new resilience traits to determine whether the current population would benefit from the inclusion of additional material more resilient to climate change and biotic risk. The project will bring together commercial and academic researchers with complementary expertise to deliver a package of work that will add significant value to the ISSTIP.","Amount Awarded":597100,"Unit":"Euro"},{"_id":42,"Call Year":2017,"Programme":"FIRM","Research Theme":"Food Chain Integrity & Safety","Lead institution":"Teagasc","Project Title":"The foodborne emergence and epidemiology of Clostridium difficile in Ireland","Project Summary":"Recent research suggests that Clostridium difficile is an emerging foodborne pathogen of public health concern that may negatively impact on the Irish agri-food sector. Although the project team has already completed a literature review and the proposed research is based on current knowledge gaps, the first Task will extend this review to further develop our knowledge base and inform the proposed activities in the project. Tasks 2 and 3 will include a microbiological survey of cattle, sheep, poultry (Task 2) and pigs (Task3) on the farm, in the abattoir and on associated meat products. Ready-to-eat (RTE) salads will also be investigated as a vehicle of transmission. All isolates will be subject to initial molecular characterization (ribotyping and PCR testing for the main virulence factors including toxin genes tcdA, tcdB, the binary toxin genes cdtA and cdtB and the tcdR and tcdC regulatory genes) and antibiotic susceptibility testing. Spore germination and growth in relevant food products/storage conditions will also be investigated (Task 2). Tasks 4 and 5 will use whole genome sequencing to investigate; [1] the genetic relatedness of human clinical isolates and foodborne C. difficile (Task 4), and [2] the virulence potential in a broad range of Irish foodborne C. difficile isolates including an assessment of the emergence of new pathogenic strains in the future (Task 5). Task 5 will also undertake microbiome analysis in the different ecological niches in which this organism is found. All of the data generated will be used in Task 6 (Risk Assessment) to rank meats and other relevant foods in terms of C. difficile risk, quantitatively assess the effect of season, crosscontamination and cold-chain conditions on the germination efficiency/survival of C. difficile spores and assess the contribution of contaminated meat/other foods to the increased risk of infection in patients treated with antibiotics. The final task (Dissemination, Task 7) will ensure an ongoing dialogue with stakeholders during the project, develop a control strategy in full consultation with our stakeholders and disseminate the data/knowledge generated, thus providing the scientific basis for government policy and advice to consumers.","Amount Awarded":839739,"Unit":"Euro"},{"_id":43,"Call Year":2017,"Programme":"FIRM","Research Theme":"Food Chain Integrity & Safety","Lead institution":"Teagasc","Project Title":"Ensuring food safety in grass systems using NBPT treated urea","Project Summary":"Nitrous oxide emissions, including from fertiliser nitrogen comprise one-third of all national greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Agricultural ammonia emissions, including from urea fertiliser, account for 99% of national ammonia emissions. Ireland has committed to reduce GHG emissions by 30% and ammonia emissions by 5%. Food Wise 2025 and Origin Green aim to sustainably increase agricultural production. The use of inhibitors such as urease inhibitors e.g. N-(n-butyl) thiophosphoric triamide (NBPT) and nitrification inhibitors e.g. dicyandiamide (DCD) have been shown to reduce emissions from fertiliser use by up to 80% in Irish conditions. The discovery of DCD residues in New Zealand milk powder in 2013 led to withdrawal of milk and the banning of the use of DCD over perceived food safety risks. This project will quantify the human health risk associated with NBPT inhibitor residues to underpin the quality and safety associated with Irish agricultural produce and to facilitate confidence in the use of inhibitors to reduce emissions from fertiliser use.","Amount Awarded":599941,"Unit":"Euro"},{"_id":44,"Call Year":2017,"Programme":"FIRM","Research Theme":"Nutrition, Health & Diet-related disease","Lead institution":"Teagasc","Project Title":"Comprehensive review of the advantages and disadvantages of pasture based feeding systems to the chemical composition, characteristics and quality of milk and dairy products.","Project Summary":"There are many dairy production systems used throughout the world, influenced by a variety of geographical factors such as climate, land usage and availability of feed/forage. Total mixed ration (TMR), indoor, high-input feeding systems are widely used in the US, parts of Europe and the southern hemisphere. Approximately 90% of the global milk supply is derived from indoor TMR style feeding systems. Ireland’s temperate climate, combined with plentiful rainfall, provides ideal conditions for a low-input, pasture based; sustainable and carbon-efficient farming system. This somewhat unique seasonal pasture system has become an important marketing strategy used by Irish manufacturers and state agencies such as Bord Bia, to promote dairy products on the international market. Such marketing has been successful as it stimulates consumer perception that milk from cows fed on pasture comes from a more natural environment, with improved nutritional properties compared to that of cows fed on a TMR system. As consumers become more aware of the benefits of a healthy and balanced diet, and the increased demand for the use of “Pasture based” labelling of products and regulation around this, a comprehensive review of the existing literature is required to provide a foundation for such claims and perceptions surrounding pasture derived products nutritional superiority. There is a large bank of information and literature available on the effects of different feeding systems including use of concentrates, varying grass swards and levels of supplementation on the nutritional profile and quality of milk and dairy products. PastureProd will therefore aim to form a team of experts in the areas of dairy, nutrition, sensory, lipid and agricultural science to carryout a comprehensive review of existing literature of the potential advantages and disadvantages of pasture based feeding systems to milk and dairy products nutritional profile and product quality.","Amount Awarded":61510,"Unit":"Euro"},{"_id":45,"Call Year":2017,"Programme":"FIRM","Research Theme":"Food Chain Integrity & Safety","Lead institution":"University College Cork","Project Title":"Demonstration of sensor-based rapid microbial testing technology to increase  shelf life, safety and traceability of industrial fresh meat products in Ireland","Project Summary":"MICROSENS is set to demonstrate the use of emerging sensor-based rapid microbial testing systems throughout the process of manufacturing of fresh meat products, and operational and commercial benefits of its adoption by leading meat producers in Ireland. We will set up the validated high-throughput microbial test which uses benchtop fluorescence plate reader, liquid oxygen sensing probe MitoXpress® and crude meat homogenates, and also introduce two advanced tests, namely: i) mobile on-spot testing platform based on the autonomous handheld reader and bead sensors; ii) mobile swab testing of meat carcasses, production surfaces and process hygiene based on platform i) set-up. These analytical systems will be thoroughly assessed in laboratory and then industrial settings with core meat products (mainly beef and lamb) and production processes used by the Irish companies, with the view of replacing the slow and laborious conventional colony counting tests. Adoption of MICROSENS approach will provide meat companies: easier, faster and more comprehensive microbial testing; significant improvement of shelf life through faster batch release (<6h or same day to result vs current 24-48 h); reduced microbial contamination, improved quality and microbial safety of final products; better control of production process and hygiene. MICROSENS relies on team’s strong expertise in optical sensor technologies and bioassay development for food applications, the significant preliminary R&D work and strategic alliances with leading Irish food and technology companies who are willing to participate and contribute to this project.","Amount Awarded":534018,"Unit":"Euro"},{"_id":46,"Call Year":2017,"Programme":"FIRM","Research Theme":"Nutrition, Health & Diet-related disease","Lead institution":"University College Dublin","Project Title":"National Teen’s Food Consumption Survey II","Project Summary":"The overall objective of this project is to establish for the Republic of Ireland (ROI) a nationally representative database of food consumption in teenagers aged 13-18 years to update 2005-6 data for this group and to complement more recent data on preschool children, school-aged children and adults. The survey will be comparable with existing survey data in ROI and with surveys in UK (GB & NI). The ROI database will be designed to address both nutrition and food safety issues of relevance to the development and implementation of public health policy, food safety risk assessment and to the needs of the food industry.In addition to detailed data on food consumption, data will be also be collected on body weight, lifestyle, including physical activity, determinants of food choice, blood and urine, and composition of foods and food recipes. Food composition databases will be updated and restructured to facilitate future analyses of food ingredients, packaging migrants, residues, contaminants, allergens, bioactives and microorganisms. Blood will be analysed for nutritional status of iron, folate and vitamin D and urine will be analysed for salt intake. These biofluids will also be stored to facilitate future analyses of nutrition and metabolic indicators, markers of food intake and for estimating exposure to food chemicals.Data will be analysed to estimate intakes of foods and nutrients and compliance with dietary recommendations, to determine status for key micronutrients, to establish the prevalence of overweight and obesity, to investigate physical activity patterns and compliance with guidelines, to identify psychological, social and attitudinal determinants of food choice and eating behaviour. Findings will be disseminated to relevant stakeholders.The project will be carried out by a multi-disciplinary research team with strong linkages to related on-going research in food and health sciences.","Amount Awarded":1343012.79,"Unit":"Euro"},{"_id":47,"Call Year":2017,"Programme":"FIRM","Research Theme":"Functional Foods & Health","Lead institution":"Trinity College Dublin","Project Title":"Milking extracellular vesicles for improved infant milk formula","Project Summary":"Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are tiny sacs, carrying proteins and nucleic acids, and found in biofluids. L.O’Driscoll group’s has purified EVs from human and cows milk and found them stable in acidic conditions simulating the human gastrointestinal tract (GI). Their studies suggest EVs would not be destroyed in the gut and may be absorbed into the bloodstream. This is important as breast milk EVs are believed to help build the infants’ immune system. L.O’Driscoll’s preliminary analysis of “off-the-shelf” infant milk formula (IMF) indicates loss of EV proteins compared to EVs from human and cows milk. As the Commission Directive (2006/141/EC) specifies that IMF composition must satisfy normal growth and be of sufficient biological quality (protein amounts, in format that can be utilised by infants), IMF and dairy ingredient industries needs to know if EVs are present and their role(s); if/how/when loss occurs; if efforts are needed to retain/supplement EVs. Industry needs to know what’s in their products!MilkEV’s objective is to compare EVs from human and cows milk and IMF and establish how successfully milk EVs quantities and contents are reflected in commercial IMF from companies including Danone/Abbott/Nestle, and in the ingredients from dairy processors that produce the IMF. Combining O’Driscoll’s expertise in EV technologies with Drs. Giblin’s and Brodkorb’s expertise in dairy products and IMF, MilkEV will compare EV yields, structure and contents; expose EVs to simulated GI digestion and investigate bioavailability using appropriate in-vitro and in-vivo models; and evaluate bioactivity/‘cause-and-effect’ of EVs on representative target cells reached post-absorption. MilkEV will inform on any loss of EVs during IMF processing that could subsequently be corrected. Thus, it has real potential to improve IMF quality. This is not only of consumer and societal importance, but economic relevance too; given that ~10% of the world’s IMF is manufactured in Ireland.","Amount Awarded":595013.9,"Unit":"Euro"},{"_id":48,"Call Year":2017,"Programme":"FIRM","Research Theme":"Food Chain Integrity & Safety","Lead institution":"Teagasc","Project Title":"Understanding Listeria monocytogenes growth in food in order to simplify the guidelines for undertaking food challenge studies.","Project Summary":"The problems with L. monocytogenes are two-fold; 1) a public health issue with the incidence of listeriosis continuing to rise, 2) an industry problem as (presumed) presence of L. monocytogenes will lead to product recalls. L. monocytogenes is resistant to preservatives and processes used to control bacterial growth in food. Thus, it can readily cross-contaminate food from environmental reservoirs and can survive and grow in foods even in the presence of preservatives. In this project, challenge studies of L. monocytogenes in foods will be undertaken using the EU Reference Laboratory (EURL) challenge study guidelines in parallel with protocols where changes in temperature, pre-growth of the inoculum, inoculum size and inoculation method will be made. The foods tested, from Irish food processing environments, have previously shown high levels of L. monocytogenes or shown to support growth of L. monocytogenes. Genome sequence data of 50 L. monocytogenes isolates (already obtained) will facilitate determination of the link between genotype and phenotype, by examining virulence, their ability to grow at low temperature, under acid and osmotic stress or in the presence of the food microbiome and other inhibitors. Thus, their ability to grow in foods will be assessed. Currently, EU regulations do not consider the risk posed by individual strains of L. monocytogenes and this study will seek to determine if a clear differentiation can be made between virulent and avirulent strains. The genetic analysis coupled with the food challenge tests will allow us to build predictive models that correlate genetic traits with the likelihood of growth in the major food groups. In parallel with this multi-disciplinary approach, workshops and demonstration activities will be held to transfer the knowledge gained to DAFM inspectors and Environmental Health Officers and the EURL. Scientific data to support changes in the EURL guidelines for challenge studies and a greater understanding of the ability of foods to support growth will make it easier for food producers to assess the risk of L. monocytogenes growing in their food products and will result in improvements in the safety of foods with respect to L. monocytogenes.","Amount Awarded":1190687.7,"Unit":"Euro"},{"_id":49,"Call Year":2017,"Programme":"FIRM","Research Theme":"Food Processing Technology & Engineering","Lead institution":"Teagasc","Project Title":"Exploitation of dairy ingredients in the development of 3 Dimensional Structured Dairy Snacks","Project Summary":"The project will develop a new dairy processing platform in the form of 3D printing and development of value-add dairy snacks.Brexit implications are being described as potentially catastrophic for the Irish agri-food sector. Hence, dairy processors need to continue to develop innovative high-value products to remain competitive. This project will extend the market potential for dairy ingredients by developing new processing applications and new dairy products using 3D printing. Although, 3D printing has been recommended as a technology of the future in strategy documents (e.g. Horizon 2020 and Teagasc Foresight document), its potential has not yet been fully explored in the food sector. Benefits of 3D printing include flexibility to fabricate products in any shape or size, combined with more efficient and optimal use of ingredients. Personalized nutrition is also considered as another potential advantage in using 3D printing. From a recent Bord Bía study, 64% of Irish consumers agreed a high protein diet from products made with clean traceable ingredients was essential for maintaining a healthy diet. This project will use natural and clean dairy ingredients in combination with 3D printing to produce unique and value-add 3D structured prototypes. The project will pursue five main areas of investigation: 1) Ascertain the optimal technological properties of dairy ingredients to generate the ideal printing material for 3D printing. 2) Fabrication of a high quality food grade 3D printer that can be adapted to different dairy printable inks and value-add edible inks. 3) Characterisation of the functional, chemical composition and shelf-life of the prototypes. 4) Development of 3D printable food-grade functional edible inks and microstructures, which can offer additional functionality in the form of colour, flavour and nutrition. 5) Consumer and sensory acceptance of the 3D structured prototypes, which is essential for development of successful processes and products.","Amount Awarded":585090.87,"Unit":"Euro"},{"_id":50,"Call Year":2017,"Programme":"FIRM","Research Theme":"Functional Foods & Health","Lead institution":"University of Limerick","Project Title":"Characterising the effect of Dietary Fibres on the Gut Microbiota and Metabolic Health in ‘at-risk’ individuals: Opportunities for New Food Product Development","Project Summary":"Hypothesis that specific dietary fibres can modulate the gut microbiota and thus improve metabolic health in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) sufferers.Background: Metabolic dysfunction (increased adiposity, hypercholesterolemia, dyslipidaemia, hyperglycemia, hypertension) is increasing in prevalence in IBD as the most common cause of chronic disability among this growing population group. In line with the general population, declining metabolic health is a phenomenon that is rapidly replacing historical projections for IBD sufferers including weight loss and suboptimal nutrient intake. Furthermore, the economic burden of IBD is increasing as associated metabolic dysfunction has a huge impact on health-care systems. There has been a paradigm shift towards investigating the role of the gut microbiota and its implications in the pathogenesis of various disease states including IBD, obesity and metabolic syndrome. Indeed poor metabolic health has been associated with an altered gut microbiota. While a wealth of human dietary interventions, especially focusing on fibre have shown improvements in metabolic health, few have considered mediating these improvements via the microbiota. This study aims to answer this important research question.The proposed research builds on knowledge gained from previous DAFM-funded projects to advance our understanding of the role of specific functional ingredients (dietary fibres) in modifying the gut microbiota and metabolic parameters in IBD sufferers. Our collaborative group have over a decade of experience in designing pre-clinical and clinical trials using specialised nutrient formulation for targeted impact on the gut microbiota and clinical biomarkers. Experimental Approach: We will use a number of 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.","Amount Awarded":628991.25,"Unit":"Euro"},{"_id":51,"Call Year":2017,"Programme":"FIRM","Research Theme":"Food Chain Integrity & Safety","Lead institution":"University College Dublin","Project Title":"Signature of Irish Grass-fed Beef","Project Summary":"Irish beef is increasingly marketed on the basis of the uniqueness of its grass based production. Currently, Irish beef for the U.S. market must be derived from animals with a “More than 80% Grass Diet” (Bord Bia, 2017). The guarantee to supply beef from animals with a “More than 80% Grass Diet” is based on mandatory recording by producers/farmers of the level and timing of various feed inputs (grass, silage, cereal concentrates, etc) under the Bord Bia Sustainable Beef & Lamb Assurance Scheme (SBLAS) and transmission of this information to meat processors who ultimately make the decision on whether or not the beef is suitable for the U.S. market. There is, however, currently no way of proving that the beef selected for sale in the U.S. meets the “More than 80% Grass Diet” criterion. The guarantee assumes accurate and truthful recording of data by producers. There is an urgent need to support, with robust scientific data, the “More than 80% Grass Diet” guarantee and, more widely, the extent of Ireland’s grass-based production and the uniqueness of the products that arise from it. The project sets out to quantify (i) the compositional “signature” of beef from production systems with different levels of grass input and (ii) differences between Irish grass-fed beef and beef from other international sources. Novel methods of quantifying compositional differences due to level of grass feeding or country of origin will be investigated. The robustness of the methods in discriminating production system and country of origin will be tested using advanced statistical techniques. A novel, pro-active approach for beef assurance will be explored using the targeted delivery of a unique elemental or molecular discriminator (through mineral supplements) based on rare earth elements and stable isotope ratios of heavy elements.","Amount Awarded":594115.6,"Unit":"Euro"},{"_id":52,"Call Year":2017,"Programme":"FIRM","Research Theme":"Functional Foods & Health","Lead institution":"University of Limerick","Project Title":"Extraction and exploitation of bioactive fish components for health enhancement","Project Summary":"Recent scientific and global protein demand developments along with EU fish quota changes clearly indicate that blue whiting (Micromesistius poutassou) is a viable source of nutritional and functional ingredients. However, significant challenges exist in the generation and exploitation of clean flavoured, white coloured and odour free blue whiting-derived proteinaceous ingredients. The aim of this project is to investigate the development of reproducible and scalable (to semi-pilot scale) protocols for the generation of prototype blue whiting biofunctional peptide ingredients with demonstrated appetite modulating activity. In the first instance, different processing parameters will be investigated to develop reproducible peptide preparations. Furthermore, the contribution of seasonal variation in blue whiting nutritional composition on peptide ingredient consistency and semi-pilot scale reproducibility will be assessed. Direct enzymatic hydrolysis will be employed to extract blue whiting proteinaceous components which will be screened in an array of in vitro and cellular bioassays associated with markers of appetite control. The role of lead candidate hydrolysates on food intake and satiety will subsequently be assessed in vivo using acute and chronic small animal studies. Two selected lead hydrolysates will be formulated into food products and sensory studies will be performed. Mass spectrometry analysis will be employed to characterise the peptide profile and identify the bioactive peptide sequences present in potent fraction(s) of the lead candidate hydrolysate sample. Information arising from this project will generate evidence for validation of a marine peptide-based functional food dietary strategy for health promotion and disease prevention, specifically in relation to appetite control and energy intake. The relevance of this proposal is that the seafood sector is a significant contributor to the Irish economy worth over €800 and £67.3 million, respectively, and employing approximately 11,000 and 2,000 people in the Republic of Ireland and in Northern Ireland, respectively, in 2010.","Amount Awarded":633247.86,"Unit":"Euro"},{"_id":53,"Call Year":2017,"Programme":"FIRM","Research Theme":"Nutrition, Health & Diet-related disease","Lead institution":"University College Dublin","Project Title":"Seafood Consumption and Risk Exposure Study","Project Summary":"This proposal targets the call, to generate specific consumption data, on seafood, to improve thecharacterisation of the risk from exposure to biotoxins and other contaminants from consumingshellfish. In doing so, the proposal brings together a unique partnership of expertise within UCDrelating to collection of food consumption data for different population cohorts as well as riskassessment expertise. In the past nationally representative surveys severely lacked reported eatingoccasions of seafood, with the most recent survey comprising of 133,050 rows of data with only 12 ofthese related to Shellfish, not sufficient data for risk exposure assessment in this food group. It istherefore clear that a targeted data collection approach is required. Thus the proposal aims to collectreported dietary intake data from n=1000 seafood consumers, using novel online dietary intakeassessment techniques, to determine habitual intakes of seafood for use in risk assessment. Thisapproach will represent a significant step forward in terms of public health policy contribution bybeing able to characterise the likelihood of illness in a population or population sub-group on anannual basis. The project will use the seafood consumption data to underpin an exposure assessmentof selected marine biotoxins in Irish produced shellfish to develop the first detailed risk assessmentsfor these marine biotoxins in Irish produced shellfish. The methods proposed within this project willmeet the needs of the call, and ensure the data collected would be aligned for analysis with similarEuropean datasets. Furthermore, it will demonstrate the use of novel intake assessmenttechnologies for fast and cost effective collection of data for risk assessment purposes, reducing thetime and cost required for data collection.","Amount Awarded":197193.74,"Unit":"Euro"},{"_id":54,"Call Year":2017,"Programme":"FIRM","Research Theme":"Food Chain Integrity & Safety","Lead institution":"Dublin Institute of Technology","Project Title":"Controlling Campylobacter Contamination in Poultry Processing","Project Summary":"The 2016 EFSA Zoonosis report identified campylobacteriosis as the most commonly reported zoonosis. There is an increasing EU trend for confirmed human cases with predominant occurrence on broiler chicken meat. Campylobacter is prevalent as a commensal microorganism of poultry and it persists throughout all stages of production. This highlights the importance of processing stages for implementing industry and consumer acceptable controls. Additionally, poultry processors strive to extend shelf life. Consumer aversion to chemical intervention limits flexibility in processing approaches. Technologies that can identify, characterise and locate the microbiological risks in conjunction with technologies that decontaminate without leaving residues and are not prone to microbial resistance are urgently required. A recent report from the Campylobacter stakeholder group (CSG) identifies interventions that have greater potential consumer acceptability, with a view to market acceptance. Therefore, this project adopts these recommendations to develop a suite of technological interventions to detect, discriminate and decontaminate Campylobacter within poultry processing. We responsibly co-innovate with industry, consumers and endusers through the CSG to arrive at acceptable interventions to promote the future likelihood of adoption. We develop imaging and genomic approaches to detect and characterise the microbiological risks posed in poultry processing. We propose ground breaking cold plasma and light based interventions to offer antimicrobial efficacy without the use of chemical sanitizers. Preliminary studies point to rapid inactivation of Campylobacter with cold plasma in less than 60 seconds. These technologies are non-invasive, leave zero residue and are not found to adversely affect quality. A critical advantage of this world-first suite of technologies for the poultry industry are the risk tailored interventions combined with the complementary broad spectrum approaches of LED and In-package cold plasma treatment. Effective broad control combined with preventing recontamination is desirable and can provide a defence against antimicrobial resistance in addition to increased shelf-life.","Amount Awarded":1228450.48,"Unit":"Euro"},{"_id":55,"Call Year":2017,"Programme":"FIRM","Research Theme":"Functional Foods & Health","Lead institution":"University College Cork","Project Title":"Development of a novel high protein, polyphenol enriched dairy beverage for athletes and physically active individuals.","Project Summary":"As global markets for food-based solutions to support performance nutrition continue to expand; there is tangible opportunity to provide innovative functional beverages underpinned by robust scientific evidence to this rapidly broadening sector.1Health benefits associated with increased consumption of polyphenol compounds are well-established.2 While protein consumption after exercise supports beneficial effects on post-exercise recovery3; fruit-derived polyphenols have also been observed to reduce oxidative stress, muscle damage and pain post intensive exercise.4 The effects of incorporating polyphenols into a high-protein dairy beverage to support additional benefit for muscle recovery systems remains to be established.This multi-disciplinary project proposes to develop and test for physiological efficacy a novel high–protein dairy-based beverage, tailored for performance nutrition which incorporates the antioxidant-rich blackberry-polyphenol extract developed as part of the on-going FIRM Cardio-Rubus project*. Critical hurdles for the development of functional foods with plant-based bioactives will be rigorously addressed through the study of advanced food technologies which support the stabilisation of polyphenol compounds within foods. Optimisation and validation of polyphenol delivery systems within food matrices and the recycling of polyphenol by-products post-beverage production will be investigated.This project will deliver the RubusElite proof-of-concept sports randomised controlled-trial (RCT) in moderately active adults to investigate if the incorporation of an antioxidant-rich polyphenol extract into a high-protein dairy beverage delivers additional benefit for muscle recovery, muscular stress, gut microbiota, and central stress processing thus, providing robust scientific evidence of physiological efficacy to support health claim substantiation. While this RCT will be conducted within a setting modelled to demonstrate muscle damage and recovery, its application and commercial appeal could be readily translated to all physically active individuals.Additionally, pertinent qualitative consumer preference data from Irish athletes and physically active individuals will be collected to meaningfully inform market intelligence on the development of future bioactive-based functional foods within the performance nutrition setting.*Cardio-Rubus Project: Beneficial effects of Blackberry Polyphenols on Cardiovascular Health (FIRM 13 F 539, (2013-2017).References1Euromonitor Report (2016).2Huang et al. (2015)3Egan et al. (2016)4McLeay et al (2012)","Amount Awarded":872042.6,"Unit":"Euro"},{"_id":56,"Call Year":2017,"Programme":"FIRM","Research Theme":"Food Chain Integrity & Safety","Lead institution":"Dublin Institute of Technology","Project Title":"Optical fiber probe for assessment of authenticity and quality of alcoholic beverages","Project Summary":"Increasing public concern with food quality and safety drive the need for simple and cost-effective techniques for authentication of raw materials and finished foods. These techniques are increasingly important to ensure adequate standards of production, uniformity within a brand and prevent falsification. Existing analytical techniques while being the most specific and sensitive, are often complex, time-consuming, and both resource and labour intensive.Moreover, new instruments and methods for traceability and certification, especially those based on low-cost techniques, are needed as marketing tools for locally-produced and renowned food products, and as a means to protect them from adulteration and imitation along the supply chain.The primary objective of Opti-Probe is to develop and demonstrate a novel, rapid and cost-effective technique for assessment of the authenticity and quality of alcoholic beverages.The proposed method utilizes a bespoke array of highly sensitive fibre optic sensors to function as an optical nose and tongue. Each sensor within the array is a micron-sized silica sphere coated with a thin porous film. The operating principle relies upon measurement of changes in the refractive index of the coating, induced by binding of the chemical compounds present in the beverage. The project will investigate the capability of the proposed optical sensor to discriminate between varying alcoholic beverage categories, their origin, brand, blend status, age and flavour. Principal component analysis will be employed for data analysis, permitting comparative benchmarking of results against those obtained via standard analytical techniques.The long-term objective is to open the door for future applications of this simple and cost-effective approach in the authentication of a wider range of raw ingredients, food products and consumer goods including perfumes and prescription drugs.","Amount Awarded":172245.1,"Unit":"Euro"},{"_id":57,"Call Year":2017,"Programme":"FIRM","Research Theme":"Food Processing Technology & Engineering","Lead institution":"Teagasc","Project Title":"High pressure processing and ultrasonication on improving the shelf-life, nutritional and functional qualities of Irish potato cultivars.","Project Summary":"A major emphasis of potato processing is preservation or shelf-life extension by preventing undesirable changes in wholesomeness, nutritive and sensory attributes. Though processing extends shelf life, it affects the stability and levels of bioactive compounds, vitamins, and minerals. Besides being a staple nutritional diet for centuries, potatoes are also known to contain bioactive compounds such as chlorogenic acid, caffeic acid, kukoamines, anthocyanins and carotenoids that have salutary roles on human health. These bioactives possess anti-diabetic and anti-hypertensive activities. The loss of these bioactive compounds along with other micro-nutrients (vitamins and minerals) is a major concern for food processors during food processing operations and subsequent storage of food products. Another key problem in industrial potato processing is the ‘browning’ of peeled and cut potatoes initiated by the enzyme polyphenol oxidase. Current industrial practice is the usage of sulphites (E220-228) to prevent browning. However the sulphites-usage has raised health concerns and the influence of sulphites on bioactive contents has been poorly documented. Similarly, the overall nutritional value of potato is greatly underestimated because of its high glycaemic index (GI), and warrants further investigations as the GI values differ with different cultivars and methods of cooking. Emerging technologies, which have potentials for future food processing, may serve better alternatives in retention of bioactive compounds and minimisation/elimination of anti-nutrients and browning in potatoes. In this project, we aim to assess and optimise various minimal processes that will help to retain bioactive contents in major Irish potato cultivars. Studies on the effect of potato storage conditions will also be performed, and the efficacies of processed potato extracts for hypoglycaemic activities will be investigated.","Amount Awarded":199988.64,"Unit":"Euro"},{"_id":58,"Call Year":2017,"Programme":"FIRM","Research Theme":"Functional Foods & Health","Lead institution":"Dublin Institute of Technology","Project Title":"Establishment of a commercialisation route for a Leucine-Lysine-Proline based antihypertensive formulation","Project Summary":"The recently completed NUTRADEL project (11 F 042) presented a number of novel findings which helped to better understand the requirements for oral delivery of anti-hypertensive angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor tripeptides, IPP and LKP: i) the oral delivery of these peptides is mediated by a specific peptide transporter (PepT1) with the potential for broad and significant competition from other dietary peptides ii) the blood-pressure lowering effect of the peptide was not completely elucidated and may comprise a combination of systemic ACE inhibition along with possible local effects in the GIT circulatory system iii) the use of intestinal permeation enhancers with a history of use in pharmaceutical clinical trials may contribute significantly to increasing the bioactive effect of a tripeptide formulation and iv) the spontaneously hypertensive rat model has demonstrated equivalent blood-pressure lowering for food-derived tripeptides with the commercial ACE inhibitor (captopril) How-to This project aims to bring these results closer to industrial application by i) developing experiments in which industrial grade tripeptides will be further optimised in nanoparticles made with chitosan and zein via the method of ionotropic gelation to develop oral peptide formulation ii) undertaking in vitro experiments to elucidate local effects using study of tripeptide effects on dilation of the smooth muscle of rat vascular rings iii) the development of chitosan/zein particle formulations of the peptides with intestinal permeation enhancers (C10) and inhibitors of PepT1 to further understand the relative contribution of the PepT1 and epithelial tight junction routes and iv) benchmarking the optimal formulations against the commercial oral small molecule ACE inhibitor Captopril in further in-vivo experiments. Impact The project will progress the present state of the art to further identify the feasibility of using hydrolysated purified peptide ingredients that will enable further scale up processes. It will also further assess the transport and the therapeutic effect of the identified peptides, with a clear commercial benchmark. As a result of this project, the peptide formulations will be brought to a level of readiness to initiate human trials.","Amount Awarded":99397.5,"Unit":"Euro"},{"_id":59,"Call Year":2017,"Programme":"FIRM","Research Theme":"Functional Foods & Health","Lead institution":"Teagasc","Project Title":"Commercialization of Next Generation Infant Formula","Project Summary":"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 milk for use in first-stage infant formula and successfully manufactured a protein ingredient containing a casein to whey protein ratio similar to that in human milk through the use of membrane filtration at lab and pilot-scale (300 kg batch size). The microfiltration of skim milk at temperatures <10°C allowed for the permeation of β-casein into the whey protein stream. The aim of this FIRMplus project is to move this process up to commercialization scale, and to also continue on the journey of ‘humanization’ of bovine milk protein by dephosphorylation of the β-casein fraction. The dephosphorylation of this protein will lead to the production of a softer more digestible curd in the infants’ stomach. The dephosphorylation of the β-casein fraction will also allow for a more stable product whereby re-micellization of the β-casein will not occur during evaporation and also make the casein fraction less reactive to ionic calcium. Commercialization of this protein ingredient will be moved from the pilot scale processing hall in Moorepark and take place in Moorepark Technology Limited. Here membrane filtration will take place at 5000 kg scale. A local Dairy company have offered that they will provide medium heat skim milk for trials at this scale. Microfiltration using polymeric spiral wound membranes followed by a standard ultrafiltration process will allow for the production of two highly valuable protein streams (i.e., Milk protein concentrate (heat stable) and a novel whey protein ingredient for infant milk formulations).","Amount Awarded":97760,"Unit":"Euro"},{"_id":60,"Call Year":2017,"Programme":"RSF","Research Theme":"Socio-Economic","Lead institution":"Teagasc","Project Title":"Surveillance Welfare and Biosecurity of Farmed Animals","Project Summary":"Surveillance Welfare and Biosecurity of farmed animals (SWAB) 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.","Amount Awarded":772048.85,"Unit":"Euro"},{"_id":61,"Call Year":2017,"Programme":"RSF","Research Theme":"Grass, Clover, Forage, Crops & Food Horticulture","Lead institution":"National University of Ireland Galway","Project Title":"Protecting terrestrial ecosystems through sustainable pesticide use.","Project Summary":"Pesticide use is an important component of modern farming. Through Food Wise 2025 there is a vision to ensure farming is economically, socially and environmentally sustainable, and sustainable pesticide use forms an integral part of this vision. However, concerns exist regarding impacts of pesticides on non-target organisms and the ecosystem services they provide. The PROTECTS (Protecting Ecosystem Services Through Sustainable Pesticide Use) project will provide baseline information in an Irish context to build towards mitigating the effects of pesticide use on terrestrial ecosystem services, focussing on pollinators and soils. We will survey pesticide residues in soils and nectar, investigate the potential hazards of pesticide use for bees, and provide recommendations for a soil monitoring programme and how to mitigate any effects on ecosystem services. Our findings will help to ensure that pesticides can be used safely while protecting wildlife, health and the environment, both in Ireland and internationally.","Amount Awarded":1084755.52,"Unit":"Euro"},{"_id":62,"Call Year":2017,"Programme":"RSF","Research Theme":"Animal Production","Lead institution":"Teagasc","Project Title":"Sustainable ruminant breeding programs for low environmental footprint","Project Summary":"The objective of GREENBREED is to develop, validate and deploy the necessary tools and optimal strategies to achieve sustainable and quantifiable genetic gain in environmental and economic efficiency in dairy, beef and sheep. The environmental traits considered are methane, ammonia, nitrous oxide and nitrates. The large project complements background data, knowledge, tools and resources (i.e., high-low selection experiments), with novel approaches for direct and indirect selection for environmental efficiency without compromising economic efficiency or societal concerns of genetically elite animals. GREENBREED specifically develops and validates bioeconomic systems models which, when parameterised with the large quantity of phenotypic, genetic and genomic data generated in the programme, can be used to quantify the consequences of the current five national breeding objectives. The impact of modifications to the breeding scheme either through more or lesser phenotypic data, high or lesser quality data (which impacts heritability and thus accuracy of genetic evaluations) as well as relative weights on the environmental traits will be quantified. Tangible benefits from the project include: 1) physical bioeconomic models with integrated farm and environmental modules specific to Irish dairy, beef and sheep sectors and importantly parameterised by high quality data, 2) an animal-specific environmental footprint breeding rank score to complement the currently available economic breeding ranks, 3) novel, implementable tools and strategies to directly measure/predict animal-level environmental load, 4) novel, easy to understand and easy to generate herd/flock- and animal-level measures of lifetime environmental efficiency, 5) accurate genetic and genomic evaluations for traits relating to environmental load based on carefully designed data collection strategies, and 6) scientifically sound knowledge of the complete life-cycle impact of the Irish national breeding programs in dairy, beef and sheep on the environmental footprint of the entire sectors as well as the impact of alternative breeding schemes on environmental and economic efficiency.","Amount Awarded":2988827.06,"Unit":"Euro"},{"_id":63,"Call Year":2017,"Programme":"RSF","Research Theme":"Sustainable Management of Natural Resources","Lead institution":"Teagasc","Project Title":"Evaluating Land-Use and Land Management Impacts on Soil organic Carbon in Irish Agricultural Systems.","Project Summary":"Agriculture contributes over one-third of national greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, with the majority arising from livestock production. Both Food Wise 2025 and Origin Green initiatives aim to simultaneously increase agricultural production, whilst also reducing the carbon footprint and enhancing sustainability associated with that production. Conversely EU Climate and Energy Framework targets require a 30% reduction in emissions.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. More accurate quantification of C sequestration in grasslands is essential to allow reporting to Tier 2 and 3 levels and to provide information that allows for both effective reduction and mitigation of C emissions at both the field and national level. Management practices that can increase SOC stocks to mitigate climate change will provide the basis for inclusion of grassland soils into both carbon trading schemes and LCA's, which will assist the sector both in terms of carbon credits and a reduced carbon footprint on agricultural produce.This project will integrate with various other projects quantifying and/or modelling C and nitrogen (N) processes to provide costed toolkit of potential management of C associated with grasslands.","Amount Awarded":598051.83,"Unit":"Euro"},{"_id":64,"Call Year":2017,"Programme":"RSF","Research Theme":"Grass, Clover, Forage, Crops & Food Horticulture","Lead institution":"Teagasc","Project Title":"Cadium: Reduce, Evaluate, Detect, Inform with Technologies","Project Summary":"Regular monitoring has highlighted Cadmium (Cd) levels in exceedance of the maximum permitted levels in some Irish horticultural produce. This is associated with naturally high soil cadmium levels in parts of North Leinster, the centre of horticultural production in Ireland. While the FSAI have concluded that the levels in the Irish diet do not present an unacceptable risk to the consumer, reduction of levels to protect the reputation of Irish horticultural production is critical. The EU has postponed plans to further reduce Cd maximum levels in food pending Cd mitigation research by member states. Soil risk categorisation for Cd uptake by plants is extremely complicated and not simply governed by soil Cd content. Currently a risk assessment model allows diagnosis of the soil factors driving Cd uptake in potato and allows prescription of specific soil amendments for remediation. However this model needs to be validated and potentially modified for other crops. A fundamental understanding of the soil chemistry and kinetics/mode of action of amendments is required to develop sustainable, effective solutions for farmers while adhering to good agricultural practice.Current analytical chemistry techniques for soils plants and fertilisers require laboratory tests with consequent waiting times. Novel portable detection methods will allow better understanding of soil remediation processes and contribute to real time in situ diagnosis. This will allow more precise application of remediation amendments and reduced decision times for immediate on site risk prediction. ’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.","Amount Awarded":1164864.16,"Unit":"Euro"},{"_id":65,"Call Year":2017,"Programme":"RSF","Research Theme":"Grass, Clover, Forage, Crops & Food Horticulture","Lead institution":"University College Dublin","Project Title":"Future Proofing Irish livestock sustainability","Project Summary":"Multispecies grasslands have the potential to outyield perennial ryegrass monocultures. However, little information is available regarding their production potential and appropriate management within grazing systems. The overarching objective of the SMARTSWARD project is to determine the potential role of multispecies grasslands within cattle, mixed livestock (cattle and sheep) and dairy systems. Multispecies swards containing grasses, legumes and forage herbs will be compared to perennial ryegrass monocultures and perennial ryegrass and white clover swards, in terms of their production potential and impacts on product (meat and milk) quantity and quality and associated methane emissions. Key to this research is the identification of more sustainable animal production systems that will reduce reliance on fertiliser N inputs, while maintaining / increasing productivity (meat and milk), have benefits for animal health such as reduced worm burden and result in excellent quality produce (meat and milk) while reducing greenhouse gas emissions.","Amount Awarded":1030238.1,"Unit":"Euro"},{"_id":66,"Call Year":2017,"Programme":"RSF","Research Theme":"Socio-Economic","Lead institution":"Teagasc","Project Title":"Behaviours for Safer Farming","Project Summary":"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.","Amount Awarded":595270.95,"Unit":"Euro"},{"_id":67,"Call Year":2015,"Programme":"CoFoRD","Research Theme":"Other Forest & Misc","Lead institution":"University College Cork","Project Title":"Supporting Hen Harrier In Novel Environments","Project Summary":"Hen Harriers traditionally occupy open habitats but forest habitats are now important for nesting. However, research at University College Cork has demonstrated that this species may be subject to an ecological trap, where they are selecting habitats in which they can survive, but where habitat quality does not permit them to thrive. The proposed project builds on previous work on this species which evaluated habitat selection, the use of forested landscapes in relation to nesting, foraging and breeding success, and the interactions with wind energy development. It aims to provide support for practical site-focused planning and management measures that both increase the habitat value of forests for Hen Harriers and reduce the influence of pressures on Hen Harriers within forest-related habitats. This project aims to exploit large, archived datasets on Hen Harrier breeding ecology in Ireland, a large proportion of which has been collected by UCC as well as the latest 2015 survey data. We will investigate the relationship between Hen Harrier breeding success and forest management practises in the face of climate change. In addition, we will incorporate new data from a satellite tagging project (RaptorLife). This will yield valuable new flight path and ecological data, complementing the data collected using GPS tags on Hen Harriers since 2007 by UCC. Fieldwork will be conducted to address two gaps in existing knowledge; vulnerability to predation and the influence of clear-felling debris (brash) on habitat quality. We will also address three specific site-focused planning and management measures; 1) identify areas where forest removal may benefit Hen Harriers; 2) review current pressures to Hen Harriers using 2015 survey data and 3) conduct a meta-analysis of alternative mitigation measures to current Red Zones in place. Finally we will work with the well-established community group IRD Duhallow (Integrated Resource Development) to disseminate findings both locally and nationally.","Amount Awarded":199881.94,"Unit":"Euro"},{"_id":68,"Call Year":2015,"Programme":"CoFoRD","Research Theme":"Other Forest & Misc","Lead institution":"National University of Ireland Galway","Project Title":"Exploitation And Realisation of Thinnings from Hardwoods","Project Summary":"Thinning is an important part of good broadleaf forest management. It involves the removal of competitors of selected high quality trees, diseased trees and trees removed for extraction racks, all to favour the growth of the selected trees, maintain stand health and vigour, and to provide access for future management. Many felled trees are small-diameter or of lower quality. In Ireland, hardwood thinnings are mainly used for energy production. Other uses are in chipped form for use in the manufacture of wood-based panels or in the pulp/paper industry. The challenges of commercialisation have identified the need to get maximum value out of all the forestry output including what has often been considered a secondary by-product – forest thinnings. There is commercial value in seeking to use it in higher value-added end uses as structural components within the construction industry and to develop its volume use in local rural industry. This project aims to investigate novel and potential added-value uses of Irish hardwood thinnings. This will be achieved by undertaking a study of current status of the resource to quantify the available dimensions from first and second thinnings. The physical and structural properties of the material will determined through experimental testing. A drying and durability study will be carried out. Based on the information arising out of these investigations, potential end-uses of the material will be identified, both in roundwood form and as engineered wood products, in addition to wood energy products. The project partners, NUI Galway and Teagasc will bring expertise in characterisation of wood products and broadleaf silviculture, respectively, to the project. A post-doctoral researcherTwo Masters’ students will receive training and develop expertise that will be useful to the Irish timber sector. Two commercial partners are on board and have agreed to contribute to the project.","Amount Awarded":194543,"Unit":"Euro"},{"_id":69,"Call Year":2015,"Programme":"CoFoRD","Research Theme":"Forest Protection & Utilisation","Lead institution":"University College Dublin","Project Title":"Irish private forest owners: The role of knowledge transfer and social networks","Project Summary":"Private forests represent an increasing proportion of the forest estate in Ireland. Forecasted timber supply from these forests is expected to double in the next 20 years. For this supply to be realised private forest owners must become mobilised and ensure that their forests are managed, and in particular thinned. However, many forest owners have yet to become engaged in forest management and with other forestry stakeholders. This study aims to understand the factors that influence forest owners’ engagement specifically focusing on the role of knowledge transfer events and the social networks of owners. It will also explore broader issues relating to owner engagement including the values owners assign to their forests, and engagement with the value chain.","Amount Awarded":198363.75,"Unit":"Euro"},{"_id":70,"Call Year":2015,"Programme":"CoFoRD","Research Theme":"Other Forest & Misc","Lead institution":"National University of Ireland Galway","Project Title":"Commercialisation of Irish Cross-Laminated Timber","Project Summary":"Consumers demand more durable, less labour and service intensive materials at a competitive price. One of the most promising construction materials meeting these requirements is cross-laminated timber (CLT). The outcomes from the project Innovation in Irish Timber Usage (IITU) have confirmed that there is potential in using Irish Sitka spruce for CLT manufacture and this presents new opportunities for Irish timber in the home and export markets. A niche product with huge capability for commercialisation, a CLT modular floor system, was identified. However, in order to develop the product for launching on the market, further verification of mechanical performance needs to be carried out. In particular stiffness, bending and shear strengths of CLT floors loaded out of plane need to be established. Therefore, the optimal production technology factors for manufacturing CLT from Irish Sitka Spruce, identified by the outcomes of IITU project will be used during the manufacture of CLT floor panels. The 3-layer and 5-layer panels will be fabricated and tested in accordance with prEN 16351. Moreover, there is a wide variety of fasteners and joint details that can be used to establish wall-floor connections in buildings. Hence, the optimal connector will be proposed for commercially available Irish made CLT flooring systems. This research will significantly improve the understanding of wall-floor connection behaviour and will lead to the development of a high performance flooring system for lowest possible costs. In addition, this study will endeavour to further develop the production process, by standardisation within manufacturing process to increase the production effectiveness. The outcomes of this project will be of great interest to the existing wood-based products manufacturers, sawmills, and building contractors to reduce the costs and increase the speed of construction. This shows the potential for the forestry sector to provide increased and sustainable supplies of wood products.","Amount Awarded":80035,"Unit":"Euro"},{"_id":71,"Call Year":2015,"Programme":"FIRM","Research Theme":"Food Processing Technology & Engineering","Lead institution":"University College Cork","Project Title":"Novel Technological Approaches for the developmenT of low FodMap food products.","Project Summary":"Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is the most common functional gastrointestinal disorder and has an estimated global prevalence of 10-20% of the general population and constitutes the most common cause of gastroenterology referral. IBS symptoms are triggered by the consumption of the poorly absorbed fermentable oligo-, di-, monosaccharides and polyols (FODMAPs) and insoluble fibre. On reaching the distal small intestine and colon, FODMAPS and insoluble fibre increase the osmotic pressure in the large-intestinal lumen and provide substrates for bacterial fermentation, with consequent gas production, abdominal distension and abdominal pain or discomfort. This condition reduces considerably the patients’ quality of life. Sixty-two percent of IBS patients either limited or excluded certain food items from their daily diet and of these 12% were at risk of long-term nutritional deficiencies. In patients with IBS, a diet low in-FODMAPs effectively reduced functional gastrointestinal symptoms. This high-quality evidence supports its use as a first-line therapy. FODMAPs occur in a wide range of foods, including wheat/rye, and people in numerous countries (including Ireland) rely on bread and wheat products (e.g. bread and pasta), for a substantial part of their diet. Nowadays, in Ireland, there are no low-FODMAP food products available on the market and IBS sufferers are forced to follow FODMAP elimination diet by excluding a wide range of foods form their diet. Low-FODMAP diet should not limit IBS suffers’ life, it should limit their pain and discomfort, such that they can lead a normal (pain-free) life. TALENT project will develop cereal-based low-FODMAP food products by providing effective technological solutions using enzymatic/malting and fermentation processes with remarkable reductions on FODMAPs and with a concomitant improvement of their nutritional qualities. A strong participation of food industry partners and support associations in this project will help contribute to the social feasibility and economic viability of the strategies developed.","Amount Awarded":1072198.05,"Unit":"Euro"},{"_id":72,"Call Year":2015,"Programme":"FIRM","Research Theme":"Food Processing Technology & Engineering","Lead institution":"Teagasc","Project Title":"Thermal Or Membrane processing for Infant formula","Project Summary":"TOMI will produce infant milk formula (IMF) by cascade membrane filtration (CMF) as an alternative to thermal processing. This next generation IMF will be safe with enhanced bioaccessibility, bioavailability and digestion of proteins, peptides and fats. At present IMF undergoes rigid heat treatment to ensure microbiological safety and long shelf life. As a consequence of the special composition and the heat regimen, IMF is more prone to thermally induced degradation reactions than regular milk products. At the same time, regulations (Commission Directive 2006/141/EC) specify that IMF composition is able to satisfy (1) normal physical growth and (2) is of sufficient biological quality (adequate amounts of protein and in a form that can be utilized by infants). There is scope to improve the nutritional quality of IMF by reducing the thermal load. However this must be accomplished with a clear quantification of the benefits and without compromising safety. The objective of this project is to formulate IMF with reduced levels of thermal treatment using CMF. The process and product will be evaluated to ensure safety is not compromised. TOMI will map the fate of CMF IMF during gastro-intestinal digestion using pioneering intestinal models to investigate bioaccessibility and bioavailability of proteins, peptides and fats and compare results to thermally processed IMF. A real strength of TOMI is the use of piglets in a 28 day feeding trial to mimic the infant gut. IMF represents a particularly important food category to the Irish food sector with approximately 10% of the entire global exports of IMF manufactured in Ireland. This project addresses a primary concern of the IMF industry and has the potential to radically improve the quality of IMF produced in Ireland.","Amount Awarded":590964,"Unit":"Euro"},{"_id":73,"Call Year":2015,"Programme":"FIRM","Research Theme":"Food Processing Technology & Engineering","Lead institution":"University College Cork","Project Title":"Novel Clean label Strategies for the Nutritional and Sensory Optimisation of Reduced Salt and Fat Processed Meat Products","Project Summary":"NATRIOPT optimises processed meats through the reduction and or replacement of salt and fat using novel ingredients as replacers (eg. edible seaweeds). Potential therapeutic benefits of seaweed consumption have been reported in the management of body weight, obesity and cardiovascular diseases thus offsetting negative effects of salt and fat. There is also considerable evidence that heterogeneity of distribution of salt content (eg, two batters with different salt contents unevenly mixed or encapsulation) in processed products enhances sensory perception of salt flavour intensity. Additionally inclusions of aromas that suggest saltiness and fat/creaminess can offset the sensory disadvantages of salt- and fat-reduced products and is termed Odour-induced saltiness enhancement (OISE). These will be explored along with the effects of matrix changes on flavour chemistry systems utilising advanced GC (Gas Chromatography) techniques. Salt and fat reduction has a major impact on flavour perception due to changes in the ratios of polar and non-polar flavour molecules. To date this has not been comprehensively undertaken and adds a unique dimension to the proposed project. This data, captured from state of the art GC techniques as well as sensory and consumer data will be mined using chemometrics. Thus this deep understanding of the inherent flavour chemistry systems involved in salt and fat reduction/replacement combined with affective (hedonic) sensory data will allow for the development of optimised products from both a nutritional and sensory perspective. To date UCC and AFRC have obtained very extensive experience in nutritionally optimising processed meats (PROSSLOW, MEATMATRIX) and are uniquely aligned in progressing the state of the art in this field. This is very timely considering recent negative scientific reports and media attention concerning processed meats. By building on existing knowledge and utilising novel natural replacers, products which are more appealing to consumers can be developed.","Amount Awarded":871795.6,"Unit":"Euro"},{"_id":74,"Call Year":2015,"Programme":"FIRM","Research Theme":"Food Chain Integrity & Safety","Lead institution":"Teagasc","Project Title":"Surveillance of Verocytotoxigenic E. coli in Ireland: A One Health Approach","Project Summary":"Ireland has the highest rate of human clinical cases of verocytotoxigenic E. coli (VTEC) in the EU, at around 15 cases per 100,000 population, compared to an EU average of 1 case per 100,000. Globally, the profile of VTEC strains causing human illness is continuing to change, and a diversity of serogroups outside the top six (O157, O26, O103, O111, O145, O104), with a variety of virulence profiles, now account for a substantial proportion of VTEC human clinical illness cases ( ~ 30% in EU in 2013, EFSA, 2015). It is not currently possible to fully define markers for human pathogenic VTEC or the factors that absolutely predict potential to cause human disease (EFSA, 2013). Nonetheless EU DG SANCO and the MS Competent Authorities are taking the view that ‘unknown risk’ does not mean ‘no risk’ and that a risk assessment is required if VTEC is recovered in a food product. This illustrates the continuing emergence and challenges posed by this diverse group on pathogens for the consumer, regulators and food business operators (FBOs). This project proposes a One Health approach to surveillance of VTEC in Ireland, with cross-sectoral collaborations across the environment, agri-food chain, veterinary and human public health. Value will be added, by linking the proposed project with other externally funded research and activities on this pathogen. The project will address key data gaps in Ireland on the prevalence and types of VTEC circulating in the agri-food chain and assessment of their human risk potential. The scientific platform to be exploited will be whole genome sequencing of Irish VTEC strains from the environment (wild-life, water, waste), food producing animals (cattle and sheep), food (raw milk cheese, sprouted seeds and fresh produce, meat), and human illness facilitating a national comprehensive comparative analysis of strains from across the total chain, in line with approaches currently being taken in other countries. The metadata on all isolates will be combined with phylogenetic information from the WGS to investigate geographical and temporal linkages and for source attribution of human VTEC isolates.","Amount Awarded":1249332,"Unit":"Euro"},{"_id":75,"Call Year":2015,"Programme":"FIRM","Research Theme":"Functional Foods & Health","Lead institution":"Teagasc","Project Title":"Generation of Functional Foods to Promote the Growth of Newly Identified Health Associated Microbes in the Gut","Project Summary":"Irish researchers have established themselves as global leaders in the gut microbiota field. It is critical that we do not now miss the opportunity to take advantage of the ever greater understanding of the composition of the human gut microbiota and its contribution to health and disease to develop new functional foods that enhance health through targeted programming of the microbiota (Thematic Research Area B.3.1). Until now, prebiotics (nondigestible food ingredients used by beneficial bacteria) were employed with a view to enhancing the growth of the classical, health promoting gut microbes (or probiotics), Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium, only. However, the application of new DNA sequencing techniques have revealed the next generation of health associated gut microbes. These include Akkermansia muciniphila (anti-obesity), Faecalibacterium prausnitzii (anti-inflammatory), Eubacterium rectale, Ruminococcus bromii and Roseburia sp. (all butyrate producers*) across a number of cohorts of the population with specific nutritional needs, including infants, young children, adolescents, obese individuals and older people. While it is relatively difficult to grow these microorganisms sufficiently well to facilitate their direct use as probiotics, it is possible to instead develop bioactives and growth substrates that can be incorporated into functional foods to encourage the growth of these microbes already naturally present (but at sub-optimal levels) in the human gut. If we do not take advantage of this knowledge immediately, we will miss an ‘once-in-a-generation’ opportunity to provide Irish industry with a key advantage in the functional food/gut health space. During the course of ‘NIHAM-Food’ (Foods for NewlyIdentifedHealthAssociatedMicrobes), bioinformatic analysis of the metabolic pathways present within these microbes (using genome sequence information that is already available) and high-throughput growth assays will be employed to identify the functional food components that will encourage their growth in the laboratory and, ultimately, within the gut. Food processing technologies will be employed to optimise the extraction and application of these nutrients and in vivo and in vitro studies will be employed to demonstrate the extent to which the components enhance the growth of these highly-desirable microbes. Ultimately, the project will lead to the development of new, value-added functional foods that enhance health and wellness throughout the lifecourse. Given that increases in proportions of A. muciniphila, F. prausnitzii, Eubacterium rectale, Ruminococcus bromii and Roseburia sp. would all benefit obese individuals, there will be a particular focus on this cohort when it comes to the human intervention Task within this project. However, it is anticipated that the functional foods developed would positively impact on the gut health on a large proportion of consumers. * butyrate production has been associated with a number of beneficial effects including maintaining gut barrier integrity, reduced artherosclerosis, lower heart attack risk as well as anti-obesity/anti-diabetes benefits","Amount Awarded":603909,"Unit":"Euro"},{"_id":76,"Call Year":2015,"Programme":"FIRM","Research Theme":"Animal Production","Lead institution":"Teagasc","Project Title":"Clean Broilers through Enhanced Farm Biosecurity, Processing Prerequisites and HACCP Based Interventions","Project Summary":"Campylobacter is the commonest bacterial cause of gastroenteritis in Ireland and Europe. In 2013 (the last year for which there is data available) there were an estimated 68,705 cases of infection in the Republic of Ireland (HPSC, 2015, EFSA, 2010a). Data from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) suggests that approximately 43% of confirmed cases are hospitalised. Moreover, although specific data is not available for Ireland, the economic burden of campylobacteriosis is reported to be in the region of £900m for the UK and €2.4bn in the EU, per annum. The handling, preparation and consumption of broiler meat accounts for approximately 20% to 30% of human campylobacteriosis cases, while 50% to 80% may be attributed to the chicken reservoir as a whole (EFSA, 2011). A public health risk reduction of at least 50% would be achieved if all broiler batches complied with microbiological criteria setting a critical limit of <1,000 (103) CFU/g neck skin (EFSA, 2011). Thus, the European Commission recently published draft legislation amending Regulation (EC) No 2073/2005 and proposing processing hygiene criteria (PHC) for the poultry sector. It is proposed that 15 birds will be randomly selected per flock, 10g of neck flap shall be taken and pooled to give 5 x 25g final samples. Within a moving window of 50 samples, no more than 5 may exceed the limit of 103 cfu/g. It is planned that this legislation be in place by September 2016. The EC are currently discussing intervention options to assist processors in achieving this target. To date EFSA have considered the use of trisodium phosphate, acidified sodium chlorite, chlorine dioxide or peroxyacid solutions. All are considered to be ‘safe’ for use and effective in achieving the Campylobacter reductions required (EFSA, 2011). The specific objective of this project is to ensure that the maximum number of birds at retail are as clean as possible thus facilitating compliance with the proposed EC Campylobacter PHC. This will be achieved by reducing neck skin Campylobacter counts on all first thin broiler batches to <103 CFU/g through the development, validation and transfer of improved biosecurity on broiler farms and more effective prerequisites (GHP) and HACCP interventions in the processing plant. The commercial cost (cost-benefit analysis) of changes in practices (eg. feeding regimes & removing thinning) and interventions (eg. freezing) to treat noncompliant birds (carcass Campylobacter counts in excess of 103 cfu/g) will also be assessed. In addition to protecting public health, our research will assist our poultry industry stakeholders in achieving compliance with the new EC Campylobacter process hygiene criterion, including preventative measures and corrective actions for FBOs if the microbiological criteria are not achieved. The project will also deliver a ‘demonstration farm’ to assist in the training of broiler farmers and a virtual Campylobacter data centre (VCDC) to manage (collate, store and analyse) the Campylobacter broiler testing data generated by the private laboratories for the 3 major poultry processors in the Republic of Ireland. The information generated, in combination with the baseline data obtained in this project, will be important in better understanding and monitoring/assessing improvement in the broiler Campylobacter issue. Finally, the research approach and outputs are specifically designed to complement and integrate into the antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) programme (undertaken at DAFM Backweston) required under new legislation in 2016 and beyond.","Amount Awarded":1117171,"Unit":"Euro"},{"_id":77,"Call Year":2015,"Programme":"FIRM","Research Theme":"FUNCTIONAL FOODS & Health","Lead institution":"University of Limerick","Project Title":"Incorporation of novel brewers’ spent grain (BSG)-derived protein hydrolysates and blended ingredient in functional foods for older adults and assessment of health benefits in vivo.","Project Summary":"Brewer’s Spent Grain (BSG) represents a substantial waste product of the Agri-Food sector. Previous and ongoing research in our laboratories has isolated protein and polyphenolic co-fractions, which have demonstrated in vitro antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects. The proposed research aims to build on this knowledge by optimising the extraction of BSG protein, phenolics, carbohydrate and lipid by methods including enzymatic extraction, solvent extraction and isoelectric precipitation. All fractions will be fully characterised by advanced chromatographic methodologies including reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography and ultra-performance liquid chromatography. It is proposed that producing a novel blended ingredient incorporating each isolated fraction would result in synergistic bioactive effects and yield an ingredient with more potent and complete health-promoting properties. All fractions produced will be initially screened for bioactivities of interest in vitro; antioxidant, immunomodulatory, anti-hypertensive, effect on adipocyte metabolism and satiety signals. This initial screening process will inform the production of a novel blended ingredient and allow the selection of samples with greatest bio-efficacy for incorporation into food formulations. These food products will be specifically tailored for the older adult cohort, being informed by national dietary databases and allowing for physiological changes occurring with aging and needs and preferences of older adults. A range of formulated foods will be analysed for their sensory acceptability using sensory trials and will evaluate texture, flavour, aroma, appearance and overall acceptability. The functional food with greatest acceptability will be selected for a human interventional trial in older adults. This randomised double-blind placebo-controlled trial will measure the effect of the functional food with BSG-derived ingredient(s) on biochemical and functional markers including blood lipids, glucose, inflammatory markers, serum glutathione, weight, body mass index, waist circumference, blood pressure and muscle strength. In the final phase of the project, in vivo findings will be further validated in vitro and mechanisms of action identified.","Amount Awarded":683937,"Unit":"Euro"},{"_id":78,"Call Year":2015,"Programme":"FIRM","Research Theme":"FUNCTIONAL FOODS & Health","Lead institution":"University College Cork","Project Title":"Development of biofortification approaches for enhanced vitamin K content of foods: proof of stability, efficacy and sensory appeal","Project Summary":"Vitamin K has important physiological functions which relate to blood coagulation (its classical role), but also bone turnover and strength, inhibition of arterial calcification, amongst others. Inadequacy of vitamin K intake is common in all age groups within the population, and this translates into under-carboxylation of key Gla-proteins, respresenting sub-clinical vitamin K deficiency – also common in the population. Clearly, there is an urgent need for food-based strategies for increased vitamin K intake so as to minimise risk of sub-clinical vitamin K deficiency. There are, however, some important hurdles which point towards the need for more creative food-based solutions. For example, vegetables and vegetable dishes are key food contributors to vitamin K intake. Promoting greater vegetable consumption in the population, across all age groups, has been a mainstay of dietary guidelines over several decades, but adherence and uptake of this advise has been challenging. Biofortification of foods with vitamin K is an important potential complementary food-based approach to addressing low vitamin K intakes in the overall population, young and old. Eggs have been shown to be an ideal vehicle for biofortication with vitamin D and cultured/farmed fish likewise. The same approach can be adopted for vitamin K, with scope to potentially increase the content of phylloquinone (vitamin K1) and/or menaquinine (vitamin K2) in eggs and cultured fish. These two foods are being used as exemplars in this project, but there are numerous foods which could be used likewise. The biofortification approach needs to be evidence-based, and this project will bring together a multidisciplinary team of human and public health nutritionists, analytical chemists, food technologists, sensory scientists, and animal nutrition and feed, poultry and culture fish specialists. This research will contribute to the development of functional food products capable of enhancing nutritional status of the consumer while assuring consumer/sensory acceptance.","Amount Awarded":533403,"Unit":"Euro"},{"_id":79,"Call Year":2015,"Programme":"FIRM","Research Theme":"Nutrition, Health & Diet-related disease","Lead institution":"University College Cork","Project Title":"National Children’s Food Consumption Survey II.","Project Summary":"The overall objective of this project is to establish for the Republic of Ireland (ROI) a nationally representative database of food consumption in children aged 5-12 years to update 2003-04 data for this group and to complement more recent data on preschool children and adults. The survey will be comparable with existing survey data in ROI and with surveys in UK (GB & NI). The ROI database will be designed to address both nutrition and food safety issues of relevance to the development and implementation of public health policy, food safety risk assessment and to the needs of the food industry. In addition to detailed data on food consumption, data will be also be collected on body weight, lifestyle, including physical activity, determinants of food choice, urine, and composition of foods and food recipes. Food composition databases will be updated and restructured to facilitate future analyses of food ingredients, packaging materials, residues, contaminants, allergens, bioactives and microorganisms. Urine samples will be stored to facilitate future analyses nutrition and metabolic indicators, markers of food intake and for estimating exposure to food chemicals. Data will be analysed to estimate intakes of foods and nutrients and compliance with dietary recommendations, to establish the prevalence of overweight and obesity, to investigate physical activity patterns and compliance with guidelines, to identify psychological, social and attitudinal determinants of food choice and eating behaviour. Salt intake will be estimated from urine excretion. Findings will be disseminated to relevant stakeholders. The project will be carried out by a multi-disciplinary research team with strong linkages to related on-going research in food and health sciences.","Amount Awarded":1242170.25,"Unit":"Euro"},{"_id":80,"Call Year":2015,"Programme":"FIRM","Research Theme":"Food Processing Technology & Engineering","Lead institution":"Teagasc","Project Title":"Developing the next generation of protein-enriched spray dried dairy powders with enhanced hydration properties","Project Summary":"There is a growing market for high protein powdered dairy ingredients. These powders are often poorly soluble, causing major problems both in manufacturing and the end-user. There is a need to develop high protein powdered ingredients optimized for quality and ease of dispersion. Little is known of the mechanism of dairy powder hydration, and new methods and data are needed to understand the key factors controlling powder hydration. New process technology will be developed to efficiently hydrate primary ingredients before spray drying. Poor hydration of high protein powders is a generic problem frequently manifested as high sediment, surface free fat/flecks and fouling of process pipelines. The standard industry-accepted test for powder solubility is based on crude sedimentation. Little is known about how powder formulation/processing affects rehydration at the molecular and particularly the nano/microstructural scales due to the complexity of powder constituents, shear forces and speed of hydration. This project is an innovative major collaboration bringing together Ireland’s leading research centres in the areas of dairy science, ingredient and process dehydration technology, photonics, and imaging expertise. New protein-enriched dairy powders will be formulated and processed using pilot-scale liquid processing and spray drying facilities. A new Industry Advisory Board, comprising Irish dairy processors will ensure industry relevance. Physico-chemical properties will be characterized at the molecular, nano- and microscales in real time using advanced spectroscopy, microscopy and high speed imaging. Prototype photonics-based sensor devices including off-line flow cells and in-line infra-red sensors will be developed to measure the pattern of dispersion and dissolution of specific constituents such as lactose, proteins and milk salts using infra-red and Raman spectroscopy. New tools will thus be developed to characterise and measure hydration of individual powder particles for the first time. Results will be used to reverse engineer new base powders optimised for rehydration.","Amount Awarded":2192740,"Unit":"Euro"},{"_id":81,"Call Year":2015,"Programme":"FIRM","Research Theme":"Food Processing Technology & Engineering","Lead institution":"Teagasc","Project Title":"Future proofing the Irish cheese-whey industry – a step change process to move Irish dairy commodities up the value chain.","Project Summary":"This project targets novel valorisation technologies, such as new fractionation designs, which fit existing production platforms, for future investment. The creation of high added value in existing product portfolios, particularly cheese and whey, will help buffer the Irish dairy industry against international market volatilities. The STEPUP project aims to revolutionise cheese and whey processing technologies in the Irish dairy industry by reversing the cheese to whey relationship in both Cheddar and Swiss type commercial processes. As such this project will develop, low temperature, scalable, cascade ceramic/organic microfiltration (MF) and ultrafiltration (UF) processes to create whey depleted recombined milks suitable for cheese making. The soluble proteins (whey/β-casein) removed prior to cheese making will provide processors with an ideal whey source which is extremely desirable for sports/nutritional products and in particular to infant formula manufacturers due to improved nutritional quality. The absorption of the whey depleted milks in custom cheeses suitable for manufacture in typical Cheddar/Swiss type plant designs, creates options for cost effective stabilisation of caseins in low operational cost (as compared to spray drying), long shelf life products (i.e. cheese). Additionally Irish cheese manufacturers will benefit from the new cheese varieties of Cheddar, Swiss and Quark style cheeses created by the STEPUP project, which will be specifically targeted for export markets, which already absorb ~172,000 tonnes of cheddar type cheese and 35,000 tonnes of speciality cheeses from Irish processors per annum. Finally removal of whey proteins before cheese manufacture will mean that subsequent whey streams will contain little or no whey proteins. However, the protein composition of whey produced by the STEPUP project will be dominated by Glycomacropeptide (GMP), which will provide Irish dairy processors with a high value, highly functional glycoprotein stream for use in staged nutritional/medical products.","Amount Awarded":599000,"Unit":"Euro"},{"_id":82,"Call Year":2015,"Programme":"FIRM","Research Theme":"FUNCTIONAL FOODS & Health","Lead institution":"University College Dublin","Project Title":"Functional foods for Optimal nutrition for healthier Ageing","Project Summary":"Osteoporosis is a major public health problem among older adults. Given the significant healthcare costs of treating osteoporosis and its consequences, new strategies to maintain better bone health in older age are urgently needed. Vitamin D and calcium have well established preventive roles against osteoporosis, but other nutritional factors are emerging, with recent evidence suggesting important protective roles for folate and the metabolically related B vitamins. We hypothesise that the beneficial effects of B-vitamins will be observed in older adults at-risk of sub-optimal B-vitamin status (either because of low dietary intakes or a genetic variant in metabolism). The aim will be to develop and test a new functional food product designed to enhance bone health in older Irish adults. We will draw on the Trinity Ulster Department of Agriculture ‘TUDA’ study, the largest database of its kind in Europe, providing comprehensive data on 5200 older Irish adults recruited from both North and South of Ireland (as part of a previous FIRM initiative with co-funding from DEL NI). We will build on our recent TUDA findings showing that those with low B-vitamin intakes (or genetic variation in folate metabolism) were at significantly higher risk of osteoporosis. In parallel studies at UCD and Ulster, we will conduct a 2-year randomised controlled trial (RCT) to demonstrate the benefit on bone health of combined low-dose B vitamins (folic acid and vitamins B12, B6 and B2) in ‘at-risk’ older people (n=228). Concurrently, in collaboration with our industrial partners, we will develop a new B-vitamin fortified drink and conduct a 4-month controlled intervention study (n=80) to test its effectiveness in optimising B-vitamin status in the target group. The research outputs anticipated from this project will benefit the Irish Agri-Food Sector via development of a new functional food with proven health benefits in meeting the specific needs of older adults.","Amount Awarded":302354,"Unit":"Euro"},{"_id":83,"Call Year":2015,"Programme":"FIRM","Research Theme":"Food Chain Integrity & Safety","Lead institution":"Teagasc","Project Title":"Research supporting the unpasteurised milk and associated cheesemaking industry from a food safety perspective","Project Summary":"Ireland’s agri-food sector accounts for approximately €24 billion of the Irish economy and the dairy industry is one of the most important, indigenous industry sectors. The abolition of milk quotas in 2015 presents the opportunity to significantly increase Ireland’s production of milk and associated added value products, for example, cheese. Ireland has an international reputation for the quality and variety of its artisan food products, including cheese made from unpasteurised milk. It is important for the entire dairy industry that this reputation is not damaged. Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop advanced analytical methodologies and risk tools to analyse the risks associated with unpasteurised milk cheese. The aim of this project is to assess microbiological (general microbiological quality and foodborne pathogens), toxicological (mycotoxins) and residue (anthelmintic drug residues) risks associated with unpasteurised milk used for cheesemaking. Exposure to such contaminants will be assessed, and appropriate advice will be given to the cheese producers in order to give research support to the industry and protect consumer health. During the project, 400 samples of unpasteurised milk and associated cheese (from at least 10 unpasteurised milk cheesemakers) will be assessed for microbiological, toxicological and residue risks.","Amount Awarded":149627,"Unit":"Euro"},{"_id":84,"Call Year":2015,"Programme":"FIRM","Research Theme":"FUNCTIONAL FOODS & Health","Lead institution":"National University of Ireland Galway","Project Title":"Seaweed-Microbe Interactions to enhance bioactive yields for food applications","Project Summary":"Irish seaweeds are recognised as an important source of valuable bioactives with, e.g., antioxidant, anticancer, anti-inflammatory, antidiabetic potential for food applications. However, their chemical composition is highly variable, and fluctuates according to environmental influences. More recently, the impacts of biotic (including microbiome) impacts on algal chemical composition and associated bioactivity have been demonstrated but the implications of these impacts on algae used for food applications remain poorly understood. Additionally, storage and processing methodologies influence both directly (e.g. degradation/oxidation processes) and indirectly (through microbe-mediated processes) the food value of algal biomass. This project will assess the role of seaweed-associated bacteria in bioactive production, and potential degradation, and investigate the scope to apply naturally produced enzymes to increase bioactive yields. Project objectives are to 1) perform for the first-time a characterisation and isolation of bacteria associated with natural Irish seaweeds of food value, 2) evaluate the role of epiphytic bacteria in bioactive production by seaweeds and induced enhancement of bioactive yields, 3) assess the impact of storage and processing conditions on high value compounds in seaweed food species, and 4) assess microbial enzymatic activity with potential applications in bioactive recovery by enzyme-assistant extraction. This project combines established expertise in seaweed biology (NUI Galway; Stengel), microbial biotechnology (UCC: Dobson; NUI Galway: Fleming) and food science and chemistry (Teagasc Ashtown: Rai). It builds on existing capacity developed under the Marine Beaufort Biodiscovery Discovery Programme (http://www.qub.ac.uk/research-centres/MarineBiodiscovery/) (and NutraMara, (http://www.nutramara.ie/) as well as recent FIRM-funded projects and a recently funded ERA-net project (Marine Biotechnology) NEPTUNA (http://www.marinebiotech.eu/sites/marinebiotech.eu/files/public/NEPTUNA%20Project%20description%20ERA-MBT%20Call%201.pdf). A link between bacterial colonisation, diversity and seaweed functionality, and biochemical composition and related bioactivity will be established for selected seaweed species with recognised value to the Irish seaweed/food industry. Expected project outputs include characterisation of novel seaweed bioactives; processes to enhance bioactive levels and composition, and reduce algal biomass degradation by selecting appropriate storage methodologies; and the development of new applications in bioactive extraction technologies.","Amount Awarded":824991.94,"Unit":"Euro"},{"_id":85,"Call Year":2015,"Programme":"FIRM","Research Theme":"Food Chain Integrity & Safety","Lead institution":"National University of Ireland Galway","Project Title":"Campylobacter – Control On-farm via Prevention and Exclusion","Project Summary":"Campylobacter infections are the leading cause of gastroenteritis worldwide with poultry meat identified as the primary vector due to carcass contamination from intestinal pathogens. An estimated 2 log10 reduction of intestinal C. jejuni counts would yield a 30-fold decrease of human cases of campylobacteriosis. Extensive ongoing research to reduce flock contamination, including bio-security, vaccination, phage therapy and competitive exclusion using probiotic feed additives containing naturally occurring bacteria with bacteriocin activity, have had little impact to date. The aim of the Campyclean project is to provide poultry producers and processors with novel, safe natural biocides and cleaning treatments to reduce the prevalence and level of Campylobacter in poultry flocks. This project will capitalise on prior research projects at NUI Galway and Oilean Glas Teoranta, which identified GRAS, polysaccharide-based bioactives from seaweed with the ability to achieve a Campylobcter-limiting effect, giving a 1-3 log reduction in Campylobacter colonisation in broilers. Research with Necon Ireland Ltd. has validated the antimicrobial properties of copper/silver ionised water for the control of pathogens in hospital water systems, food-related process lines and on surfaces. The interventions proposed will address prevention (ionised water) and reduction (plant bioactives) of Campylobacter colonisation. This collaborative, inter-disciplinary and multi-sectorial proposal will translate laboratory research on these novel natural anti-microbials and water treatments to on-farm application, establish their mechanism of action, and develop effective feed and implementation methods that will add commercial and marketing value to Irish Poultry Sector, assist with EFSA, FAO and WHO targets and increase the RDI capability of two Irish SMEs.","Amount Awarded":599284,"Unit":"Euro"},{"_id":86,"Call Year":2015,"Programme":"FIRM","Research Theme":"Nutrition, Health & Diet-related disease","Lead institution":"University College Cork","Project Title":"Analysis of diet and eating behaviours in infants and young children as determinants of weight status and health outcomes for innovative product development.","Project Summary":"Irish consumers are increasingly aware of the relationship between food and health, and are embracing the concept of foods that are wholesome, clean and enhance health and wellness. Parents are particularly concerned with providing healthy foods that foster good eating habits and behaviours in early childhood, a time of rapid growth and development, which will continue into later life. The Cork BASELINE Birth Cohort study is Ireland’s first prospective cohort study which is following 1500 children from 15 weeks gestation throughout childhood. Data collected from birth onwards include biological samples, early infant feeding and nutrition and a unique longitudinal dataset, the largest to date in the world, of eating behaviours in infants and young children. Our study currently holds Ireland’s largest food consumption dataset of 2-year old children and includes biomarkers of nutrient status, prospective validated health outcome variables as well as detailed information on linear growth and body weight status. Currently, the 5-year follow-up assessments are ongoing, for completion in September 2016. The exploitation of these resources will support innovative development of foods and food ingredients to enhance the health and wellness of infants and young children and aid in the development of public health policy. The overall objective of this study is to examine diet and eating behaviours in early childhood and together with the 2-year and 5-year follow up data, investigate associations with dietary quality, nutritional intakes and nutritional status, including growth outcomes, throughout early childhood. Specifically, this project aims to: Investigate the use of follow-on and growing-up milk products and their effect on diet, nutrient intake (with a particular focus on nutrients of concern previously identified in this population subgroup, e.g. vitamin D and iron) and status as well as validated health outcomes, such as body weight in an extensively characterised paediatric cohort. Identify dietary patterns and key food groups that support healthy body weight and growth and development. Investigate longitudinal changes in eating behaviour and evaluate the impact of eating behaviour on weight status from 6 months of age up to 5 years.","Amount Awarded":69758.75,"Unit":"Euro"},{"_id":87,"Call Year":2015,"Programme":"FIRM","Research Theme":"FUNCTIONAL FOODS & Health","Lead institution":"Teagasc","Project Title":"Opportunities for functional and bioactive protein ingredients derived from co-products of the Irish meat industry – Desk Study","Project Summary":"Recovery of high value protein-rich bioactive/functional co-products from meat processing streams represents an area of significant opportunity to enhance the economic performance and improve the environmental impact of the Irish meat Industry. Several previous FIRM funded projects, and other international research efforts, have focused on developing methods for generating and extracting these compounds from natural sources, including high value-added co-products derived from meat sources. Examples of products generated include extracts with techno-functional (emulsifiers etc) or biological (heart health) properties. While clear opportunities for recovery of high value functional and bioactive co-products from these streams have been identified, one of the main challenges for technology transfer and commercialisation of these products is the lack of a robust analysis of the market and product specifications etc for such products from an Irish industry perspective. The current project proposes a comprehensive study of the opportunities for selected bioactives derived from co-products of the Irish meat industry, including an overview of the global market and its main producers, global trends, key market drivers, opportunities for small/new players, the supply chain, the competitive landscape, quality, safety and cost requirements (product specifications), available methodologies for production (processes and technologies), regulatory environment, return on investment and a SWOT analysis. As well as guiding research, knowledge generated will be critical in feeding into decisions taken at an industry or national level in how to best exploit these outcomes","Amount Awarded":90817.79,"Unit":"Euro"},{"_id":88,"Call Year":2015,"Programme":"FIRM","Research Theme":"FUNCTIONAL FOODS & Health","Lead institution":"University College Cork","Project Title":"The relation between the Human Milk Microbiome, Composition and Infant Nutrition","Project Summary":"Human breast milk (HM) is the Gold Standard feeding regime for newborn infants and represents a baseline for the functional performance of infant formulae. While many milk constituents – for example oligosaccharides, immune cells, and microbes – have been studied for decades, new analytical approaches, research findings, and paradigm shifts are rapidly providing new insights as to how they might impact both maternal and infant health. Moreover, interdisciplinary work is beginning to shed light on how these factors might be interacting in both the mammary gland and the infant’s gastrointestinal tract, and influencing the development of the gut microbiota. Establishment of the intestinal microbiota commences at birth and it plays a major role in maturation of the immune system, protection against pathogens, and the long-term metabolic welfare of the infant. In terms of infant health, it is imperative to understand how early infant nutrition influences the development of a healthy gut microbiota. This project will investigate milk compositional analysis of a large number of lactating mothers from initiation of lactation following giving birth to end of lactation (6 weeks minimum) and will include proteomics, metabolomics and the HM microbiome and will involve computational approaches to understand its complexity, effectors, and functions, as well as the analysis and role of host cells (immune and otherwise) in HM. The relationship between milk constituents and infant health will also be explored, as will the emerging area of milk genomics. Interestingly, no studies have yet been reported to reveal the evolving composition and functionality of HM over lactation, coupled with infant health and development including gut microbiota in infants exclusively fed breast milk, using next generation sequencing. The objective of this platform study is to define the composition, functional performance and microbiome of breast milk over time, using state-of-the-art analytical technology, and correlate findings with gut microbiota composition, using NGS in infants exclusively fed breast milk. The findings of this Platform Study will inform Infant Milk Formula manufacturers as to essential baseline composition, with which to compare and tailor different formulations and ingredients to mimic the biological effects of human breast milk. Thus, the project will provide new opportunities for optimisation of infant milk formula composition, with appropriate new bioactive ingredients such as milk fractions, probiotics and prebiotics to effectively programme the early infant gut microbiota in a manner resembling that of mother’s milk. In addition, the work will directly benefit Irish companies producing next-generation ingredients for IMF applications.","Amount Awarded":600307.8,"Unit":"Euro"},{"_id":89,"Call Year":2015,"Programme":"FIRM","Research Theme":"Food Chain Integrity & Safety","Lead institution":"University College Dublin","Project Title":"Foodborne Viruses in Ireland – farm to fork Investigation, Identifying Risk and mitigation Approaches for Hepatitis E Virus, Hepatitis A Virus, Norovirus & Sapovirus.","Project Summary":"Foodborne viruses pose a risk to public health and are a threat to consumer confidence in the safety of Irish food. Recent developments in testing methodologies (including the publication of International Standards for the detection of viruses in food), growing public health, consumer and industry concerns make it feasible and moreover, essential to address current deficiencies in our knowledge about the risk from viral pathogens in the Irish food chain. The aims of this project are to determine the prevalence and molecular epidemiology of Hepatitis E virus (HEV) in Irish pigs/ pig products and of Hepatitis E virus (HEV), Norovirus (NoV), Sapovirus (SoV and Hepatitis A Virus (HAV) in Irish berries and shellfish and to apply genetic sequencing techniques to investigate the association between viruses identified in the food-chain and those isolated from human infections. A HEV cell culture system will also be established to provide the foundation for future work on HEV inactivation and infectivity studies. Data generated from this research will contribute to a risk exposure assessment and will be used to identify potential control points and risk mitigation measures for viral foodborne pathogens. This collaborative project also provides a unique opportunity to build national capability in the area of food testing within three leading Irish public laboratories, the National Virus Reference Laboratory, Marine Institute and the Central Veterinary Research Laboratory. This capability, and the network of expertise developed, will provide a sustainable foundation for future work to address the emerging threat to food safety and the food industry posed by these enteric viruses.","Amount Awarded":569441,"Unit":"Euro"},{"_id":90,"Call Year":2015,"Programme":"FIRM","Research Theme":"Food Chain Integrity & Safety","Lead institution":"Cork Institute of Technology","Project Title":"Isolation, characterisation and exploitation of natural anti-yeast agents and their application as consumer‐friendly preservatives in food and beverages","Project Summary":"Yeast contamination is a problem in a wide range of food products. Yeast growth, leading to spoilage, is an important cause of economic losses in food industry. The sensorial changes that appear in spoiled food result in consumers’ complaints. Vacuum-packed cheeses and other foods/beverages stored under similaranaerobic conditions are particularly susceptible. The overall objective of this project is to characterise the anti-yeast activity of compounds either produced by protective lactic acid bacteria (LAB) or plant-derived compounds identified as defensins. We have previously identified a strong anti-mould LAB strain and the strain has been patented and licensed to Industry. As yeast inhibition was not investigated previously, the proposed project aims to isolate and characterise potential anti-yeast compounds from LAB strains including those previously shown to have anti-mould traits. These anti-yeast compounds would be chemically synthesised to unravel their inhibitory concentrations against selected yeasts. In parallel, antimicrobial peptides known as defensins would also be investigated. These are present in diverse organisms (plants, humans, insects etc). Some defensins in the scientific literature have already been shown to have inhibitory activity against yeast, and indeed one anti-yeast defensin has already been identified in our laboratory where it has been subjected to preliminary investigation against other microorganisms. Here, we propose to mainly focus here on plant defensins that can be easily extracted from seeds and or/chemically synthesised. The inhibitory activity of anti-yeast compounds from LAB and the plant defensins will be assessed both in vitro and in a range of food products (dairy, cereal products and beverages). In addition, the impact of these compounds on a wide range of product parameters will be measured. Special emphasis will be placed on product safety aspects. Challenge tests will be performed on the food products and cytotoxicity assays will be carried out as well. A comprehensive dissemination and product protection plan will be an integral part of the project.","Amount Awarded":421200,"Unit":"Euro"},{"_id":91,"Call Year":2015,"Programme":"FIRM","Research Theme":"FUNCTIONAL FOODS & Health","Lead institution":"University College Dublin","Project Title":"Innovative food structures to enhance the sensory experience, the nutrient profile and nutrient bioavailability for older people.","Project Summary":"Nutriplus will grow Irish dairy capabilities to develop innovative products to target the global elderly population by developing foam and emulsion structures that are easy to chew, digest and promote nutrient bioavailability. Consumer intelligence underpinning the research will be supplied by the partner food companies. One of the key functions of the gastrointestinal tract is the ingestion, digestion and absorption of nutrients. As people age several conditions develop that limit this capability, causing poor health. In the mouth weakened teeth/gums and muscle dysmotility make chewing unpleasant and unsuccessful. In the stomach/intestine decreased secretions (acid,pepsin) reduce digestive capability leading to immunocompromisation. The national adult nutrition survey (2011) highlighted that over 65’s were below the estimated daily requirement by 85% for vitamin D, 37% for magnesium while the HSE (2008) reported that diseases of the digestive system cost the HSE 333,716 hospital bed-days. This project focuses on food structure, developing microgel stabilised foams (enriched with vitamins) and nanoemulsion/microemulsions that are easily digested providing a readily available source of vitamin D. Foam/emulsion digestion will be examined in detail, facilitating manipulation of the digestion process to favour the formation of substructures that resolubilise vitamin D improving bioavailability. Sensory science will play an integral role; firstly a pilot study will be conducted to identify the attributes most desired by the older cohort in foams and emulsions. A technique called temporal dominance of sensations will be used to record the sequence of perception of several emulsion attributes by participants. Scale-up studies will ensure processing parameters (temperature, sheer) do not degrade the emulsions functionality/sensory appeal. Human intervention studies will determine the effectiveness of the optimised foam and emulsion structures on improving vitamin D bioavailability. The emulsions will improve general health among over 65’s, the foams will target a much later lifestage who suffer from oral processing difficulties.","Amount Awarded":599950,"Unit":"Euro"},{"_id":92,"Call Year":2015,"Programme":"FIRM","Research Theme":"FUNCTIONAL FOODS & Health","Lead institution":"National University of Ireland Galway","Project Title":"Enzymes for efficient milk oligosaccharide production.","Project Summary":"This application builds upon an ongoing FIRM‐funded project “Enzymatic generation of sialylated lactose from waste whey using marine‐derived sialyltransferases” (SIALenz). Two strategies were proposed for the production of sialylated oligosaccharides for use in infant formula supplementation. One strand described in vitro reaction of sialic acid and lactose catalysed by novel animal sialyltransferases while the second strand described bacterial fermentation on lactose using a metabolically engineered Lactococcus strain. The enzymatic addition of sialic acid (Neu5Ac) to lactose cannot be achieved efficiently and with specificity by chemical synthesis. A number of studies have shown that the sialylated oligosaccharides, possess anti‐adhesive effects against certain pathogens and pro‐adhesive effects for beneficial commensal strains. Sialyllactoses are present in bovine milk but at much lower levels than in human making isolation from bovine milk an impractical option at present. A commercial necessity for the production of sialyllactoses by the in vitro approach using novel purified CHO expressed sialyltransferases is an inexpensive supply of the substrate CMP‐Neu5Ac (CMP‐activated sialic acid). We propose to use purified CMP synthetase (CMAS) to convert Neu5Ac to CMP‐Neu5Ac. Because CMP‐Neu5Ac is relatively unstable, a secondary goal is to fuse CMAS with ST6Gal1 making a complex that transfers labile CMP‐Neu5Ac directly from CMAS to ST6Gal1 thereby making 6’sialyllactose from lactose and sialic acid. In our second approach to HMO production, we propose to use the expertise gained in the SIALenz project to expand our repertoire of oligosaccharides to the production of fucosylated oligosaccharides. Fucosylated HMOs are important in shaping the infant gut microbiome and are associated with a lower risk of diarrhoea and respiratory disease. We are currently in the final stages of creating a metabolically engineered E. coli strain capable of producing 3’ and 6’‐sialyllactose. We will use a similar recombineering approach and enzymes derived from marine bacteria/non‐human pathogen sources to produce 2’fucosyllactose.","Amount Awarded":98876.95,"Unit":"Euro"},{"_id":93,"Call Year":2015,"Programme":"RSF","Research Theme":"Grass, Clover, Forage, Crops & Food Horticulture","Lead institution":"Teagasc","Project Title":"Sensing crop pathogens: A novel surveillance system for crop diseases of economic importance","Project Summary":"Ireland’s climate supports our crops to produce some of the highest yields in the world. Yet, our climate also supports several crop diseases that can destroy yields. While farmers use pesticides to control diseases, this is unsustainable due to pesticide resistance among diseases and EU legislation which is curbing pesticide use. Of relevance to barley which suffers from ‘leaf scald’ disease and potato, which suffers from PVY disease, to address this, we need to be able to accurately quantify how much/little disease is in a crop, before symptoms appear. This is the primary goal of SCOPE, which will develop nanosensors for both leaf scald and PVY to allow farmers to quickly diagnose samples in the field in a matter of minutes. As a result SCOPE will support barley and potato growers to integrate novel pest management strategies into their systems, which long term could reduce pesticide usage.","Amount Awarded":1042320,"Unit":"Euro"},{"_id":94,"Call Year":2015,"Programme":"RSF","Research Theme":"Sustainable Management of Natural Resources","Lead institution":"Teagasc","Project Title":"Farming and natural resources: Measures for Ecological Sustainability","Project Summary":"This project will identify and outline the evidence for novel, cost-effective measures to protect and enhance farmland biodiversity. These measures will increase habitat quantity, enhance habitat quality and improve ecological connectivity, from farm to landscape scale. The project will build on international research to identify new agri-environment measures appropriate to Irish conditions. We will address gaps in knowledge related to the importance of habitat quality and ecological connectivity in halting biodiversity loss and enhancing the provision of above and below ecosystem services. The results will feed into cost-benefit models to help identify measures suitable for inclusion in future iterations of agri-environment policy.Through addressing the challenges associated with protecting and enhancing biodiversity and ecosystem services, the project will help the agri-food sector achieve its objectives in relation to the development of economically and environmentally sustainable food production systems.","Amount Awarded":891022,"Unit":"Euro"},{"_id":95,"Call Year":2015,"Programme":"CoFoRD","Research Theme":"Other Forest & Misc","Lead institution":"Teagasc","Project Title":"Irish Land Use Emission and Sequestration Support Tool","Project Summary":"This project will model future land use developments in Ireland under a range of scenarios, with a view to understanding the implications for GHG emissions and carbon stocks. It brings together the expertise of researchers working in a range of disciplines, including the economics of agriculture and forestry, environmental science, forestry research and spatial analysis. The key objective will be to integrate the, heretofore independently developed, modelling capacity that these researchers have created, into a framework which allows for cross model consistency in terms of scenario assumptions and associated analysis. This will create the research capacity to address specific scenarios across a range of models in the knowledge that there will be internal and global consistency in the models’ results. The integrated modelling platform will be capable of being used as a decisions support tool for policy makers, analysing the tradeoffs between different strategic choices, which could arise from domestic or international policy options. The ultimate aim is to assist policy makers in delivering policy which can generate desirable outcomes for land use. Taking its cue from Food Wise 2025, the project will balance economic and environmental objectives for growth in the agri-food/forestry sectors. The integrated model will investigate the potential future GHGs emissions and sequestration of the agri-food and forestry sectors arising from particular strategies and the associated economic implications of particular strategies. The ultimate objective should be to manage a growth path for the agri-food and forestry sector which achieves an appropriate balance between economics growth and net carbon emissions. This will reflect constraints imposed by policy negotiations at the EU level, alongside national level priorities to be determined by government. Scenario simulations will demonstrate which scenarios for agriculture and forestry are more or less supportive of the horizon ambition of carbon neutrality in the sector by 2050.","Amount Awarded":1258875,"Unit":"Euro"},{"_id":96,"Call Year":2015,"Programme":"RSF","Research Theme":"Animal Production","Lead institution":"University College Dublin","Project Title":"Next generation approaches to improved diagnostics and molecular epidemiology for control of Mycobacterium avium subsp. Paratuberculosis","Project Summary":"Advances in bioinformatics, ‘omics technologies and computational infrastructure are opening up new research avenues in the study on infectious disease. Such Data Analytics or ‘Big Data’ approaches are becoming common in human medicine, and in this proposal we seek to open up such data-rich approaches to the study of endemic infectious diseases of livestock in Ireland. To achieve this we fill focus on Johne’s disease, caused by Mycobacterium avium subsp paratuberculosis (MAP), as our exemplar disease. The focus on Johne’s disease is driven both by the lack of effective diagnostics and control interventions for this disease, as well as to provide underpinning evidence for the Johne’s disease control programme that was launched in Ireland in 2013, which is overseen by Animal Health Ireland (AHI, Republic of Ireland) and Animal Health and Welfare Northern Ireland (AHWNI). Our project seeks to address key knowledge gaps in our understanding of MAP and Johne’s disease, including the need for increased insight into MAP transmission dynamics, improved diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers, and control systems. To achieve this we have assembled a team of highly experienced researchers from across the island of Ireland and supported by international collaborators who will address these research questions using Next generation approaches for control of MAP (NexusMAP). We will combine computational biology and high-throughput ‘omics technologies, integration of extensive datasets on animal movement, and health and geographical information systems to deliver this ambitious project. The outputs from this work will therefore help to support not only the nascent Johne’s disease control programme, but also the sustainable control of other endemic infectious diseases of livestock through the development and application of common approaches for pathogen tracking, antigen mining, data integration, and computational analysis.","Amount Awarded":1161864,"Unit":"Euro"},{"_id":97,"Call Year":2015,"Programme":"RSF","Research Theme":"Sustainable Management of Natural Resources","Lead institution":"Teagasc","Project Title":"Manipulation and Integration of Nitrogen Emissions","Project Summary":"Using cutting edge techniques this project will provide greater understanding of the processes and factors control emissions of the greenhouse gas nitrous oxide (N2O). It will evaluate a range of methods to reduce N2O emissions from Irish grazed grasslands from field to farm scales. The objectives are to identify the regulators of N2O emissions and assess a range of options to reduce emissions at a range of scales using cutting edge techniques. This research will lead to reduced N2O emissions from farms while maintaining production thus will de-coupling intensification and production increase from rises in GHG emissions. This will further improve agricultural emissions intensity, GHG emissions per unit product, underpinning Bord Bia’s Origin Green Strategy of sustainable food production.","Amount Awarded":964710,"Unit":"Euro"},{"_id":98,"Call Year":2015,"Programme":"RSF","Research Theme":"Grass, Clover, Forage, Crops & Food Horticulture","Lead institution":"University College Cork","Project Title":"Small-molecule Modulators of Oomycete Calcium Channels","Project Summary":"Water moulds are fungus-like in appearance and cause disease in commercially important plants, fish and crustaceans. Late blight of potatoes is a water mould estimated to cost Irish agriculture about €10 million per annum, due to crop losses and expenditure on fungicides. Water moulds are becoming resistant to certain fungicides, whereas the use of other protective chemicals may be prohibited under upcoming EU legislation. Like all other cellular life, water moulds can respond to stimuli from their environments with increases in calcium ions, which in turn control functions like growth, reproduction, movement and death. Water moulds possess a unique type of ion channel, or molecular switch, which allows calcium influx and which is not found in animals or plants. The aim of this project is to develop new types of anti-water mould pesticides, which work by opening these channels, allowing toxic amounts of calcium to enter their cells.","Amount Awarded":195086,"Unit":"Euro"},{"_id":99,"Call Year":2015,"Programme":"RSF","Research Theme":"Animal Production","Lead institution":"Teagasc","Project Title":"Feasible phenotyping strategies for efficient and effective genetic gain in difficult-to-measure traits in cattle and sheep","Project Summary":"Successful breeding programs are currently predicated on access to vast quantities of phenotypicinformation. The introduction of genomic information into genetic evaluations, however, requires are-assessment of strategies to achieve accurate genetic evaluations. The objective of this two-yearfeasibility study is to generate an all-encompassing report (and publicly available tools) to guide Irish(and global) dairy, beef and sheep (and other) sectors on realising the best return on investment inphenotyping (and genomic) strategies for achieving accurate genetic evaluations, especially fordifficult-to-measure traits. Although emphasis in the project is predominantly on feed intake andanimal health, the approaches developed will be sufficiently generic to be applicable to all traits inmost species. The objectives of FENOTYPING will be achieved through 1) evaluation of alternativefamily-based phenotyping strategies (e.g., phenotyping the animal itself or its ancestors or cousins,or a combination of all) complemented with genomic information, 2) assessment of theperformance, ease-of-use, and cost of available tools for the gold standard measurement of feedintake, 3) the potential of international collaboration in the exchange of phenotypic data to achieveaccurate genetic evaluations for feed intake and health, 4) strategies to, and benefits of, includingdifficult-to-measure traits in (Irish) national dairy, beef and sheep breeding programs, all culminatinginto a 5) cost (Task 1, 2, 3) : benefit (Task 4) of alternative feasible phenotyping strategies fordifficult-to-measure traits. The report will provide an objective roadmap of how best to achievegenetic gain, for especially difficult-to-measure traits, but the tools developed will be sufficientlygeneric to be useful in the future to quantify the overall cost of exploiting newly developedphenotyping tools in on-going projects. The impact of this project is a more holistic and pertinentbreeding goal to achieve genetic gain at minimal cost to a self-financing breeding scheme.","Amount Awarded":133368,"Unit":"Euro"},{"_id":100,"Call Year":2015,"Programme":"RSF","Research Theme":"Animal Production","Lead institution":"University College Dublin","Project Title":"NUTRIGEN: The interaction between genotype and nutrition in high yielding dairy cows in seasonal grass based systems of milk production","Project Summary":"NutriGen aims to improve the current understanding of the complex interactions between genetics and nutrition in the high yielding dairy cow. The main objectives of the project are to identify key drivers of feed efficiency and energy balance in high yielding dairy cows and the evaluation of the impact of various nutritional strategies and genetic traits on dairy cow performance in a seasonal grass based system of milk production. This will be tested through a combination of desk top studies utilising existing research data and dairy cow nutrition experimentation to examine short and long term implications. This new knowledge will strengthen national capacity with immediate application to farm advisors, farmers and relevant policy makers. A bio economic model will be developed with the ability to conduct a detailed financial evaluation of the likely economic impact of the investigated strategies and the results will be disseminated to key stakeholders.","Amount Awarded":1145554,"Unit":"Euro"}], "fields": [{"id": "_id", "type": "int"}, {"id": "Call Year", "type": "numeric", "info": {"label": "Call Year"}}, {"id": "Programme", "type": "text", "info": {"label": "Programme"}}, {"id": "Research Theme", "type": "text", "info": {"label": "Research Theme"}}, {"id": "Lead institution", "type": "text", "info": {"label": "Lead institution"}}, {"id": "Project Title", "type": "text", "info": {"label": "Project Title"}}, {"id": "Project Summary", "type": "text", "info": {"label": "Project Summary"}}, {"id": "Amount Awarded", "type": "numeric", "info": {"label": "Amount Awarded"}}, {"id": "Unit", "type": "text", "info": {"label": "Unit"}}], "_links": {"start": "/api/3/action/datastore_search?resource_id=01799b8f-c0d2-4ec1-8f71-a6dc834b649c", "next": "/api/3/action/datastore_search?resource_id=01799b8f-c0d2-4ec1-8f71-a6dc834b649c&offset=100"}, "total": 288, "total_was_estimated": false}}