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UCC researcher to lead project on reducing food waste using new sustainable packaging materials
Professor Joe Kerry from the School of Food and Nutritional Sciences at University College Cork (UCC) will lead a new agri-food research project aimed at improving the shelf-life of dairy products using sustainable packaging solutions. The ‘Dairy-Zap’ project has received funding of €829,237 from the Department of Agriculture, Food, and the Marine (DAFM) ‘Thematic Research Call’.
Modern plastic packaging solutions have been identified by the food industry as one of the most significant sustainability risks to the food industry. It is projected that by 2045, global annual plastic production will double, making it necessary to develop novel materials for sustainable packaging. Dairy-Zap will address issues related to both food waste, and sustainable packaging, using ‘Zein’ – a by-product of the corn and cereal industry. Zein does not require environmentally damaging chemical modification to be resistant to water damage, unlike the production of modern water-resistant products.
Dairy-Zap is one of three UCC-led projects that have received a combined €2.4m from the Department of Agriculture, Food, and the Marine (DAFM) ‘Thematic Research Call’ to deliver solutions to address significant challenges in the agri-food sector.
Project Title: Improved Shelf-Life of Dairy Products Through Zein Augmented Packaging Solutions (DAIRY-ZAP)
The Dairy-ZAP project brings together a team of researchers who expertise in food and beverage packaging development and applications, as well as expertise in material sciences, to create technologies to enhance the properties and performance of food packaging materials for sustainable application to moisture and water-sensitive food products.
Lead PI: Professor Joe Kerry, School of Food and Nutritional Sciences
Project Funding Award: €829,237
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Project Title: Federating Irish Research Infrastructures to Accelerate Development of Sustainable Bioprocesses (FEDERI)
This project will create an all-island Irish network of research organisations to overcome silos in the fields of industrial and food biotechnology. FEDERI will ensure that diverse facilities and expertise can be leveraged to accelerate research and innovation in areas such as precision fermentation, alternative foods, production of bio-based proteins and chemicals, and development of sustainable bio-based processes.
Lead PI: Professor John Morrissey, School of Microbiology and Director of the SUSFERM Fermentation Centre
Project Funding Award: €772,597
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Project Title: Thermo-Reversing Advanced Nutritional Structures as Fortification Option in Recipes for Malnutrition (TRANSFORM)
The TransForm project brings together a team of multidisciplinary researchers from food science, nutritional sciences and dietetics to develop and test novel high protein thermo-reversible hydrogels to tackle malnutrition and sarcopenia in cancer patients.
Lead PI: Dr Tom O’Callaghan, School of Food and Nutritional Sciences
Project Funding Award: €782,892
Professor John Cryan, Vice-President for Research and Innovation at UCC, said: "I would like to extend my congratulations to the UCC researchers that have received significant funding to address critical environmental, societal, and economic challenges in the agri-food sector. Aligning to our UCC Futures thematic areas of Food, Microbiome & Health, and Sustainability, these innovative projects put UCC at the forefront of developments in agri-food research and will deliver a more sustainable future for all."
Minister of State with special responsibility for Research and Development at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine Martin Heydon T.D., announced funding of €22.3 million for 21 new research projects nationally. The funding will support 48 postgraduate student positions and a further 55 postdoctoral and contract researchers across the 17 institutes receiving funding.
"This will see research work being conducted across a wide range of areas including, low emissions dairy production, carbon sequestration in agricultural soils, developing farmland nature credits, optimising oat production and processing for healthy foods, assessing the impact of deer in forestry, advancing the Irish wool sector, sustainable packaging materials, and improving shelf life of dairy products, among others", said Martin Heydon T.D.