RESEARCH PROJECTS
Our Current Focus
MEAT QUALITY PREDICTION
In order to meet the development requirements of rapid, non-destructive, real-time and objective detection of modern meat processing industry, novel technology has been gradually developed and applied in the field of meat products. This project will focus on meat products, and the use of untargeted methods combined with chemometrics methods to detect and evaluate the safety and quality of meat products.
OLIVE PHYTOMICROBIOME & QUALITY
This project will focus on understanding the role of the plant phytomicrobiome in crop quality and thus, indirectly, its impact on food quality using olive tree/fruit as the target. Our hypothesis is that the plant phytomicrobiome directly or indirectly controls the quality of crops and final products in a complex but not yet fully understood way. Analysing suitable olive plantations will provide evidence to the link between phytomicrobiome and at least crop quality. Potentially, the quality of crops can be improved by cleverly controlling soil phytomicrobiome.
TEA & PALM OIL: ORIGIN & SUSTAINABILITY
We’re aiming to be the first to create an analytical methodology for the authentication of Palm Oil’s origin for both Crude and Kernel Palm Oil through a combination of Mass Spectrometry methods and the measurement of stable isotope ratios, multi-elemental concentrations and metabolomic profiles to build a mechanistic understanding of the relationship between soil and plant tissue chemistry to determine geographic origin. See more below.
EMULSIONS AS PALM OIL MIMICKERS
Together with the University of Reading and Cargill, we are looking alternative emulsions using less palm oil and more sustainable environmentally friendly ingredients.
Next page under construction.
If you want to learn more about our research, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.
COMPETED PROJECTS
TEA QUALITY PREDICTION
2016-2021
Online NIR sensing to control the black tea processing in pilot scale, a very promising concept for continuous measurements in the production line.
COFFEE ORIGIN & AUTHENTICITY
2017-2018
authenticity of coffee from Brazil with collaborator Daniel Granato.
NOVEL FOOD PROCESSING
2012-2016
as part of EC FP7:Â STARTEC. Â Support tools to ensure safe, tasty and nutritious advanced ready-to-eat foods (KBBE). Â Started Feb. 2012, duration 3 years (WP leader and Principal Investigator, PI).
OLIVE OIL: METHOD VALIDATION
2018-2021
within the OLEUM project several laboratories (*n=48) all across the world took part in the biggest method validation exercise of the year. Work supervised by Paul Brereton.
IDENTIFICATION OF PALM OIL
2012-2016
This refers to the two DEFRA projects that looked at the identification of palm oil and other types of vegetable oils in food oil mixtures and in food products which was funded by DEFRA, UK.
FOOD HYPERSENSITIVITY
2014-2015
This refers to the safefood project that looked at the behaviours and practices of food hypersensitive consumers in the island of Ireland. a collaboration with Hazel Gowland, Michael Walker and Audrey Gavin (UCC).
SURVEY OF FRIDGE TEMPERATURES
2013-2014
This refers to the safefood project funded by safefood, looking at domestic fridges on the island of Ireland: temperature control, design and consumer practices.