News
15th December 2014
Probing the structure of saliva’s protective film
A study at the Institute of Food Research has shown how common chemicals found in foods and oral hygiene products can alter the structure of the protective film that human saliva produces. Saliva has a number of functions, one of which is to coat...
View5th December 2014
IFR announces test for detecting horse meat
Scientists at the Institute of Food Research on the Norwich Research Park have teamed up with Oxford Instruments to develop a fast, cheap alternative to DNA testing as a means of distinguishing horse meat from beef. Because horses and cattle have different digestive systems,...
View26th November 2014
The trouble with Campylobacter
The anticipated publication by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) of specific retailer’s levels of Campylobacter bacteria on chicken meat tomorrow has brought the issue back to the forefront of consumers’ minds. Campylobacter is the most frequent cause of bacterial foodborne illness in the UK,...
View14th November 2014
Over 100 delegates attended the BBSRC-sponsored Total Food 2014, an international conference on the sustainable exploitation of agri-food co-products and related biomass. Hosted by the Institute of Food Research, under the auspices of the Royal Society of Chemistry (Food Group), the conference presented the latest...
View14th November 2014
How Campylobacter exploits chicken ‘juice’ highlights need for hygiene
A study from the Institute of Food Research has shown that Campylobacter’s persistence in food processing sites and the kitchen is boosted by ‘chicken juice.’ Organic matter exuding from chicken carcasses, “chicken juice”, provides these bacteria with the perfect environment to persist in the...
View14th November 2014
New peptide identification method to cope with unexpected modifications.
Current methods of identifying proteins are based on breaking down proteins into constituent smaller peptides, and matching patterns of peptide fragments to corresponding patterns from known peptides, or to theoretical predictions of these patterns. Where a database match is not possible, de novo sequencing...
View17th October 2014
#Mylifeinscience – Charlotte Armah takes part in Twitter conversation for Black History Month
To mark Black History Month 2014, IFR scientist Charlotte Armah is taking part in a live Twitter conversation on her life in science, and her experience of diversity within UK science. Hosted by The Royal Society, the conversation follows on from a series of...
View16th October 2014
An image of a traditional British ale yeast strain from the National Collection of Yeast Cultures (NCYC) has been shortlisted as a finalist in the in the BBSRC’s Images with Impact competition. Saccharomyces cerevisiae NCYC1026 is a strain used in brewing, and is one...
View3rd October 2014
The quality of research across Norwich Research Park has been given a £12.5M endorsement from the government today with the announcement that it will fund 125 PhD students through the Norwich Research Park Doctoral Training Partnership over the next five years. This investment further...
View1st October 2014
IFR Annual Lecture: What are your individual nutritional needs?
IFR’s Annual Public Lecture is now available to view online. The Lecture was presented by Dr Wim Saris MD, Maastricht University Medical Centre, and took place on 25th September at the Assembly House in Norwich. About Prof. Wim H. M. Saris Wim H.M....
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