Science for a healthy society. Food Safety Centre. Food Databanks. Food & Health. Industrial Biotechnology. Gut Health

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1 Food Safety Centre Food Databanks Food & Health Industrial Biotechnology National Collection of Yeast Cultures Gut Health Science for a healthy society

2 A recent independent report has quantified the economic impact of IFR s research on improving health and reducing the economic burden that diet-related diseases place on our healthcare system and the wider society. Every 1 invested in IFR research funding provides a return on investment to the UK economy of over 8. * This infographic is derived from data produced by IndependentConsultants, Brookdale Consulting, June 2013.

3 Science for a healthy society The Institute of Food Research (IFR) is the only publicly funded UK research institute that focuses on the underlying science of food and health to address the global challenges of: Food Security Diet & Health Healthy Ageing Food Waste The IFR aims to be an international leader in research that addresses the fundamental relationships between food and health, food and the gut and the sustainability of the food chain in order to further the production of safe, healthy foods. The IFR receives the majority of its funding from the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC). It also receives funding from the other Research Councils, government agencies and departments, the EU, charities and industry. Europe s largest concentration of research in food, health & the environment The IFR s impact is enhanced through its location on the Norwich Research Park, one of Europe s largest single-site concentrations of research in Food, Health and Environmental Sciences. This means that it has strategic links with other Norwich Research Park partners including the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital, the John Innes Centre, The Sainsbury Laboratory, The Genome Analysis Centre, and the University of East Anglia s Schools of Biological Sciences and Environmental Sciences, as well as the Norwich Medical School. This allows for a multi-disciplinary approach to research, from sustainable food production to human health impact. The Genome Analysis Centre Centrum John Innes Centre Innovation Centre Institute of Food Research University of East Anglia Norwich Bio-Incubator The Sainsbury Laboratory Norfolk & Norwich University Hospital 1

4 Eat your way to healthy ageing Food is the UK s biggest manufacturing sector, and the IFR s research and innovation are supporting growth in this sector and the UK economy as a whole. Its research is addressing some of society s major concerns. How do we maintain a safe supply of food, with sufficient, if not better, nutrition? How can diet maintain health, and how do we maintain the health of our digestive system? How we can best reduce food waste, or exploit it to improve sustainability? How can what we eat help us age more healthily, and so reduce the burden of age-related disease on the healthcare system? Whilst lifespan in the western world has increased, the number of years we are free of chronic diseases hasn t. IFR science informs UK and EU Government policy making and the development of appropriate, science-based regulations that ensure a safe supply of food. New Centre for Food & Health Delivering a step change for food and health research and the translation of benefit to the UK economy and society Artists impression Creating a new world-leading centre for food and health research on the Norwich Research Park that integrates multidisciplinary bioscience excellence, and clinical expertise, by the end of This new state-of-the-art building will bring together the IFR, aspects of the University of East Anglia s Norwich Medical School and Faculty of Science, and embed a regional hub for clinical gastrointestinal endoscopy at the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital, and house leading-edge facilities for food intervention studies. The centre will draw together the resources of the Norwich Research Park, including the John Innes Centre and The Genome Analysis Centre to deliver a unique pipeline of food and health research, from crop research through to clinical practice, translated into new therapies and novel innovative healthy foods working in collaboration with industry. 3 partners, 1 new organisation Quality traits in cereals for improving human health Research themes Understanding how plant bioactives maintain and improve human health Nutrigenomics and integrative data analyses The impact of the gut microbiota on gastrointestinal health throughout life Changing the gut microbiota to improve or restore gastrointestinal health Molecular epidemiology of foodborne pathogens 2

5 IFR has 6 research elements : Food & health Gut health Food Safety Centre including ComBase (National Capability) Industrial Biotechnology & Exploitation of agri-food waste National Collection of Yeast Cultures (National Capability) Food Databanks (National Capability) Food & health Ensuring diets have sufficient nutritional value for health is an important part of food security. Many plant-based foods contain bioactive compounds that may help to maintain health or prevent disease. The IFR is improving our understanding of how these bioactive compounds work how they are taken up by the body and how they modify our bodies processes. We are also gathering the highest quality dietary evidence needed to improve public health, and investigating ways of developing crops or processed foods with enhanced nutritional value.the physical structure of foods is complex and changes during digestion, altering how nutrients and bioactive components are delivered to the body. We are seeking to understand the physical structure of foods and how, at the molecular level, they interact inside our bodies to deliver nutritional benefits. With this knowledge we can develop foods with enhanced nutritional and functional properties. Gut health The Institute of Food Research has a unique multidisciplinary programme of research that focuses on how the gastrointestinal (GI) tract and the microbial communities it hosts function and protect our health. The research is helping to answer fundamental questions about how the gut microbiota adapts to living in the gut, and promotes intestinal health. We are discovering how the body learns to tolerate the microbiota, as well as a constant barrage of food-derived antigens, whilst effectively responding to foodborne pathogens. We also focus on the importance of maintaining the intestinal epithelial barrier to health. We aim to use this knowledge to produce intervention strategies that will lead to a reduction of GI disease and promote a life-long healthy GI tract, leading to healthier ageing, improved public health and reduced pressure on health and social care. 3

6 Industrial biotechnology & exploitation of agri-food waste The food chain produces a variety of plant-based waste, on farms, during food processing, and from consumers. We are undertaking research to turn this waste into valuable products, including ethanol and platform chemicals. In the Biorefinery Centre, we have a collection of facilities that let us experiment at each stage of the biorefining process, up to the small pilot scale level. Our aim is to find novel or better ways of turning agri-food waste into biofuels or platform chemicals, which avoids the use of petrochemicals, reduces overall waste and boosts economic and environmental sustainability of the food chain. Food Safety Centre The Food Safety Centre, Norwich, encompasses the world-leading expertise available within the Institute of Food Research (IFR) and on Norwich Research Park in the areas of Food Microbiology and Food Security. The food chain needs to supply safe, nutritious food to an ever-increasing world population whilst addressing unacceptable levels of human illness across the globe caused by bacterial foodborne pathogens. We investigate how bacteria adapt to survive and multiply in the food chain and how they evade our defences to cause disease. Expertise includes: Bacterial Foodborne Pathogens including Clostridium botulinum, Campylobacter and Salmonella Predictive Microbiology and QMRA Microbial Epidemiology Food Authentication The main aims of the Food Safety Centre are three fold: To allow industry to benefit from and access international expertise in food safety and security To advise government departments and regulators in the areas of food safety and security To develop research collaborations with other academic institutions to maximize research in the areas of food safety and security and provide training Spoilage Investigations 4

7 Food databanks (national capability) Food Databanks manages data on the composition of foods eaten in the UK. As well as providing the nutritional information for food labelling, this data underpins research at the IFR, across Europe and beyond into the links between diet and health whilst helping to inform policy to promote a healthy lifestyle. National Collection of Yeast Cultures (national capability) The National Collection of Yeast Cultures is one of the largest yeast collections in the world, making it a valuable resource for academics as well as industry. In addition to preserving and understanding biodiversity, NCYC is using state-of-the-art techniques to characterise yeast strains for brewing and baking. NCYC is involved in IFR s research into developing biofuels and other useful compounds to replace expensive products derived from fossil fuels. ComBase (national capability) The IFR is home to 3 BBSRC supported National Capabilities. These are significant areas of knowledge, tools & expertise that are publicly funded for the benefit of the nation. ComBase is a freely available web-based system to help assess microbiological risk, estimate the shelf life of food and to optimise food formulation, production, transport and storage. It is used on a daily basis by the food industry and academics across the world. 5

8 Working with industry We work with industrial partners to deliver benefits from our research to consumers. The Food and Health Network (FHN) links IFR science with food and allied industries. It currently has around 250 corporate members in its network, including 70 SMEs. Through subject-specific Expertise Cluster meetings and confidential one-on-one meetings, FHN consults with IFR scientists and effectively channels scientific research into applications, boosting the overall economy and delivering healthier, safer foods to benefit the overall health of the nation. IFR Extra Ltd is a commercial subsidiary of the IFR, supplying short-term and applied research projects, trouble-shooting, specialist analysis and consultancy work. IFR Extra makes IFR expertise more readily available to small and medium-sized companies, as well as large multi-nationals. IFR IFR BioMed exploits our expertise in disease and associated technology and resources to work with pharma and biotech companies. Areas of focus include diagnosis and treatment of metabolic and gastrointestinal tract conditions and development of innovative therapies including targetted drug delivery systems. 6

9 International networks Establishing durable cooperation and collaboration in global research partnerships in food and health is a key objective of IFR s International Office, which facilitates international contacts, networks and activities between scientists, academics and the food industry. The IFR has formed a strategic alliance with Teagasc, Ireland s leading food and health research organisation and has strong links with other research centres across the world, including China, Brazil, New Zealand and the EU. IFR provides the secretariat for the FOODforce network of leading food research centres across Europe to share science, develop future strategies and help inform policy. It plays an active role in the European Technology Platform Food for Life, and is a founding member of the UK National Technology Platform for Food. Both of these platforms are forums for bringing together scientists and industry to share knowledge, discuss future direction and provide a communication conduit to regulators and policy makers. Facilities The Human Nutrition Unit The Human Nutrition Unit gives IFR researchers the opportunity to carry out food intervention trials with human volunteers to investigate the effects of food on human health. The Analytical Sciences Unit The Analytical Sciences Unit (ASU) provides specialist expertise and state-of-the-art equipment in bioimaging down to the nanoscale, as well as in bioinformatics, statistics and metabolite analysis. In addition to supporting science at the IFR and beyond, the ASU is developing new analytical techniques to address new and emerging food related problems, such as food authenticity. The Proteomics Facility The Proteomics facility works with IFR scientists on the identification and characterisation of proteins for a range of different applications. 7

10 Science in society IFR has a long tradition of public engagement and science communication, reflecting the importance of food in everyday life. Through its varied public engagement activities, IFR aims to raise awareness of advances in state of the art knowledge in food, diet and health research, promote wide engagement, via dialogue, on issues of public concern and inspire the next generations of researchers and citizens. A regular events programme and visits involving the general public, special interest groups and schools provide opportunities for IFR scientists to engage with the public. IFR actively connects with the news media, policy makers and industry to communicate its scientific research to the wider society, as well as inviting engagement on its work through social media. Training tomorrow s scientists 8 Training the food and health scientists of the future is an important part of IFR s mission. PhD students are hosted in research groups by world leaders in their field, with the benefit of easy access to the student life at the University of East Anglia. IFR is a partner in the Norwich Biosciences Doctoral Training Partnership Programme, which brings together the resources of the world-class research institutions on the Norwich Research Park. The IFR is also a specialised international training centre for EU PhD students and postdoctoral scientists.

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12 Norwich Research Park Colney Norwich NR4 7UA UK Tel: +44 (0) Fax: +44 (0) twitter.com/ifrscience IFR receives strategic funding from the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council December 2014