Food Research Ireland - Department of Agriculture

There are 13 Institutes of Technology (IoT’s) in Ireland. Although
historically not as actively involved (owing to a heavier lecture load),
research now forms a core component of each of the institutes. The IoTs’
play an integral role in creating Ireland’s postgraduate research
community. They are particularly effective at pre-commercial research
and have strong links with industry. Some are more active/relevant than
others to the food sector e.g. Waterford, Cork, Carlow, Galway, Mayo,
Letterkenny, Dublin, Sligo and Tralee.
In order to facilitate change and embrace an internationally accepted
model on infrastructure for research, many of the principal research
bodies have embarked on a number of measures to enhance their
research and development capacity.
A key component of this infrastructural change has been the development
of highly specialised research units within the principal institutions by
concentrating existing capacity and resources. These highly equipped
research groups/units have rapidly earned international recognition for
excellence in research and have attracted international expertise and are
providing training for under- and post-graduate students to a level
unattainable in the past. Other key measures in the infrastructural
reformation has been the willingness to adopt both an intra- and interinstitutional
collaborative approach, recognising past strengths of specific
institutions, and allowing them to champion ad hoc research programmes
on a collaborative basis. These activities have provided a base of expertise
for R&D to be undertaken by industry either within company or in
collaboration with the research institutions in Ireland.
IRISH FOOD RESEARCH STRENGTHS
FOOD PROCESSING TECHNOLOGIES
Irish research institutions have significant research expertise in
processing technologies which can be accessed by all sectors of the food
industry including, dairy including infant formula, meat, cereals, fish and
shellfish, fresh-cut produce and beverages.
DAIRY Process Design and Control is ongoing in a number of centres in
Ireland. Considerable research has been conducted in the area of dairy
powder technology, in particular optimisation of the spray-drying
process, controlling powder stickiness and in developing ingredients with
characteristics suitable for a variety of processing conditions, e.g. heat
stable, flowable etc. Research is also being carried out in the area of
applications of high pressure and on-line sensors for dairy products. The
use of high pressure processing in meat has also been explored.
Non-thermal process technologies including ultrasound (US); high
intensity light pulses (HILP); ultraviolet light (UV) and high voltage pulsed
electrical fields (PEF) to provide more gentle process technologies to
preserve and extend the shelf-life of beverages and ozone are also being
investigated. Extraction technologies are also being developed. These
technologies may also be applied to meat products.
Cereal process technology focuses on optimisation of formulations and
processes for novel product development, some of which include
extrusion, fluidised bed and high shear. New healthy snack food
products are being developed from cereals for elderly consumers.
Research is ongoing on technology optimisation to minimise losses of
vitamins and minerals from fresh-cut fruits and vegetables. Antioxidant
status in processed fruits and vegetables is also being investigated. A
Hyperspectral Imaging System for the non-destructive assessment of
mushroom quality and shelf life prediction and technologies to identify
sub-standard batches of mushrooms are also the focus of Irish
researchers.
Research expertise in packaging technologies is also available including
PACK-in-MAP, a web-based software tool to help companies optimise
modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) for fresh and fresh-cut fruits and
vegetables. The optimised packaging solution can recommend the most
cost effective packaging material, gas atmosphere and temperature
conditions to extend shelf life, quality and safety of fresh-cut produce.
Food Research Ireland
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