A foretaste of future developments in the food and drink sector
will be unveiled as part of the 2010 East Midlands iFestival.
Details of nine research projects being undertaken by the
region's universities which have the potential to shape the future
of the food and drink industry will be revealed.
The projects have received grant support of £445,000 for
research and development through the Food and Drink iNet's Higher
Education Collaboration Fund.
The schemes will come under the spotlight at an iShowcase event
on March 23rd at the Sir Colin Campbell Building, The University of
Nottingham Innovation Park, Nottingham.
The event is part of the 2010 East Midlands iFestival taking
place from 12th March to 23rd April, which is the largest annual
celebration of innovation in the UK and features more than 150
activities across the region. The iFestival is being co-ordinated
by East Midlands Development Agency (emda) and East Midlands
Innovation (the region's innovation council).
"For those involved in the food and drink industry, this event
provides an insight into the science that sits behind the future
innovations and technologies of the food and drink sector," said
Peter Maycock, Food and Drink iNet Director. "It's also a fantastic
opportunity to explore potential solutions to the challenges faced
by food and drink sector businesses across the East Midlands."
Among the projects being unveiled at the iShowcase event is a
research project between De Montfort University and Loughborough
University to reduce the problem of lumps in powdered food, known
as caking, which has challenged food manufacturers for decades; a
collaboration between The University of Lincoln, Nottingham Trent
University and The University of Northampton to improve heat
sealing for packaging to help reduce waste and provide higher
levels of performance by getting it right first time; a research
project by The University of Leicester and The University of
Nottingham to measure the quality and ripeness of fruit without
touching it using real time mass spectrometry; and a collaboration
between Nottingham Trent University and The University of
Nottingham to study the most common cause of bacterial food-borne
illness worldwide, campylobacter coli, in organic and free-range
poultry.
Other projects include a collaboration between Loughborough
University and The University of Nottingham to kill bugs using Cold
Atmospheric Plasma; a project between The Food Packaging Research
Laboratory at Nottingham Trent University and the University of
Lincoln to develop a new food packaging material that destroys bugs
and reduces waste; a study to look at food structure effects on
body hydration being carried out by The University of Nottingham
and Loughborough University; a collaboration between Nottingham
Trent University, The University of Nottingham and Cosmos
Biomedical Limited to assess the safety of powdered foods; and The
Silica Joint Health Supplement Project to improve welfare by
strengthening the legs of poultry, being undertaken by Nottingham
Trent University in collaboration with The University of
Nottingham.
Running from 9am to 4pm, tickets for the iShowcase event are
free. Delegates can attend all or part of the day, but must
pre-register. Visit www.eminnovation.org.uk or email
enquiries@foodanddrinkforum.co.uk for more information.
The Food and Drink iNet is aiming to foster innovation in the
region's food and drink sector by encouraging businesses to turn
new ideas into new business through the development of new
technologies and products. It's also hoping to stimulate new
processes, services and ways of working in the industry to help
boost the sector.
Funded by East Midlands Development Agency (emda), the Food and
Drink iNet is managed by a consortium, led by the Food & Drink
Forum and including Food Processing Faraday, Nottingham Trent
University, the University of Lincoln, and the University of
Nottingham.