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Institute of Food Research in 2001
May 31, 2001The social impact of food safety; genetic control of bacterial virulence; fish oils, cells and suicide; understanding food texture for improved functionality and enjoyment; these are some of the areas covered in Institute of Food Research's annual report, published today.
Highlights from the past year and plans for the future are detailed in the 38 page document, which includes some stunning false-colour images.
Food safety is a major concern for regulators, producers, processors, retailers and consumers alike. Understanding how issues surrounding food safety are perceived by the consumer is vital in effectively communicating risk issues. Research for the Food Standards Agency into public perception of food-related risk has demonstrated that the public does understand the concept of uncertainty of risk assessments, contrary to the opinions of many scientists and policy makers. The research also showed that consumers want access to the information that would allow them to make fully informed choices about food risks.
Identification of which bacterial genes are active at different stages at the life cycle will allow us to develop effective procedures for controlling the bacteria in food hosts and treating infection when it does occur. IFR has produced the first image of cell-type-specific gene expression in Salmonella during infection. The approach uses green fluorescent protein as a marker, and allows us to investigate how genes work in single bacterial cells.
Our bodies fight cancer in a number of ways, and understanding how these processes are affected by the food we eat is important in developing sound public health nutrition policies. Work at IFR has shown that an n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid found in fish oil (eicosapentaenoic acid, EPA) may assist tumour prevention in the gut by slowing the rate of cell production and increasing programmed cell death.
New methods of visualising and measuring food structure have been developed at IFR in our continuing drive to improve nutritional quality, food safety and storage performance. Infrared microscopy is being used to determine how foods react to applied stress, simulating the actions of processing, eating and even digestion. Atomic force microscopy allows us to directly visualise how cells stick together or separate during cooking.
Institute of Food Research
Identification of which bacterial genes are active at different stages at the life cycle will allow us to develop effective procedures for controlling the bacteria in food hosts and treating infection when it does occur. IFR has produced the first image of cell-type-specific gene expression in Salmonella during infection. The approach uses green fluorescent protein as a marker, and allows us to investigate how genes work in single bacterial cells.
Our bodies fight cancer in a number of ways, and understanding how these processes are affected by the food we eat is important in developing sound public health nutrition policies. Work at IFR has shown that an n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid found in fish oil (eicosapentaenoic acid, EPA) may assist tumour prevention in the gut by slowing the rate of cell production and increasing programmed cell death.
New methods of visualising and measuring food structure have been developed at IFR in our continuing drive to improve nutritional quality, food safety and storage performance. Infrared microscopy is being used to determine how foods react to applied stress, simulating the actions of processing, eating and even digestion. Atomic force microscopy allows us to directly visualise how cells stick together or separate during cooking.
Institute of Food Research
Bacteria Current Events and Bacteria News RSSFactors from common human bacteria may trigger multiple sclerosis
Current research suggests that a common oral bacterium may exacerbate autoimmune disease. The related report by Nichols et al, "Unique Lipids from a Common Human Bacterium Represent a New Class of TLR2 Ligands Capable of Enhancing Autoimmunity," appears in the December 2009 issue of The American Journal of Pathology.
Exposure to both traffic, indoor pollutants puts some kids at higher risk for asthma later
New research presents strong evidence that the "synergistic" effect of early-life exposure to both outdoor traffic-related pollution and indoor endotoxin causes more harm to developing lungs than one or the other exposure alone.
New study finds MRSA on the rise in hospital outpatients
The community-associated strain of the deadly superbug MRSA-an infection-causing bacteria resistant to most common antibiotics-poses a far greater health threat than previously known and is making its way into hospitals, according to a study in the December issue of Emerging Infectious Diseases.
Researchers establish common seasonal pattern among bacterial communities in Arctic rivers
New research on bacterial communities throughout six large Arctic river ecosystems reveals predictable temporal patterns, suggesting that scientists could use these communities as markers for monitoring climate change in the polar regions.
Biologists discover bacterial defense mechanism against aggressive oxygen
Bacteria possess an ingenious mechanism for preventing oxygen from harming the building blocks of the cell.
Saving the single cysteine: new antioxidant system found
We've all read studies about the health benefits of having a life partner. The same thing is true at the molecular level, where amino acids known as cysteines are much more vulnerable to damage when single than when paired up with other cysteines.
Beyond sunlight: Explorers census 17,650 ocean species between edge of darkness and black abyss
Census of Marine Life scientists have inventoried an astonishing abundance, diversity and distribution of deep sea species that have never known sunlight - creatures that somehow manage a living in a frigid black world down to 5,000 meters (~3 miles) below the ocean waves.
Surface bacteria maintain skin's healthy balance
On the skin's surface, bacteria are abundant, diverse and constant, but inflammation is undesirable. Research at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine now shows that the normal bacteria living on the skin surface trigger a pathway that prevents excessive inflammation after injury.
On the Trail of a Vaccine for Lyme Disease: Yale Researchers Target Tick Saliva
A protein found in the saliva of ticks helps protect mice from developing Lyme disease, Yale researchers have discovered. The findings, published in the November 19 issue of Cell Host & Microbe, may spur development of a new vaccine against infection from Lyme disease, which is spread through tick bites.
Cigarettes Harbor Many Bacteria Harmful to Human Health
Cigarettes are "widely contaminated" with bacteria, including some known to cause disease in people, concludes a new international study conducted by a University of Maryland environmental health researcher and microbial ecologists at the Ecole Centrale de Lyon in France.
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Magic School Bus World of Germs Science Kit by Young Scientist Club The World of Germs- Magic School Bus Science Kit FUN |
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Disposable EARLOOP Face MASK, Filters Bacteria 3 Ply - (Box of 50) by EVERREADY FIRST AID Tie-on surgical face mask with high bacterial filtration efficiency (BFE), low breathing resistance, soft, odorless, non-irritating, comfortable superior fit, fiberglass free. |
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Essick Air #1970 Quart Bacteria Treatment by ESSICK AIR PRODUCTS QT, Humidifier Bacteria Treatment, Helps Fight Bacteria & Algae Build Up, Keeps Water Smelling Clean, EPA Registered, For Use In All Evaporative Console & Room Size Humidifiers. |
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Enzymatic Therapy Acidophilus Pearls (90 Pearls) by Enzymatic This formula provides a combination of Acidophilus and Bididiobacterium species to support the overall health of the intestinal tract. |
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