22 Mar 2005

"Nature's Robots" in Milk under the Microscope at UCC, 19-22 April

Enzymes, possibly the hardest working molecules in nature, and probably the among the most mysterious biological agents, will be the subject of an International Symposium at University College Cork from 19-22 April next. 

The Symposium, which has received significant financial support from Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) will attract delegates from all over the world and is being organised by UCC's Department of Food & Nutritional Sciences under the chairmanship of Dr Alan Kelly.

Enzymes are a special kind of protein, which play active and important roles in many biological processes, acting on other molecules to change them, build them or break them apart.  Our bodies and our cells teem with thousands of different kinds of enzymes, racing around undertaking a whole range of tasks that keep our bodies working.  They have been called 'nature's robots' for the variety and importance of their work.  For example, everyone today knows that DNA is a special kind of molecule that contains the genetic code that describes how our bodies function and carries the hereditary information that gets passed on through generations.  However, fewer people realise that this information can only be read and acted on by the action of special enzymes.  Likewise, enzymes help us to digest the food we eat, acting in our stomachs to break down our food intake to release the specific nutrients our bodies need to keep going.  In the kitchen, we use enzymes in our washing powders, to break down dirt and food stains and make our clothes clean.

Enzymes are also very important in food, and the UCC Symposium will focus on a special class of enzymes, those that are found in milk, whether from a cow or a human.  Milk contains a wide range of different types of enzyme, and the UCC event will, for the first time, gather together a host of international experts in this field to compare notes, discuss their findings, and work together to improve the quality and safety of our dairy products.

Among other topics, speakers will discuss how milk enzymes are important in the development of the flavour of cheese, in protecting milk against the growth of harmful viruses and bacteria, how enzymes can help us know if milk has been pasteurised or not, and how enzymes are important in the way milk itself is produced and secreted.  As well as internationally-recognised scientists, the symposium entitled "Indigenous Enzymes in Milk"  will be attended by representatives of the Irish and international food industries, as this is one area of science where the fundamental studies in the laboratory have a real and vital link to the activities of companies and the quality of the products they produce.

For further details, contact Dr Alan Kelly, Department of Food and Nutritional Sciences, UCC (e-mail a.kelly@ucc.ie or phone 021 4903405) or see the Symposium website at www.ucc.ie/IDFenzymes

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