2009 Press Releases
Milk research to improve health
17.09.2009
The health-giving properties of milk are being investigated with the aim of developing new healthy products by Food for Health Ireland, a consortium of four Irish research institutions and four dairy companies. The first meeting of the consortium takes places this week in Cork.
17.09.2009
The health-giving properties of milk are being investigated with the aim of developing new healthy products by Food for Health Ireland, a consortium of four Irish research institutions and four dairy companies. The first meeting of the consortium takes places this week in Cork.
Infant formula, dairy spreads, yogurts, cheeses and juices are some of the products that will be enhanced to help maintain health and alleviate conditions associated with serious diseases.
The consortium of research institutions includes University College Cork, University College Dublin, University of Limerick, Moorepark Food Research Centre, Teagasc and the four dairy companies involved are Carbery Group, Dairygold Co-operative Society Ltd, Glanbia plc. and Kerry Group plc.
Food for Health Ireland has started its first project, called "intelligent milk mining". In this project, milk is being analyzed by different screening technologies and decomposed into its molecular components. The researchers are using the latest, state-of-the-art methodologies like e.g. cellomics, metabolomics and bioinformatics. These modern technologies allow a much faster analysis of the milk components, leading to a significantly increased predictability of the safety and the functioning of the components.
"Once interesting, high activity components have been identified in the screening phase, they are analyzed and tested for their specific health properties," says new CEO for Food for Health Ireland, Jens Bleiel. "They may have an effect on blood glucose levels of diabetic patients, may reduce blood pressure, create satiety in consumers wanting to loose weight or better protect babies and children against diarrhoea."
Food for Health Ireland is not only applying the newest technologies but has also developed a new way of collaboration between the different research institutes across the four research centres. Furthermore, a very close relationship between research and industry has been established - a key factor if research results are to be commercialized successfully in the future. Consumer behaviour and insights are generated by the dairy companies to give guidance to the research programme so that the developed ingredients will satisfy real consumer needs.
"All these developments will respond to one of the most pressing consumer requests to the food industry," says Jens Bleiel, "that is for healthy, tasty, affordable products from natural sources."
Jens Bleiel recently took up the position of CEO of Food for Health Ireland which has its headquarters in UCC. A German, he is a business economist by training. After five years working in a management consultancy in Germany, he joined Dutch company Numico and held several management and executive functions in the baby food branch of the company (Cow&Gate, amongst other brands). His assignments brought him to Argentina, Germany and the Netherlands. After 10 years in this business with the nicest customers of the world - babies - Jens Bleiel joined Dutch multinational DSM, world market leader in vitamins and other food ingredients, where he built up the functional food business.
Food for Health Ireland is being funded by Enterprise Ireland and the dairy companies.
Picture: Mr Jens Bleiel, new CEO of Food for Health Ireland
RMcD
The consortium of research institutions includes University College Cork, University College Dublin, University of Limerick, Moorepark Food Research Centre, Teagasc and the four dairy companies involved are Carbery Group, Dairygold Co-operative Society Ltd, Glanbia plc. and Kerry Group plc.
Food for Health Ireland has started its first project, called "intelligent milk mining". In this project, milk is being analyzed by different screening technologies and decomposed into its molecular components. The researchers are using the latest, state-of-the-art methodologies like e.g. cellomics, metabolomics and bioinformatics. These modern technologies allow a much faster analysis of the milk components, leading to a significantly increased predictability of the safety and the functioning of the components.
"Once interesting, high activity components have been identified in the screening phase, they are analyzed and tested for their specific health properties," says new CEO for Food for Health Ireland, Jens Bleiel. "They may have an effect on blood glucose levels of diabetic patients, may reduce blood pressure, create satiety in consumers wanting to loose weight or better protect babies and children against diarrhoea."
Food for Health Ireland is not only applying the newest technologies but has also developed a new way of collaboration between the different research institutes across the four research centres. Furthermore, a very close relationship between research and industry has been established - a key factor if research results are to be commercialized successfully in the future. Consumer behaviour and insights are generated by the dairy companies to give guidance to the research programme so that the developed ingredients will satisfy real consumer needs.
"All these developments will respond to one of the most pressing consumer requests to the food industry," says Jens Bleiel, "that is for healthy, tasty, affordable products from natural sources."
Jens Bleiel recently took up the position of CEO of Food for Health Ireland which has its headquarters in UCC. A German, he is a business economist by training. After five years working in a management consultancy in Germany, he joined Dutch company Numico and held several management and executive functions in the baby food branch of the company (Cow&Gate, amongst other brands). His assignments brought him to Argentina, Germany and the Netherlands. After 10 years in this business with the nicest customers of the world - babies - Jens Bleiel joined Dutch multinational DSM, world market leader in vitamins and other food ingredients, where he built up the functional food business.
Food for Health Ireland is being funded by Enterprise Ireland and the dairy companies.
Picture: Mr Jens Bleiel, new CEO of Food for Health Ireland
RMcD