Building a Sustainable Food System – The Role of Bioprocessing and Fermentation Technology
The latest Food Innovation Gateways event took place at Teagasc Food Research Centre, Moorepark, on 8th November. The theme of this year’s event was Building a Sustainable Food System – The Role of Bioprocessing and Fermentation Technology. The event showcased Teagasc’s capacity and expertise in the bioprocessing space, including the newly developed Bioprocess Innovation Suite. The new infrastructure, funded by the Science Foundation Ireland, Enterprise Ireland and Teagasc aims to be a “one stop shop” for bioprocess development, optimisation and scale up.
Food Innovation Gateways is part of the Teagasc Food Technology and Knowledge Transfer Strategy to support Irish food companies. The event was attended by national and international food industry representatives, stage agencies and academic collaborators.
Director of Teagasc, Professor Frank O’Mara, opened the event. He commented “Sustainable Food Systems are at the heart of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals and FoodVision 2030 aims to make Ireland a world leader in sustainable food systems. Bioprocessing and fermentation technologies have a key role to play in contributing to improving the sustainability of the food system, and Teagasc has sought to significantly increase our capacity in the space, in terms of capital infrastructure, equipment and skills, to address some of the major challenges facing the food system.”
Chair of the organising committee and Principal Research Officer at Teagasc, Professor Olivia McAuliffe commented: We are delighted to be in a position once again to host an in-person Gateways event at Moorepark and to welcome stakeholders from across the food sector. The interest in today’s event is testament to benefits of the networking opportunities that Gateways provides, but also the specific theme is one of interest to all actors in the food system: improving the sustainability of our processes, products and systems.
Attendees heard from national and international experts across academia, industry and policy, including Professor Trine Kastrup Dalsgaard (Aarhus University, Denmark), Professor Peter de Jong (NIZO, Netherlands), Professor Thom Huppertz (FrieslandCampina, Netherlands) and Mr Patrick Barrett (Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine). Attendees had the opportunity to meet Teagasc researchers and interact with some of the latest research projects and technologies, as well as a tour of the Teagasc Food Research Centre and the onsite pilot plant, Moorepark Technology Ltd.
Professor Thom Huppertz commented: “This is what sparking and driving innovation is all about: a great setting, inspiring and challenging presentations, open discussions, and of course the interactions with a diverse audience. When you leave the event fully energized and full of ideas, you know it was a great one!”
For more information on the Bioprocess Innovation Suite, visit teagasc.ie/bioprocessing.
