Latest News
- Prize-winning allergy poster
16th July 2010
Dr Thomas Aldick won a prize for his poster at the 29th Congress of the European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (EAACI2010). - How does broccoli stop prostate cancer?
13th July 2010
Light has been cast on the interaction between broccoli consumption and reduced prostate cancer risk. Researchers at IFR have found that sulforaphane, a chemical found in broccoli, interacts with cells lacking a gene called PTEN to reduce the chances of prostate cancer developing. - IFR and FHN will help create the ‘World Food Network’
8th July 2010
The Institute of Food Research, and the IFR Food and Health Network, are set to play a part in the creation of the ‘World Food Network,’ an international capabilities network based around innovation in the food sector. - Understanding Complex Emulsions
2nd July 2010
New work from the Institute of Food Research has shown how sugar beet pectin acts as an efficient emulsifier, using a technique that could be used to unravel in the finest detail how such important food ingredients work. - Award for IFR Scientist
29 June 2010
IFR post-doctoral scientist Valeria Giosafatto has been awarded a prize for her work on the enzyme transglutaminase as a biotechnological tool for the production of edible films to be used in active packaging. - HRH The Duke of York visits the Norwich Research Park
June 2010
HRH The Duke of York will be visiting the Norwich Research Park on Friday 25th June. Scientists at the Institute of Food Research will be showing The Duke of York their 'Model Gut' - Norfolk scientists launch ground-breaking hayfever research
16 June 2010
Experts at IFR, the University of East Anglia and Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital, are investigating whether yoghurt type drinks can help bring relief to hay fever summer suffering. - Public Participation Can Strengthen Food Risk Studies
13 May 2010
The inclusion of activists and members of the general public on teams of technical experts can, in some cases, beneficially expand the focus of food risk reviews, according to a new study. - Biofilm production aids Campylobacter survival
24 March 2010
Scientists at the Institute of Food Research have found a way that the foodborne pathogen Campylobacter can survive in the environment. Campylobacter is the main cause of food poisoning in Europe and America
- Adults with learning difficulties getting to grips with the science of a healthy diet
3 February 2010
An innovative project has enabled people with learning difficulties to uncover some of the science behind a healthy diet and to produce resources to share their finding with their peers. - Clostridium difficile bacteriophage endolysin technology
22 January 2010
Sarum Biosciences Limited and PBL, the UK technology management company, today announced the signing of an exclusive worldwide licence agreement which enables Sarum to develop and exploit therapeutic and diagnostic applications of a bacteriophage endolysin protein for the treatment and detection of Clostridium difficile. - A sticky solution for identifying effective probiotics
24 November 2009
Scientists have crystallised a protein that may help gut bacteria bind to the gastrointestinal tract. The protein could be used by probiotic producers to identify strains that are likely to be of real benefit to people. - Springer launches new journal of Food Digestion
13 November 2009
Springer is founding a new journal Food Digestion, dedicated to a quickly growing area of research – food science combined with the physiology of digestion. Dr Peter Wilde of the IFR is one of the editors-in-chief. - Handbook of waste management and co-product recovery in food processing (Volume 2)
11 November 2009
Prof Keith Waldron, head of the Sustainability of the Food Chain Exploitation Platform at IFR is the editor of a recently published handbook - Public sector and industry unite to attack obesity and heart disease
8 October 2009
The battle against obesity, heart disease and other diet related health problems has received a £4 Million boost with the announcement of seven new research projects. The projects, three of which involve IFR, are taking place in universities and research institutes across the UK, and are part of a partnership between two publicly-funded Research Councils and 15 companies. - National acclaim for IFR student poster
6 October 2009
Adam Elliston, a PhD student from the Institute of Food Research in Norwich, has been named a runner-up in the British Science Association Perspectives nationwide competition. - Fruit is even better for you than previously thought
27 August 2009
An international team of scientists has found that the polyphenol content of fruits has been underestimated. Polyphenol content in fruits usually refers to extractable polyphenols, but a Spanish scientist working at IFR found that nonextractable polyphenol content is up to five times higher than extractable compounds. - Genetically engineered bacteria are sweet success against IBD
21 August 2009
For the first time, scientists have used a genetically engineered “friendly” bacterium to deliver a therapy for bowel disorders such as inflammatory bowel disease. The bacterium activates a protein when exposed to a specific type of sugar, xylan. The therapy has been proven to work in animals with colitis, one of the major forms of inflammatory bowel disease. - New Discovery about Salmonella Gene Control
20 July 2009
Scientists from Ireland, the UK and Germany have discovered a new type of gene regulation in Salmonella that gives new insight into the causes of bacterial infection. The discovery of this new mechanism could eventually lead to the development of innovative therapies and reduce the levels of disease caused by Salmonella. - Institutes provide valuable experience for students
17 July 2009
Schoolchildren from across Norfolk have been gaining valuable work experience at the Norwich BioScience Institutes, giving them an idea of what it is like to work in at a leading science campus. - New national genome centre opens in Norwich
03 July 2009
A new national genome centre is being officially was opened on the Norwich Research Park. The Genome Analysis Centre (TGAC) will be officially opened by the Lord Lieutenant of Norfolk, following a keynote speech from Prof Sir John Sulston, a Nobel Prize winning scientist who had a key role in the Human Genome Project. - BBSRC institutes highlight food security to world’s science journalists
26 June 2009
BBSRC institutes highlighted the growing crisis in global food security – and how science can serve up solutions to prevent it – in a session at the World Conference of Science Journalists in Westminster on Wednesday 1st July. - Former IFR director honoured 15 June 2009
Professor David White, former director of the Institute of Food Research, has been awarded a CBE for services to biological science in the Queen's Birthday Honours List. Prof White was director at the IFR from 2004 until his retirement in March 2009. - First international workshop on the IFR Gel Cassette system 05 June 2009
The First International Workshop on the IFR Gel Cassette was held in Paris recently. The workshop attracted participants from seven countries, and heard from the different institutions around the world that are using the system in their research. - Fat to make you feel fuller 02 June 2009
Scientists have designed a fatty formulation that can make you feel fuller for longer. When the fat remains stable in the acid environment of the stomach, it empties into the small intestine more slowly and increases satiety. “This formulation could be used as an ingredient in new foods to make them more filling, which in turn could help reduce overconsumption of calories,” said IFR's Dr Martin Wickham. - Jungle yeast 21 May 2009
A new species of yeast has been discovered deep in the Amazon jungle. In a paper published on-line in FEMS Yeast Research, IFR scientists and colleagues from Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador describe the novel characteristics of Candida carvajalis sp. nov. - Salmonella's sweet tooth predicts its downfall 19-May-09
For the first time UK scientists have shown what the food poisoning bug Salmonella feeds on to survive as it causes infection: glucose. Their discovery of Salmonella’s weakness for sugar could provide a new way to vaccinate against it. The discovery could also lead to vaccine strains to protect against other disease-causing bacteria, including superbugs. - New IFR website launched April 2009
IFR is a world leader in research into harnessing food for health and controlling food-related diseases, based on the Norwich Research Park. Its new website was launch over the weekend of 25th/26th April. - Rhythmic genomics - the yeast metronome and the walk of life 7-Apr-09
New genome sequence information from the humble baker’s yeast has revealed surprising variation in a set of genes that can be thought of as nature’s oldest clock. In a paper published in Genome Research scientists show how ribosomal RNA genes that are essential to all Earth's organisms provide insight into how genomes maintain their integrity on their evolutionary journey. - New national Genome Centre to underpin food security & animal health
2-Apr-09
A new national centre to analyse plant, animal and microbial genomes has been announced by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC). The Genome Analysis Centre (TGAC) will be based on the Norwich Research Park and will provide genome sequencing to underpin advances to improve food security, to protect UK agriculture from exotic animal disease and exploit weaknesses in microbes to develop new ways to kill superbugs. - National Science and Engineering Week 4-Mar-09
March 6th sees the start of The British Science Association’s National Science and Engineering Week, and as part of this the Institute of Food Research and the John Innes Centre are hosting an interactive exhibition at The Forum in Norwich celebrating the 200th anniversary of the birth of Charles Darwin. They will also be showcasing the work of their young scientists, giving the chance to hear about the latest work on topics such as antibiotics and how our gut protects us from invasion. - On the Origin of Subspecies 11-Feb-09
Scientists have sequenced over seventy strains of yeast, the greatest number of genomes for any species, helping to bring the small branches of Darwin’s ‘Tree of Life’ into focus. - Support for budding scientists 4-Feb-09
Over 200 pupils from fifteen Norfolk schools came to the Norwich Research Park recently to find out what it’s really like to work in science. Students heard talks from working scientists about the highs and lows of their chosen careers, as well as getting hands-on experience. - Impact of IFR's scientists revealed 15-Jan-09
The Institute of Food Research has been ranked second in the world for the impact of its research in the area of agricultural and food sciences, according to an independent survey of published research papers over the last ten years. - New person at helm of Institute of Food Research 8-Jan-09
David Boxer, Dundee University's Vice-Principal for Research and Enterprise and Professor of Microbial Biochemistry, has been appointed as the next Director of the Institute of Food Research and Professor of Microbial Metabolism at the University of East Anglia.
Fax: +44(0)1603 507723