Sustainability in the Food Chain * Sustainability in the Food Chain * Institute of Food Research: Exploitation Platform

Picture: Staff from the Sustainability of the Food Chain Exploitation Platform along with visiting scientists and students (21st May 2010)

Current Personnel

Visiting Scientists & Students

  • Chris Barry - Achor International Ltd
  • Katherine Hartop - Achor International Ltd / University of East Anglia
  • Myriam Barret - IUT de la Réunion - Départment Génie Biologique, Reunion Island
  • Mark Coleman - University of East Anglia
  • Jennifer Hogan - University of East Anglia
  • Prasanna Jogdeo - University of East Anglia
  • Ildefonso Rocamora - University of Alicante, Spain
  • Pedro Novillo - University of Valencia, Spain
  • Xin Zhao
  • Anis Shobirin Meor Hussin - University Putra Malaysia
  • Isabel Martinez - University of Alicante, Spain
  • Mariangela Bagnato - University of Messina, Italy

Keith Waldron, Head of Sustainability in the Food Chain Exploitation Platform 

Dr Keith WaldronKeith is a graduate of the University of Edinburgh (Biochemistry, 1981) and University of Glasgow (PhD, 1984). After a research fellowship at the University of Glasgow, he was appointed to the IFR in 1986. He is currently a Band 4 Senior Scientist, a Fellow of the Institute of Biology, and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry. In 1999 he was a Royal Institution Scientist for the New Century. He has published widely on the topic of plant cell walls (research papers and university texts) and his research interests have focused on interpolymeric cross-links and texture of plant-based foods. Since graduating with an MBA in 2001 for which he received the Open University Ray Nelson Prize, he has devoted time and effort to understanding the potential for innovation in relation to environmental and economic sustainability. This has involved close links with the IFR Food & Health Network, particularly the Food Chain Sustainability Cluster which he leads. He has coordinated a number of national and international (EC) projects and PhD studentships, and lectures widely. He recently coordinated the EC STREP “REPRO” and leads several projects funded by the UK DTI and Defra. Keith has also been awarded an Honorary Professorship from the University of East Anglia.
Email: keith.waldron@bbsrc.ac.uk

Graham Moates, Deputy Head of Sustainability of the Food Chain Exploitation Platform

Graham is a research scientist in the exploitation platform.  He joined IFR in 1985 and has worked on a wide variety of projects to help improve our understanding of food ingredients.  His research has involved studies into the use of supercritical fluids, plant cell walls, the use of thermoplastic starch as biodegradable packaging, colloids, and ultrasonic characterisation.  He is currently involved in two workpackages within the EU-funded NovelQ project concerning life cycle assessment of food production systems and the utilisation of food wastes.
E-mail: graham.moates@bbsrc.ac.uk

Craig Faulds

Craig graduated from the University of Glasgow (BSc, Biochemistry 1984) and went on to look at the production of ligninolytic enzymes in white-rot fungi (MPhil, University of Paisley, 1989) and the enzymatic extraction of phenolic acids from agro-industrial by-products (PhD, University of East Anglia, 1997). In 1995 he was a recipient of Les Prix Céréalier des Organisations Céréalières Françaises. Craig is currently on Sabbatical at the Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas (CSIC) in Madrid with a Marie Curie Fellowship where he is looking further on the use of enzymes to extract and modify lignin, and remains a Senior Research Scientist at IFR. His Scientific Interests include the interaction between hydrolytic enzymes in the deconstruction and modification of lignocellulosic material, especially cereals and non-woody plants, the use of enzymes as novel probes to detect specific polysaccharides (EC-funded FP6 Healthgrain project), and in the up-grading of plant by-products. He has published over 80 papers looking at the biochemistry of feruloyl esterases which has led a number of national and international projects looking at applications for these enzymes.

Peter Ryden

Peter Ryden has degrees from Cambridge and the University of East Anglia in biochemistry and bioinformatics. He has extensive experience of plant cell wall fractionation, polysaccharide chemistry, and mechanical phenotyping of cell wall mutants of Arabidopsis (publication list: http://pryden.pbworks.com/).

He works on a Defra-funded project to convert lignocellulosic waste to bioalcohols in a consortium involving the British Bioalcohols Group and several industrial collaborators from throughout the supply chain.

Sam Collins

Sam is a project scientist in the IBTI project. His responsibilities also include general laboratory ‘house-keeping’, ordering of consumables and supplies for the efficient performance of the laboratory and curator responsibilities for most of the analytical equipment, particularly the chromatographic instruments.  He is responsible for analytical method development and quality assurance issues.  Sam’s academic background includes a B.Sc.(Hons.) in Chemical Physics and a MSc(taught) in Physical and Spectroscopic Methods of Chemical Analysis.  Previously, he worked for three years at the public analyst laboratory in Norwich (Lincolne, Sutton and Wood).  This was an ISO:9001, UKAS accredited laboratory with a number of private clients in addition to local authority trading standards work.
E-mail: samuel.collins@bbsrc.ac.uk

Karen Maltby

Karen provides general analytical support such as sugars analysis, phenolics and uronic acid analysis using HPLC & GC. Karen's background is in proteins and she has a B.Sc. (Hons) in Biological & Medicinal Chemistry from the University of East Anglia. Her current research activities are centred on the composting of food wastes and the use of fluorescent labels to localise pectin methyl esterase (PME) in the plant cell wall.
E-mail: karen.maltby@bbsrc.ac.uk.

Adam Elliston

Adam is a graduate of the University of Reading (Cybernetics and Control Engineering) and is about to begin his third year of a CASE Studentship Ph.D at the IFR. He is under the supervision of Keith Waldron, and also Chris Barry from his industrial sponsor Achor International Limited. Adam’s PhD is entitled “Bio-ethanol production from municipal waste”, looking at the production of bio-ethanol from the novel substrate of municipal waste. Adam is currently quantifying levels of cellulosic material available in municipal waste and also the purer substrate of waste paper and card products. As well as this, Adam has been exploring the inhibitory and dis-inhibitory effects of alcohols on the saccharification of cellulosic materials, particularly with the Simultaneous Saccharification and Fermentation (SSF) process in mind.
E-mail: adam.elliston@achor.co.uk.

Sustainability in the Food Chain Exploitation Platform Copyright Institute of Food Research Institute of Food Research