IFR to Launch Knowledge Transfer Partnership

The project is being run in partnership with Macphie of Glenbervie Ltd., an established food ingredient manufacturer who, with the Technology and Strategy Board, will fund a scientist based in the company, spending periods back at IFR conducting the research.

Oct 14 2010 --- The Institute of Food Research has developed a world leading expertise in understanding emulsions in foods, and is now to launch a new project that will transfer that knowledge into developing improved food emulsion products. The project is being run in partnership with Macphie of Glenbervie Ltd., an established food ingredient manufacturer who, with the Technology and Strategy Board, will fund a scientist based in the company, spending periods back at IFR conducting the research. 

Knowledge Transfer Partnerships such as these aim to improve the competitiveness of UK industry by transferring knowledge to companies to improve their core business activity, and to train science graduates in transferring and exploiting this knowledge.

The aim of the £150,000 project is to develop cost optimised food emulsion products based on an improved understanding of the mechanisms and chemistry behind food emulsions.  Emulsions are complex mixtures of fats, water proteins and emulsifiers and are the basis of many common food ingredients.  Running in a food manufacturing environment, the project will develop an understanding of the underlying chemistry of emulsions, informing product design and processing.  Analytical techniques will be developed to quantify the performance of alternative products. 

Working with industry ensures that, as well as effectively transferring research into application, the project will take into account cost-effectiveness, scaling up for manufacture and all of the business processes involved in the launch of new products. 

Macphie of Glenbervie is a food ingredient manufacturing company who have been producing high quality, innovative food ingredients for over 80 years.  The Institute of Food Research is an institute of the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC).