Developing enhanced breeding methodologies for oats for human health and nutrition
Lead Research Organisation:
Heriot-Watt University
Department Name: Sch of Energy, Geosci, Infrast & Society
Abstract
Abstracts are not currently available in GtR for all funded research. This is normally because the abstract was not required at the time of proposal submission, but may be because it included sensitive information such as personal details.
Technical Summary
The demand for high quality food grade oats is increasing annually, driven by its proven health benefits and by product development by the milling and cereals industries. Despite an expanding market, the oat crop is facing increasing competition from other arable crops and that is impacting on the UK oat area grown. This project will apply the latest genetic tools and resources, including genomic selection, to improve key traits that will increase the production and utilisation of oats, and to enhance grain yield, quality and composition. These are increasingly important traits for the UK oat milling industry to fully exploit the nutritional characteristics of the oat grain and key economic drivers for product development. Optimal strategies for high throughput phenotyping and genotyping will be developed. We will establish an efficient high throughput genotyping platform for use across the breeding programme. The advantages of genomic selection over conventional breeding approaches for defined traits will be determined and practical limits established for the use of GS on a wider scale. It will use a range of unique genetic material to dissect the genetic and environmental factors contributing to yield variation and use that information in an innovative oat breeding programme. Breeding programme populations will be used to extend the range of available marker-trait assays to improve selection efficiency in early generations and ensure uniformity in late generations. Phenotyping of key traits concerned with yield, milling quality and with human health and nutrition will be conducted and the impact of changing grain quality characters (beta-glucan or starch content/type) determined. GS results will be validated and gain compared with conventional and MAS approaches on the same populations. This will dramatically increase the efficiency of breeding new varieties and identify regions of the genome associated with key traits through detailed stakeholder discussions.
Planned Impact
The major beneficiaries of this research will be:
Plant breeding community: Information on the application of genomic selection in an oat breeding programme will be of value to other breeders of oats and other cereal crops. Development of high throughput screens for key traits associated with milling quality, grain composition and yield that can be used at the early stages of the breeding programme necessitating lower seed quanities will enhance selection ofr yield and quality and wil be of direct benefit to genomic selection approaches but more generally would be beneficial to other breeding programmes.
Arable sector: The project will have a significant economic and environmental benefit on the arable sector. Oats are recognised as a low input cereal crop, that can be grown in arable rotations across the UK. It is an excellent break crop and therefore has a major role in sustainable arable rotations. Application of genomic selection and high throughput phenotyping to the breeding of improved oat varieties with greater yield and grain and milling quality that meets the needs of end-users and the oat value-chains will improve the economics of growing the crop and its value to the arable sector. This will ensure that oats remain a competitive crop for arable production and that the benefit of growing oats in arable rotations is realised.
Milling industry:Increasing awareness of the health benefits of eating oats, largely due to the beta-glucan content of the grain but also to other grain compositinal characteristics, is increasing the demand for oats and oat based products at a time when the oat crop is increasingly challenged by competition from other cereals. using GS approaches to increase the yield of new oat varieties will increase the financial return of growing oats and will help to ensure that the milling industry has a greater security of supply. The focus on grain quality and composition will also ensure that new varieties have the essential grain quality characteristics that ensure the economic efficiency of the mills and cost benefit. The milling industry will also benefit from the focus on grain composition which will enhance the potential of using oats for different end-uses.
Society: Direct benefit will be gained from ensuring the supply of a cereal with recognised health benefits. Enhanced yield and quality of oat varieties will improve the economics of growing oat crops and so ensure that oats, as alow input cereal remain a part of sustainable arable rotations, increasing cropping diversity.
Plant breeding community: Information on the application of genomic selection in an oat breeding programme will be of value to other breeders of oats and other cereal crops. Development of high throughput screens for key traits associated with milling quality, grain composition and yield that can be used at the early stages of the breeding programme necessitating lower seed quanities will enhance selection ofr yield and quality and wil be of direct benefit to genomic selection approaches but more generally would be beneficial to other breeding programmes.
Arable sector: The project will have a significant economic and environmental benefit on the arable sector. Oats are recognised as a low input cereal crop, that can be grown in arable rotations across the UK. It is an excellent break crop and therefore has a major role in sustainable arable rotations. Application of genomic selection and high throughput phenotyping to the breeding of improved oat varieties with greater yield and grain and milling quality that meets the needs of end-users and the oat value-chains will improve the economics of growing the crop and its value to the arable sector. This will ensure that oats remain a competitive crop for arable production and that the benefit of growing oats in arable rotations is realised.
Milling industry:Increasing awareness of the health benefits of eating oats, largely due to the beta-glucan content of the grain but also to other grain compositinal characteristics, is increasing the demand for oats and oat based products at a time when the oat crop is increasingly challenged by competition from other cereals. using GS approaches to increase the yield of new oat varieties will increase the financial return of growing oats and will help to ensure that the milling industry has a greater security of supply. The focus on grain quality and composition will also ensure that new varieties have the essential grain quality characteristics that ensure the economic efficiency of the mills and cost benefit. The milling industry will also benefit from the focus on grain composition which will enhance the potential of using oats for different end-uses.
Society: Direct benefit will be gained from ensuring the supply of a cereal with recognised health benefits. Enhanced yield and quality of oat varieties will improve the economics of growing oat crops and so ensure that oats, as alow input cereal remain a part of sustainable arable rotations, increasing cropping diversity.
Organisations
- Heriot-Watt University (Lead Research Organisation)
- UNIVERSITY OF WALES (Collaboration)
- Zero Waste Scotland (Collaboration)
- PepsiCo (Collaboration)
- Industrial Biotechnology Innovation Centre (Collaboration)
- Ursula Agriculture Limited (Collaboration)
- National Institute of Agricultural Botany (Collaboration)
Publications
Allwood J
(2019)
Rapid UHPLC-MS metabolite profiling and phenotypic assays reveal genotypic impacts of nitrogen supplementation in oats
in Metabolomics
Brooker R
(2022)
Active and adaptive plasticity in a changing climate.
in Trends in plant science
Considine MJ
(2021)
Stress effects on the reactive oxygen species-dependent regulation of plant growth and development.
in Journal of experimental botany
Jayakodi M
(2024)
Adaptive diversification through structural variation in barley
McWilliam SC
(2019)
Oat Growth Guide
Pitcairn, J.
(2017)
biorefining potential for scotland
Sandison F
(2024)
Estimation of impacts from processing pathways - Animal feed processing
Sandison F
(2022)
Does green vertical farming offer a sustainable alternative to conventional methods of production?: A case study from Scotland
in Food and Energy Security
Schreiber M
(2022)
Measuring the frequency and distribution of meiotic crossovers in homozygous barley inbred lines.
in Frontiers in plant science
| Description | Detailed metabolomic analysis of oats in a varying rate nitrogen trial identified that this route can not only be used to control gross compositional components such as protein but also more defined nutritional components such as thiamine (Vit B1) and Vitamin D3. The latter is normally only associated with oily fish intake so this could relevant to vegan diets. Also the nitrogen supplementation had a significant impact on the relative composition of saturated and unsaturated fatty acids. Besides, impacting on nutrition this also impacts upon the organoleptic experiences and raw and processed product shelf-life. The project information has also informed (horizontally) the development of the oat growth guide developed as part of the IUK project Optioat (BB/M02749X/1) |
| Exploitation Route | The findings will be of use to industry and food processors with regard to matching primary production to secondary processing and food use and consumption. The project has delivered outcomes for multiple endusers: Plant breeding community: Information has been generated on the application of genomic selection in an oat breeding programmes to facilitate a faster generation of new varieties for future climates. Arable sector: The teasing out of the factors that impact growth development and end point quality are all important to the sustainable economic and environmental benefits for on the arable sector. Oats were again identified as a low input cereal crop, that can be grown in arable rotations across the UK and is an excellent break crop and therefore has a major role in sustainable arable rotations. Milling industry:The metabolomic approach particularly impacts upon this community as it identified the specific impacts of production systems and inputs on quality and health beneficial components. Using the Innovoat developed approaches to increase the yield of new oat varieties will increase the financial return of growing oats and will help to ensure that the milling industry has a greater security of supply. The milling industry has also benefitted from the focus on grain composition which will enhance the potential of using oats for different end-uses. Society: Direct benefit will be gained from ensuring the supply of a cereal with recognised health benefits. Enhanced yield and quality of oat varieties will improve the economics of growing oat crops and so ensure that oats, as a low input cereal remain a part of sustainable arable rotations, increasing cropping diversity. |
| Sectors | Agriculture Food and Drink |
| Description | Yes. The findings and more specifically the tools and technologies developed therein have been used to generate multiple publications identified below. 1. Freitag S, Verrall SR, Pont SDA, McRae D, Sungurtas JA, Palau R, Hawes C, Alexander CJ, Allwood JW, Foito A, Stewart D, Shepherd LVT. (2017) Impact of Conventional and Integrated Management Systems on the Water-Soluble Vitamin Content in Potatoes, Field Beans, and Cereals. J Agric Food Chem. 2018 Jan 31;66(4):831-841. doi: 10.1021/acs.jafc.7b03509; 2. Foito A, Hackett CA, Stewart D, Velmurugan J, Milbourne D, Byrne SL, Barth S. (2017) Quantitative trait loci associated with different polar metabolites in perennial ryegrass - providing scope for breeding towards increasing certain polar metabolites. BMC Genet. 18(1):84. doi: 10.1186/s12863-017-0552-0. 3. McWilliam SC, Stewart D, Howarth C, Langdon T, Ober E., Clarke S. (2019). Oat Growth Guide. https://www.hutton.ac.uk/sites/default/files/files/publications/Oat-Growth-Guide.pdf 4. Allwood J, Xu Y, Martinez-Martin P, Palau R, Cowan A, Goodacre R..... Howarth C, (2019). Rapid UHPLC-MS metabolite profiling and phenotypic assays reveal genotypic impacts of nitrogen supplementation in oats.. Metabolomics : Official journal of the Metabolomic Society, 15 (3), pp. 42 The publications are significantly impactful. papers 1 and 2 underpinned the methodologies to be used in Innovoat whilst 3 &4 were directly applied to and focused on oat. The oat growth guide (3) was developed as demand for high quality UK oats for food use continues to increase, but research has indicated that there is a yield gap of approximately 4 t/ha between average and best on-farm oat yields. by pooling the effort in Innovoat and Opti-Oat, a sister Innovate UK project, a consortium of leading industry and academic partners came together to form the Opti-Oat project. This led to the development of the first UK Oat Growth Guide. This Oat Growth Guide is designed to increase understanding of winter and spring oats through crop growth and development benchmarks, with the aim of improving yield and quality to deliver a sustainable supply and maximise grower returns. The latter paper (4) took a high science deep dive to the impacts on crop production system, here nitrogen inputs, and environment on crop (oat) quality. This identified that grain quality traits displayed significant differences both between varieties and nitrogen application level. ß-glucan content, the basis of oat health claims, significantly increased with nitrogen application. Amino acid metabolism was massively upregulated by nitrogen supplementation as were total protein levels, whilst the levels of organic acids were decreased, likely due to them acting as a carbon skeleton source. Several TCA cycle intermediates were also impacted, potentially indicating increased TCA cycle turn over, thus providing the plant with a source of energy and reductant power to aid elevated nitrogen assimilation. Elevated nitrogen availability was also directed towards the increased production of nitrogen containing phospholipids. A number of both positive and negative impacts on the metabolism of phenolic compounds that have influence upon the health beneficial value of oats and their products were also observed More recently, the upswing in plan milks has meant we are now developing the concept of oat milks. There are successful business already in the area , e.g. Oatley etc, but we have been in discussion with New Zealand and Scottish farmers about an oat varieties Southern Gold L5. In NZ this has been used as a basis for Otis (https://otisoatmilk.co.nz/) oatmilk. We are working with the Scottish farmer that has the licence for UK production of Southern Gold L5 and are looking to develop a Scottish brand of oatmilk |
| First Year Of Impact | 2019 |
| Sector | Agriculture, Food and Drink |
| Impact Types | Cultural Societal Economic |
| Description | Defining barley varietal traits for climate change mitigation and adaptation with emphasis on reduced inputs and variable water |
| Amount | £105,984 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | BB/X51164X/1 |
| Organisation | Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 08/2022 |
| End | 08/2024 |
| Description | Hutton Molecular Phenotyping Centre |
| Amount | £500,000 (GBP) |
| Organisation | Garfield Weston Foundation |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 05/2023 |
| End | 06/2024 |
| Description | Moving to net zero barley production |
| Amount | £105,984 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | BB/X511699/1 |
| Organisation | Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 08/2022 |
| End | 08/2024 |
| Description | NAPIC: National Alternative Protein Innovation Centre |
| Amount | £20,000,000 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | BB/Z516119/1 |
| Organisation | Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 07/2024 |
| End | 08/2029 |
| Description | Optimising oat yield and quality to deliver sustainable production and economic impact (Opti-Oat) |
| Amount | £871,746 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | 102128 |
| Organisation | Innovate UK |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 03/2015 |
| End | 02/2019 |
| Description | Scottish Alliance for Food: Health, equity and sustainability |
| Amount | £310,915 (GBP) |
| Organisation | Government of Scotland |
| Department | Scottish Funding Council |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 03/2023 |
| End | 03/2027 |
| Description | The James Hutton Institute and Davidson Brothers (Shotts) Limited |
| Amount | £159,908 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | 511534 |
| Organisation | Innovate UK |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 03/2019 |
| End | 02/2022 |
| Description | The James Hutton Institute and Intelligent Growth Solutions Limited |
| Amount | £78,127 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | 509898 |
| Organisation | Innovate UK |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 12/2016 |
| End | 11/2018 |
| Description | ZIRON Pulse: Upscaling adoption and exploitation of a wide diversity of Iron and Zinc-rich beans by rural populations in Africa |
| Amount | £999,410 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | BB/T008865/1 |
| Organisation | Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 02/2020 |
| End | 02/2023 |
| Title | Development of LC-MS metabolomic methods for oat metabolic analysis |
| Description | LC-MS (Orbitrap) based systems have been optimized for the fully targeted analysis of a broad range of oat metabolites: metabolites implicated in the end product consumer sensory experience. A standard operating procedures has been developed. Details are: Scottish Metabolomics Network November 2018 Glasgow City College (organiser: University of Glasgow) and November 2019 Discovery Point Dundee (organiser JHI Dundee). Presented the following poster: Application of metabolomics to study the effect of nitrogen elevation on winter oat metabolite composition and quality traits: J. William Allwood, Yun Xu, Raphaelle Palau, Catherine Howarth, Athole Marshall, Roy Goodacre, Derek Stewart Abstract - Developing high quality oats is constrained by a lack of information on the impact of genetic and environmental/management factors. Current knowledge on optimal nitrogen levels is insufficient and both greater oat yields and higher quality oats could be achieved. In this study, four winter oat varieties were grown in two locations in replicated nitrogen response trials. The oats were analysed with a rapid 15 minuteC18 UHPLC gradient in conjunction with full MS and data dependent analysis (DDA) MSn. The data were chromatographically aligned and deconvolved within XCMS online and peaks putatively identified based upon accurate mass-derived molecular formula matching to multiple databases. Data visualisation/reduction approaches were applied with PCA and a novel method, t-distributed stochastic neighbourhood embedding (t- SNE). t-NE showed a greater capability in detecting sample class clusters compared to variance capture oriented methods such as PCA, however since tSNE is based on a distance matrix, the significance loadings are not directly available. Therefore, a significance test known as ANOVA simultaneous component analysis (ASCA) was applied with multiple factors, oat variety, location and nitrogen level, being investigated. The identifications of the most significant ions have been obtained from the accurate mass data, as well as MS2 and MS3 spectra obtained from DDA-MSn. Considerations of the agronomic significance of the metabolite profiling results a long with correlations to the oats physical traits is currently ongoing. |
| Type Of Material | Technology assay or reagent |
| Year Produced | 2017 |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| Impact | This has underpinned the submission of a paper based on the approach and there is interest from the major oat processing companies such as PepsiCo |
| URL | http://karl-burgess.squarespace.com/s/SMN17_delegate_pack_online_6.pdf |
| Title | oat metabolomic data base |
| Description | All the data from the multiple oat diversity, production and environment experiments have been compiled into an interrogative database for future research and paper construction |
| Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
| Year Produced | 2019 |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| Impact | The data base has been used for publications to look at the impact of nitrogen supplementation on oat productivity and quality. The database allowed shifts in metabolic networks and fluxes to be identified. This showed that application of nitrogen had a significant effect on grain yield but there was no significant difference between the response in the varieties analysed. Grain quality traits however displayed significant differences both between varieties and nitrogen application level. ß-glucan content significantly increased with nitrogen application. The UHPLC-MS approach has provided a rapid, sub 15 min per sample, metabolite profiling method that is repeatable and appropriate for the screening of large numbers of cereal samples. The method captured a wide range of compounds, inclusive of primary metabolites such as the amino acids, organic acids, vitamins and lipids, as well as a number of key secondary metabolites, including the avenanthramides, caffeic acid, and sinapic acid and its derivatives and was able to identify distinct metabolic phenotypes for the varieties studied. Amino acid metabolism was massively upregulated by nitrogen supplementation as were total protein levels, whilst the levels of organic acids were decreased, likely due to them acting as a carbon skeleton source. Several TCA cycle intermediates were also impacted, potentially indicating increased TCA cycle turn over, thus providing the plant with a source of energy and reductant power to aid elevated nitrogen assimilation. Elevated nitrogen availability was also directed towards the increased production of nitrogen containing phospholipids. A number of both positive and negative impacts on the metabolism of phenolic compounds that have influence upon the health beneficial value of oats and their products were also observed. |
| URL | https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6476850/ |
| Description | Biorefining Potential for Scotland - Mapping Bioresource arisings across Scotland |
| Organisation | Industrial Biotechnology Innovation Centre |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | As part of a collaborative effort between Zero Waste Scotland, Industrial Biotechnology Innovation Centre and Prof Stewart (funded via Innovoat and the Scottish Government) a large mapping exercise has been undertaken to too at the available bio-waste and conductor generated in Scotland with the view to realizing their potential as feedstocks for exloitation and value up-scaling into, for example, high value chemicals, ingredients etc. The finalized report "Biorefining Potential for Scotland - Mapping Bioresource arisings across Scotland" is in a draft format at the moment. In this are data for oat co-products also hence the link to Innovoat and the sister Innovate UK project Opti-Oat. As part of this collaboration Prof Stewart help set the parameters and feedstocks to be mined for and the interpretation of the final data in terms of realizing the value. Unique input from Pro Stewart related to the applications within which the wastes and coporducts could be used for product and value creation. |
| Collaborator Contribution | ZWS and IBioIC funded the project and input similar effort to that identified by Prof Stewart above. ZWS supplied significant amounts of the raw waste data from their yearly data collection systems. IBioICwere, like Prof Stewart, more involved in the feedstock valuation aspects and exploitation to products plans |
| Impact | 1. Biorefining Potential for Scotland - Mapping Bioresource arisings across Scotland Draft report 2. Biorefining Potential for Scotland - Mapping Bioresource arisings across Scotland. An excel based model that allows the user to mine the bioarisings data at local authority level across Scotland. Both the above can be classed as multidisciplinary as they involve statistics, biology, chemistry, economics and sociology |
| Start Year | 2016 |
| Description | Biorefining Potential for Scotland - Mapping Bioresource arisings across Scotland |
| Organisation | Zero Waste Scotland |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| PI Contribution | As part of a collaborative effort between Zero Waste Scotland, Industrial Biotechnology Innovation Centre and Prof Stewart (funded via Innovoat and the Scottish Government) a large mapping exercise has been undertaken to too at the available bio-waste and conductor generated in Scotland with the view to realizing their potential as feedstocks for exloitation and value up-scaling into, for example, high value chemicals, ingredients etc. The finalized report "Biorefining Potential for Scotland - Mapping Bioresource arisings across Scotland" is in a draft format at the moment. In this are data for oat co-products also hence the link to Innovoat and the sister Innovate UK project Opti-Oat. As part of this collaboration Prof Stewart help set the parameters and feedstocks to be mined for and the interpretation of the final data in terms of realizing the value. Unique input from Pro Stewart related to the applications within which the wastes and coporducts could be used for product and value creation. |
| Collaborator Contribution | ZWS and IBioIC funded the project and input similar effort to that identified by Prof Stewart above. ZWS supplied significant amounts of the raw waste data from their yearly data collection systems. IBioICwere, like Prof Stewart, more involved in the feedstock valuation aspects and exploitation to products plans |
| Impact | 1. Biorefining Potential for Scotland - Mapping Bioresource arisings across Scotland Draft report 2. Biorefining Potential for Scotland - Mapping Bioresource arisings across Scotland. An excel based model that allows the user to mine the bioarisings data at local authority level across Scotland. Both the above can be classed as multidisciplinary as they involve statistics, biology, chemistry, economics and sociology |
| Start Year | 2016 |
| Description | Optimising oat yield and quality to deliver sustainable production and economic impact (Opti-Oat) |
| Organisation | National Institute Of Agricultural Botany |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Private |
| PI Contribution | Here my team will grow oat varieties to develop a crop model and use data from commercial p-lots also to validate this. UAV systems will be trialled as a route to developing a predictive groat model for opats |
| Collaborator Contribution | This project will provide UK oat producers with world leading agronomic 'tools' to maximise grower returns and capitalise on the increasing demand for food grade oats. The objectives are 1) Develop and validate algorithms for translating visual / spectral sensor data from Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) into quantifiable crop parameters to enable growers to optimise management for yield and quality across fields; 2) develop an Oat Crop Model and associated decision support tools; 3) develop an Oat Growth Guide which will provide a reference to assess crops status against key development bench-marks. Focused dissemination of these innovative tools will increase average yields by at least 1t/ha, contribute to sustainable intensification, reduce supply risk for millers, reduce imports, catalyse product innovation & consumer access to healthy grains and stimulate milled product export. |
| Impact | Talk at Oats2020: http://www.oats2020.org/ An invited platform talk was given entitled - Oat metabolism - genetic and environmental drivers and future enhancement targets. Talk given to Quaker Oats, Chicago on the publicly available aspects of the project and Oats agriculture - what is trending and what should Quaker know. The project delivered an oat growth guide (https://www.huttonltd.com/sites/www.huttonltd.com/files/2019-06/Oat-Growth-Guide.pdf) for the many oat growers in the UK as well as an informational video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jIgnxPO_Y_A) |
| Start Year | 2015 |
| Description | Optimising oat yield and quality to deliver sustainable production and economic impact (Opti-Oat) |
| Organisation | PepsiCo |
| Country | United States |
| Sector | Private |
| PI Contribution | Here my team will grow oat varieties to develop a crop model and use data from commercial p-lots also to validate this. UAV systems will be trialled as a route to developing a predictive groat model for opats |
| Collaborator Contribution | This project will provide UK oat producers with world leading agronomic 'tools' to maximise grower returns and capitalise on the increasing demand for food grade oats. The objectives are 1) Develop and validate algorithms for translating visual / spectral sensor data from Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) into quantifiable crop parameters to enable growers to optimise management for yield and quality across fields; 2) develop an Oat Crop Model and associated decision support tools; 3) develop an Oat Growth Guide which will provide a reference to assess crops status against key development bench-marks. Focused dissemination of these innovative tools will increase average yields by at least 1t/ha, contribute to sustainable intensification, reduce supply risk for millers, reduce imports, catalyse product innovation & consumer access to healthy grains and stimulate milled product export. |
| Impact | Talk at Oats2020: http://www.oats2020.org/ An invited platform talk was given entitled - Oat metabolism - genetic and environmental drivers and future enhancement targets. Talk given to Quaker Oats, Chicago on the publicly available aspects of the project and Oats agriculture - what is trending and what should Quaker know. The project delivered an oat growth guide (https://www.huttonltd.com/sites/www.huttonltd.com/files/2019-06/Oat-Growth-Guide.pdf) for the many oat growers in the UK as well as an informational video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jIgnxPO_Y_A) |
| Start Year | 2015 |
| Description | Optimising oat yield and quality to deliver sustainable production and economic impact (Opti-Oat) |
| Organisation | University of Wales |
| Department | Institute of Biological Environmental and Rural Sciences (IBERS) |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Here my team will grow oat varieties to develop a crop model and use data from commercial p-lots also to validate this. UAV systems will be trialled as a route to developing a predictive groat model for opats |
| Collaborator Contribution | This project will provide UK oat producers with world leading agronomic 'tools' to maximise grower returns and capitalise on the increasing demand for food grade oats. The objectives are 1) Develop and validate algorithms for translating visual / spectral sensor data from Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) into quantifiable crop parameters to enable growers to optimise management for yield and quality across fields; 2) develop an Oat Crop Model and associated decision support tools; 3) develop an Oat Growth Guide which will provide a reference to assess crops status against key development bench-marks. Focused dissemination of these innovative tools will increase average yields by at least 1t/ha, contribute to sustainable intensification, reduce supply risk for millers, reduce imports, catalyse product innovation & consumer access to healthy grains and stimulate milled product export. |
| Impact | Talk at Oats2020: http://www.oats2020.org/ An invited platform talk was given entitled - Oat metabolism - genetic and environmental drivers and future enhancement targets. Talk given to Quaker Oats, Chicago on the publicly available aspects of the project and Oats agriculture - what is trending and what should Quaker know. The project delivered an oat growth guide (https://www.huttonltd.com/sites/www.huttonltd.com/files/2019-06/Oat-Growth-Guide.pdf) for the many oat growers in the UK as well as an informational video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jIgnxPO_Y_A) |
| Start Year | 2015 |
| Description | Optimising oat yield and quality to deliver sustainable production and economic impact (Opti-Oat) |
| Organisation | Ursula Agriculture Limited |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Private |
| PI Contribution | Here my team will grow oat varieties to develop a crop model and use data from commercial p-lots also to validate this. UAV systems will be trialled as a route to developing a predictive groat model for opats |
| Collaborator Contribution | This project will provide UK oat producers with world leading agronomic 'tools' to maximise grower returns and capitalise on the increasing demand for food grade oats. The objectives are 1) Develop and validate algorithms for translating visual / spectral sensor data from Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) into quantifiable crop parameters to enable growers to optimise management for yield and quality across fields; 2) develop an Oat Crop Model and associated decision support tools; 3) develop an Oat Growth Guide which will provide a reference to assess crops status against key development bench-marks. Focused dissemination of these innovative tools will increase average yields by at least 1t/ha, contribute to sustainable intensification, reduce supply risk for millers, reduce imports, catalyse product innovation & consumer access to healthy grains and stimulate milled product export. |
| Impact | Talk at Oats2020: http://www.oats2020.org/ An invited platform talk was given entitled - Oat metabolism - genetic and environmental drivers and future enhancement targets. Talk given to Quaker Oats, Chicago on the publicly available aspects of the project and Oats agriculture - what is trending and what should Quaker know. The project delivered an oat growth guide (https://www.huttonltd.com/sites/www.huttonltd.com/files/2019-06/Oat-Growth-Guide.pdf) for the many oat growers in the UK as well as an informational video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jIgnxPO_Y_A) |
| Start Year | 2015 |
| Description | Arable Scotland 2023 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | The James Hutton Institute, SRUC (Scotland's Rural College), and AHDB (the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board) welcomed the arable sector back to Balruddery Farm, Dundee on 4 July for their field-based Arable Scotland event. Built around the theme of 'Innovating for the Future', the event will looked at the pressing challenges the agricultural sector faces and how farming innovation and adaptation will be key to success across the industry. the event had a programme of activities as described below with a mixture of demontsrations and talks 9.15am - Plot Tour of RL Variety Demos 10.00am - Arable conversation: Adapting to the changing climate 11.00am - Plot Tour of RL Variety Demos 12.00pm - Arable conversation: Staying profitable on lower inputs 2.00pm - Plot Tour of RL Variety Demos 3.00pm - Arable conversation: The changing policy landscape |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| URL | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xoyS2V4dgkY |
| Description | Arable Scotland 2024 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | At the annual Arable Scotland event, this time a marquee talk/discussion forum was established to engage with stakeholders and disseminate advances (and problems) centred on arable crops. As part of this, and with respect to the RESAS SRP, talks were given on Novel and minor crops - their potential in Scotland (Prof Derek Stewart), Making soils resilient to extreme weather (Dr Kenneth Loades), The BARiTONE Barley Industrial Training Network (Prof Robbie Waugh) etc. Also a more direct and conversational engagement session was held to discuss "Which practices will create resilience in Scottish arable farming?" and "Exploring the markets in Natural Capital", the outcomes of which centred on sustainability/emissions and REACT (B5-1) |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://www.arablescotland.org.uk/programme |
| Description | BBC Radio 4 Farming today - International Barley Hub |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | Drs Kelly Houston and Tim George talked on Farming Today, on 27/01/2025, about the work at the International Barley hub including the RESAS supported activities. In this they described exploring the genetic diversity found in their collection of ancient barley varieties for traits that could be beneficial on modern farms. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2025 |
| URL | https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0027cj8 |
| Description | Barley Genome Net Meeting |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | The Barley Genome Network, a European competence network for joint development, processing and use of resources for genome research, will met on 4-5/02/2025 and included a session for PhD students and early career researchers to find out more about fellowship opportunities from members of the community who have held these positions themselves. The emeeting mainly focussed on barley science and its advancement through to impact. Issues such as the barley transcriptome, the pan-genome and barley diversification, mutagenesis as a route to determine gene function (here the genes driving malting quality), crop architecture, increasing protein content etc. The meeting stimulated many discussion and identified many opportunities for future work and collaboration. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2025 |
| URL | https://bioinfoperl.blogspot.com/2025/02/notes-on-barley-genome-net-dundee-2025.html |
| Description | Circular Economy and Agri-Food: Business opportunities that don't cost the earth |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | This was a webinar organised by the Dundee and angus Chambers of Commerce - Circular Tayside. The focus was circular economy opportunities in the agri-food sector and the possibilities it presents for profit generation. The meeting had three speakers Professor Derek Stewart- James Hutton Institute - Talked about the opportunities for circular economy and cover highly profitable markets that can be very fruitful ground for investment and recovery. In this Prof stewart talked about the potential of cereal straws (including oats) and other biomass feedstocks Iain Stirling- Arbikie Distillery - Arbikie is one of the world's rare sustainable, field-to-bottle distilleries with unique provenance and traceability due to Arbikie growing, distilling, maturing and bottling at the Arbikie Farm Distillery at Lunan Bay on Scotland's east coast. Arbikie recently launched Nàdar, the world's only climate-positive gin distilled from peas, in collaboration with Abertay University and the James Hutton Institute. During the process the peas are used to fix nitrogen in the soil and used as cattle feed after their fermentation, making this much more sustainable than wheat. Dr Jonathan Wilkin- Abertay University - Dr Jonathan Wilkin is Senior Lecturer in New Product Development and closely involved with the Food Innovation Lab in Abertay University. Having worked closely with Arbikie as well as other companies to create innovation in the food industry, he will be able to share science insights with us. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| URL | https://circulartayside.co.uk/events/circular-economy-opportunities-in-agri-food-3rd-december-11-12a... |
| Description | Discissions with Highlands and Islands Enterprise on the health benefits of oats and the potential for oat milling waste as a source of health beneficial compounds for exploitation |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | Prof Stewart attended HIE head quarters in Inverness to discuss the potential of biomass airings (organic waste) in the food and drink industries. There were 5 HIE official present. As part of this the oat supply milling and processing chain was discussed and identified as a rich and geo-concentrated source of phytochemicals that could go back into the food and drink ingredients chain |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| Description | Food Matters Live 2016 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | Food Matters Live is the UK's only cross-sector event bringing together the food and drink industry, retailers, foodservice providers, government and those working in nutrition, to enable collaboration and innovation to support a sustainable food landscape for the future. At this years event Prof Stewart manned a stand outlining his research part of which was oats based and included Innovoat. Over the period of 3 days he discussed the project with a wide range of attendees including levy boards, funders, industry, the public NGO's charities etc. All in all the research to develop enhanced breeding methodologies for oats for human health and nutrition. In particular the processing industry was very interested with this as oats are seen as a truly problem free ingredient for foods but one that brings multiple health, taste and textural benefits. The discussions did identified that there was no real market for a GM oat but this is a route not currently being pursued. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
| URL | https://www.foodmatterslive.com/ |
| Description | From field to forks: Innovating our food future through research |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | More than just a necessity, food represents a grand challenge for societies worldwide, impacting the well-being of our planet and all its inhabitants. In this interactive workshop, part of the Royal Society of Edinburgh Curious Festival, held on 11/09/2024 and attended by ~15 participants, the challenges and opportunities surrounding food were discussed by exploring new and existing viewpoints, asking questions, and evaluating priorities. The ongoing Scottish, and wider research, innovation, and collaboration was discussed including diverse voices across sectors and disciplines. The approaches to accelerating the transition toward a food future focused on health, sustainability and equity was discussed using a citizens assembly-like approach. This employed critical challenge questions and these were then discussed in terms of importance and practical implications for their delivery/resolution. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://rse.org.uk/event/from-field-to-forks-innovating-our-food-future-through-research/ |
| Description | Green Growth to Recovery: Unlocking Low Carbon Food Production in the Forth Valley |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | Around 60 people attended the webinar on Green Growth to Recovery - Unlocking Low Carbon Food Production in the Forth Valley. This was a circular economy event and in this Professor Stewart discussed cereal (including oat) straw valorisation. The 20 minute talk was followed by a question and answer session around the specifics of the feedstock, the processes to be used and scale of investment needed to realise this. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| Description | Industrial Biotechnology Innovation Centre Scientific Advisory Board dinner. Talks by members about their science activities. The audience was predominantly IB businesses. |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | As part of the Industrial Biotechnology Innovation Centre Scientific Advisory Board activities there is a planned set of activities to allow the board members to discuss their science and how it impact the centre. At this meeting (18/04/18) I talks about many projects including Innovate to a mix of ~40 academics and business representatives. the talk highlighted the place IB has in the Innovate discovery, translation and exploitation pipeline |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| Description | Industrial workshop with Ceferta Ltd |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | A full days engagement with CEFETRA Ltd. a global supplier of agricultural and food ingredients. They identified their unique position to impact vital supply chains. Underpinning their activities and those of their customers is sustainability and the development of sustainable supply chains, which will be increasingly transparent. The workshop with the 6 CEFETRA Ltdstaff on 6th November concentrated on key crops such as barley as well as more food oriented crops such as beans etc, the developing of sustainable processing approaches and the concept of speed breeding using approaches such as vertical farming. This identified a significant desire for future collaborative efforts. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | Industry workshop - Forging New Horizons: Facilitating A Successful Protein Diversification Strategy |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | As part of the Future Food-Tech event in London 02/10/2024, Professor Stewart was part of the event "Forging New Horizons: Facilitating A Successful Protein Diversification Strategy". This was a workshop with 40 industry, regulators, professional practitioners etc. The event centred on the issue of protein as the sector strives to feed the growing population more sustainably, and with more nutritious food. In terms of primary sources, the role of protein diversification and the implications for the food industry was discussed. The event was a discussion panel with inputs from the audience, wherein it was discussed how companies across the value chain are adopting and championing protein diversification as a strategy, and what more is needed for the concept of protein diversification to become reality. The outcomes of crop processing sustainability modelling were discussed as was the exploitation of new/alternative technologies such as vertical farming. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://futurefoodtechlondon.com/breakout-sessions/ |
| Description | Invited talk at a Pan Portugal project meeting: SMARTAgriFor Norte 2020 | International Symposium, Fostering science, innovation and competitiveness on the agri-food value chains. |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Undergraduate students |
| Results and Impact | I was invited to talk about Discovery science to commercial exploitation at a project that is running in the north of Portugal. The conference was SMARTAgriFor Norte 2020 | International Symposium, Fostering science, innovation and competitiveness on the agri-food value chains (21 &22/05/18). At the conference my talk included aspects of the Innovate project and how it works within a journey of discovery science to commercial exploitation. As part of the meeting there was a roundtable discussion with keynote speakers and the audience where the issues lie in identifying commercial opportunities and how these can be quickly realized and exploited. This spilled into the are of embedding entrepreneurship and how this should be taught/fostered at the academic training levels |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| URL | http://web.spi.pt/smartagrifor-norte/content/international-symposium |
| Description | Meeting with the Crown Estate Scotland |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Crown Estate Scotland (CES) is the self-financing public corporation of the Scottish Government responsible for the management of land and property in Scotland owned by the monarch 'in right of the Crown'. It was separated from the Crown Estate of the United Kingdom under the Scotland Act 2016. It is responsible for a range of rural, coastal, urban and marine assets across Scotland. The meeting with them on 30th January was to discuss common goals and areas of interest. In the meeting with the six CES representatives including their CEO, reveal issues were discussed including climate change and land use which impacts on the properties owned by CES. As part of this the change in land use with respect to how we grow crops using e.g., vertical farming, and what we crop food crops, protein crops etc were discussed as well as the implications for associated supply chain emissions. This spark a lively discussion on what CES may want to do with their land and support their tenants based on existing and possible projects with JHI |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2025 |
| Description | Next steps for policy on novel foods and alternative proteins in the UK |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | This conference examined next steps for novel foods and alternative proteins - looking at the latest sector developments, and the outlook for regulation and policy in the UK. It was an opportunity for stakeholders, regulators and policymakers to discuss priorities for the new Government, and implications for novel foods and the wider UK agri-food sector. Delegates examined the regulatory approach going forward, with plans set out by the FSA to speed up the approval process of regulated novel food products, including introducing a proposed sliding scale based on an assessment of international approvals. Practicalities for implementation were considered, looking at alignment with EU and international regulation, and implications of new regulatory processes on trade -alongside issues around cross-border regulatory divergence, reducing red tape and priorities for safety assurance of products being approved. Delegates discussed priorities for investment, as well as opportunities for innovation in the agri-food sector, following the £20.4bn allocated to DSIT in the Budget to boost UK R&D, including engineering biology scale up. We expected discussion on strategic pathways for achieving the aim of making the UK a world leader in the alternative protein industry, in light of the FSA launching a new sandbox programme to evaluate the safety for cell-cultivated products, as well as the launch of the new Regulatory Innovation Office to accelerate public access to new technologies. Attendees also considered opportunities for the sector in the context of the Government's wider policy agenda, including the potential role of novel foods and alternative proteins in food security. It came with the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology recently highlighting opportunities to utilise alternative protein sources to tackle climate change challenges, improve national health and address concerns around animal welfare. There was also a focus on strategies for encouraging consumer uptake of new protein sources, including mitigating concerns around the cost, safety and taste of new products, as well as public messaging on environmental and health benefits of alternative protein sources. With plans from the Government to invest £15m into a National Alternative Protein Innovation Centre, fronted by Prof Stewart, the NAPIC co-director., sessions discussed next steps for the UK's research strategy, with the PM signalling the intention of addressing red tape that could hamper innovation and market growth, as well as priorities for R&D, and supporting new product development and commercialisation. Further discussion examined the use of data to determine how standards in food safety and quality can be better measured and differentiated, as well as how these metrics can be applied accurately across the novel foods sector. It followed concerns raised by some stakeholders over whether measures for novel food safety can effectively communicate product transparency and encourage consumer acceptance. The work of the Scottish Government in this respect formed part of the discussion with VF a vehicle for protein crop growth and breeding forwarded. Also the consideration of emissions in the primary /secondary food supply chain were discussed with the alternative protein likely to make a large impact here for processors scope 2 and 3 emission and retailers scope 3 emissions also |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://www.westminsterforumprojects.co.uk/publication/Novel-Foods-Dec-24 |
| Description | Primary and secondary food production - the potential for alternative proteins |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | On 16/02/2024 and 18/01/2024 two workshops were held with the primary and secondary food processing industries to discuss the potential to transition to a blended protein economy with the reduction in livestock-derived protein and the emergence and evolution in alternative protein sources. The meeting attracted multinational to micro business and identified several criteria for the sector. This identified the need for protein functionality, digestibility and bioactivity. All identified a desire to deliver a more sustain protein-based product. The discussion identified the need for more suitable sustainability metrics that simple production emission and the need for more comparative metrics across protein sources. Here Prof Stewart identified the sustainability work of REACT (JHI-B5-1) in the crop processing, barley-to-drink and livestock industries and how these associated industries also wanted more nuanced metrics of sustainability. These interactions have fed into the future work of REACT and have help from a submission to the BBSRC/IUK call for a Alternative Proteins Innovation and Knowledge Centre. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | Regional Pitch ro The BioBased Industry Consortium |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | Prof Stewart was invited to the Bio-based Industries (BBI; http://biconsortium.eu/) Consortium General Assemble (15/02/17) to give a pitch on how Scotland as a region can contribute to the EU bioeconomy and particularly the foci of the BBI. As part of the this the Scottish Universities and Research institutes capacities were identified in terms of realizing the potential of bio-research. Prof Stewart gave a short presentation to the 100+ audience of industry, EU/national policy, science and EU national development stakeholders within which the bioresource of coproducts , including oats (via Innovoat), was identified as a target for valorization, business development and environmental gains via a circular economy approach can be made. The talk was very well received and discussions are underway to capture this initiative at EU and national levels via collaborative projects and grants |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| URL | http://biconsortium.eu/news/bic-general-assembly-growing-membership-deepens-bioeconomy-cooperation |
| Description | Scotland Food and Drink - Net Zero External Advisory Group |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | The Net Zero Programme is providing guidance and support to the Scottish food and drink industry on its journey to net zero. The programme is hosted by the Food and Drink Federation (FDF) Scotland on behalf of the Scotland Food & Drink Partnership. As part of this there is a Net Zero External Advisory Group that meets regularly to collect information on innovations and problems around the Scottish Food sectors journey to net zero. At the meeting on 5th February Prof Stewart talks to the Advisory Group about the National Alternative Protein Innovation Centre (BB/Z516119/1) and Scottish Government research into supply chain emissions (RESAS B5-1), and vertical farming (RESAS B1-6) as a sustainable route to crop, food and ingredient production. The talks was followed by a deep discussion on the existing and potential outcomes of the projects and how they can be integrated into the groups vision and outcomes. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2025 |
| URL | https://foodanddrink.scot/helping-business/services/net-zero-and-the-environment/ |
| Description | Scottish Alliance for food Annual event |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | THE SCAF, funded by SFC, was set up to bring together different perspectives from social, natural, formal and applied sciences, and arts and humanities to understand and address the complexity of food systems, helping bridge the gap between food producers, scientists, and consumers. At this first annual meeting many aspect of food was discussed with the focus for the meeting on "Expanding horizons in food, collaborating across disciplines and sectors". Across the two days multiple session encompassing talks and interactive workshops were undertaken. Supporting this was an invited lecture by Jill Muirie, Public Health Programme Manager | Glasgow Centre for Population Health: Improving the food system: Partnerships, policy and practice followed by facilitated discussion. Across this the outputs of the RESAS strategic programme were identified and explored. Crucially the development of SCAF resources in terms of a Citizens Assembly to both gather consumer opinions on ongoing and proposed advances but also to socialise food system change concepts. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://gla-my.sharepoint.com/:w:/g/personal/emilie_combetaspray_glasgow_ac_uk/EerdV_ZyRT9Pka3LAlO2n... |
| Description | Stakeholder workshop on Food in Regions - one health, from regionality to functionality. Plovdiv Bulgaria 13/06/19 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | A workshop entitled Food in Regions - one health, from regionality to functionality was organised as a side event for the FOOD 2030 - Research and innovation for food and nutrition security, Plovdiv, Bulgaria (147 15/06/18: http://food2030plovdiv.eu/) This FOOD 2030 side event will showcased the regions of Trento (IT), Flanders (B), Lower Silesia (P), and Scotland (UK) all of which are delivering innovation and associate produce that represent an important contribution to regional economies. The now well recognized One Health concept will highlight how the regions are active in growing a sustainable food bioeconomy, the products from which underpin health and well-being. These successes will describe how regional foods can be employed to improve food system sustainability, help reduce the socioeconomic impact of degenerative disease, and improve regional economic viability and ecological resilience in the face of climate change. At this Innovate oat progress was identified in with other projects to present Scottish and UK primary production as an implicit and vital part of the food and drink supply and value chains. The audience of ~60 policy people, industry and academia engaged in a lively debate about the talks specifics and the common activities toward better food and drink development. Oat was viewed as a good example of how a poorly supported crop has flourished a feedstock for many new health food and drink products |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| URL | http://food2030plovdiv.eu/?page_id=658 |
| Description | The Future of Food: Unlocking the benefits of Scotland's Circular Bioeconomy |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | Providing a sufficient and sustainable supply of protein is vital to support a healthy human population, a healthy economy and a healthy planet. It is vital to meeting key targets on cutting carbon emissions to end the climate crisis, and to achieving and maintaining food security and financial security alike to ensure the future prosperity of domestic food networks and the communities which rely on them to survive and thrive. Key stakeholders, governments and local authorities across Europe and beyond have been developing a diverse range of strategic sustainable protein plans aimed at enabling those interlinked needs which are summarised in our recent case study report: The Future of Food: Sustainable Protein Strategies from Around the World. This one day virtual event brought together policymakers and experts to explore the development process and success of their national protein strategies; Scottish experts in food systems, agriculture and aquaculture will discuss the opportunities and potential of a similar approach in Scotland; and join the industrial biotechnology showcase where we will take a closer look at some of the highly innovative circular platforms and applications which can significantly enhance sustainability potential in food systems and could be part of a similar approach in Scotland. In this Prof Stewart discussed food systems in relation to current and future protein production in Scotland and discover the true scale and scope of Scotland's opportunity to enable economic, environmental and ecological benefits through advancing the circular bioeconomy. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| URL | https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-future-of-food-unlocking-the-benefits-of-scotlands-circular-bioec... |
| Description | Webinar - Zero Carbon Farms of the Future |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | This event was organised by the Artificial Intelligence for Decarbonisation's Virtual Centre of Excellence (ADViCE), aimed at the development of innovative artificial intelligence technologies for decarbonisation applications to support the transition to Net Zero. As a collaboration between Digital Catapult, Energy Systems Catapult, and The Alan Turing Institute, and as part of the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero's Net Zero Innovation Portfolio, ADViCE will be delivering a series of webinars focused on key challenges identified in the ADViCE: AI for Decarbonisation Challenges report, which highlights key areas that could benefit from AI adoption in the effort to decarbonise. This webinar focussed on the intersection between controlled environment agriculture and AI in the drive for decarbonisation. The webinar was chaired by Professor Ruchi Choudhary - Professor of Architectural Engineering, University of Cambridgeby and the speakers were: Prof Derek Stewart - Director of the Advanced Plant Growth Centre (APGC) at the James Hutton Institute, Eri Hayashi - President, Japan Plant Factory Association, Adam Waterman - Chief Software Architect, LettUs Grow The speakers discussed their experiences in and innovations around the following topics: AI-powered energy management systems in CEA. Benefits of leveraging AI for optimizing resource utilization and reducing costs. Real-world applications of AI in energy-efficient farming. Innovations in sensor technology and data analytics for intelligent decision-making. Future trends and opportunities at the intersection of AI and sustainable agriculture. Here Prof Stewart discussed the research in the RESAS project KJHI-B5-1 and KJHI-B1-6 as well as other allied competitively funded projects |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://www.turing.ac.uk/events/zero-carbon-farms |
| Description | meeting with industry |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | Following activity in the press and local development meetings I was contacted by a major oat user, Nairns Ltd., Edinburgh to discuss options from the project that could impact on their business. Several discussions (staring on 20/10/19) have been had with the company into the Innovate progress and how this can be utilized to aid Nairns in their development o products free from Acrylamide: a consequence of high temperature baking on protein carbohydrate rich foods. The is is being developed hopefully into future collaborative projects |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |