The unique taste of ‘smoky’ tomatoes is caused by one missing enzyme
This is the result of research by Wageningen UR, which studied the taste of 94 tomato varieties using expert taste panels. The tomatoes were also evaluated for their metabolite content, such as aroma volatiles, and for their DNA composition. When a tomato plant is able to produce the identified enzyme, it converts precursors of the […]
Rooftop farms in cities could help ensure future food security
The event – organised by Scotland’s Rural College – is devoted to sustainable intensification, the need to produce more food while minimising the impact on the environment, and urban farming is one possible way of achieving this. In a presentation given by Dr Valentini Pappa, an SRUC researcher currently working with Zurich University of Applied […]
A matter of timing
Too early or too late blooming can have serious consequences for plants: It may reduce the seed harvest and jeopardize the reproductive success of an entire season. In order not to miss the optimal time of flowering, plants have therefore evolved an extensive control system that involves several dozen genes. Under the leadership of Markus […]
Whisky waste scientist is nominated for two prestigious awards
The President of Celtic Renewables was shortlisted for the Scottish Resources Outstanding Contribution award. The accolade is a “people’s award” decided by members of the public in an online vote. The Scottish Biofuel Programme, of which Professor Tangney is founding director, has also been nominated as Best Green Public Service or Public Sector Provision at […]
Organic food sheds its ‘elitist’ tag but Welsh shoppers still need convincing over value for money
The research, commissioned by Organic Centre Wales, found that the trend towards shoppers who never buy organic food coming predominantly from lower “social grades” appears to have changed. When the study was last conducted in 2010, more than three quarters (76%) of respondents that never bought organic food were classified within the lower social grades […]
Pedometer-wearing Cows Win SRUC International Science Award
Now in their 23rd year, the Ig Nobel prizes are intended to celebrate the unusual, honor the imaginative and spur people’s interest in science, medicine, and technology. Prizes are awarded for research that ‘first makes people laugh, and then make them think’. SRUC livestock researchers Bert Tolkamp, Marie Haskell, Fritha Langford, Colin Morgan and David […]
Calls for GM Fruit Fly release to be postponed
GeneWatch UK today called for a moratorium on proposed releases of genetically modified (GM) fruit flies and other agricultural pests into the environment, until the issue of GM insects in fruit and vegetable supplies has been properly addressed. Earlier this year, UK company Oxitec applied to make mass experimental releases of millions of male GM […]
Nitrogen Ideas Lab
Three teams of UK and USA researchers will begin a programme of novel research to revolutionise current farming methods by giving crops the ability to thrive without using costly, polluting manufactured fertilisers. The three highly innovative projects include: searching the planet for a lost bacterium with special, sought-after properties; using synthetic biology to create a […]
University of East Anglia research could contain infectious disease outbreaks
Focusing on the avian flu virus strain H5N1, research published today in the journal PLOS ONE identifies key stages in the poultry trade chain which lead to its transmission to other birds, animals and humans. High risk times for the disease to spread include during transportation, slaughter, preparation and consumption. It is hoped that the […]
