Institute of Food Research
Coordinates: 52°37′26″N 1°13′28″E / 52.623820°N 1.224523°E
| Institute of Food Research | |
 Institute of Food Research
 Institute of Food Research shown within England |
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| OS grid reference | TG183077 |
|---|---|
| List of places: UK • England | |
| Institute of Food Research | |
|---|---|
| Abbreviation | IFR |
| Formation | 1968 |
| Legal status | Non-profit company and charity |
| Purpose/focus | Food research in the UK |
| Location | Norwich Research Park, Colney, NR4 7UA |
| Region served | UK |
| Membership | 189 scientists |
| Director | Professor David Boxer |
| Main organ | IFR Governing Body |
| Parent organization | BBSRC |
| Affiliations | Sainsbury Laboratory |
| Website | IFR |
The Institute of Food Research (IFR) is one of the worlds leading agricultural and food science research institutions. It prides itself upon its wealth of research, regularly contributing to both government policies and Industry bodies as well as public relations.
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[edit] History
Based in Norwich, IFR was originally founded in 1968; however its research can be traced back almost 100 years to the low temperature research station in Cambridge.
The Institute was based on four sites across the UK:
- Shinfield near Reading in Berkshire
- Lower Langford in North Somerset
- the Long Ashton Research Station in Somerset
- Colney in Norwich
In 1999, it was decided that the research centres should all consolidate on the Norwich Research Park.[1]
[edit] Former sites
Lower Langford today has the University of Bristol's School of Veterinary Medicine.
[edit] Current focus
IFR is the UKs only integrated basic science provider focused on food and is a world leading contributor to harnessing food for health and controlling food-related disease. The outcomes of its work feed into national and international strategies and deliver advice and solutions for UK Government, public sector bodies, regulatory authorities, industry and consumers.[2]
IFR's science is focussed around four themes, investigating the interplay between the host (including the gastrointestinal tract mucosa, the immune system, and the complex microflora), and ingested food (including its composition, physical structure, the presence of pathogenic micro-organisms, and allergenicity). This central goal integrates the research activities across IFR.
[edit] GI tract
The central aim of IFR's research into the integrated biology of the GI tract is to understand how the homeostasis between the GI tract microflora and the gut epithelium is maintained and how perturbation of this system can have consequence for health. This exciting approach, including the critical food dimension, differentiates our GI tract programme from work undertaken in a more medical setting.
IFR's research into plant natural products and health aims to elucidate the fundamental mechanisms in humans by which diets that contain certain natural products help to maintain health and prevent the onset of chronic disease.
[edit] Biophysics
IFR consider their food chemistry and biophysics approach to be unique in the UK, and IFR's research into food structure & health brings together expertise in food biopolymers, colloid and interface science with those of protein biochemistry, molecular modelling and gut epithelial biology, and has the overall aim of understanding how food structures behave in the gut and affect the breakdown and availability of macro- and micro-nutrients in food.
[edit] Foodborne pathogens
In studying foodborne bacterial pathogens, IFR aim to discover new aspects of the biology of bacterial pathogens with the long-term goal of reducing the burden of foodborne disease in humans. Combining state-of-the-art molecular microbiology with mathematical biology reveals patterns in pathogen responses that are currently hidden by massive levels of complexity. The main bacterial pathogens under study are Campylobacter, Clostridia and Salmonella.
[edit] IFR Extra
IFR is currently making its expertise available to small and medium-sized companies in the food industry. The Institute realises that these companies often demand a rapid response. IFR Extra[3] has been set up to ensure this happens.
[edit] Structure
IFR receives great support from its parent research council the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC). The site is in the parish of Colney on the B1108, just west of the University of East Anglia.
IFR has a significant presence in the UK, Europe and worldwide. Its vast research base extends the focus of extremely topical subjects, such as food security, diet and health including obesity and healthy aging.
[edit] Consultancy work
IFR undertakes short-term applied research, trouble-shooting and specialist analysis, making its expertise available and affordable to all companies. The Institute also provides access to food experts on a consultancy basis. IFR Extra is available to bigger companies they have worked with previously and it is now able to offer an extended range of services.
The Institute has its own laboratories and staff, it can also access a full range of experts and resources and can put together multidisciplinary teams quickly. These teams can be enhanced by the expertise and capabilities of carefully selected partners.
[edit] The Norwich Vision
IFR is a major contributor to ‘The Norwich Vision’. There are three major areas of scientific excellence at Norwich – the pillars:
- Environmental science
- Plant and microbial genetics
- Food, diet and health
These inter-relate to address major 21st Century ‘Grand Challenges’ of global food security, (bio) energy, healthy ageing and living with environmental change. The pillars are highly distinctive in the UK and comprise a unique geographical juxtaposition world-wide.
Three ‘bridges’ of creativity and innovation link the pillars, delivering major new agenda-setting interdisciplinary research and training in key areas:
- The Earth & Life Systems Alliance (ELSA)
- Food & Health Alliance (the partnership between IFR and the University)
- Plant and microbial natural products
