The Rowett Institute

Fibre is an important part of a healthy diet, as it is fermented by gut microbes to health-promoting compounds. We investigate whether agricultural and food-processing waste materials can be modified to increase their fermentability by gut microbes,. The aim is to explore whether food production waste materials can be developed into a novel source of fibre, thus improving the sustainability of agricultural practice. This not only contributes to reducing the environmental impact of Scotland’s food and drink sector, but will also identifies opportunities for innovation in the Scottish food and drink sector and expands on effective pathways to increase fibre in the Scottish diet.

This project evaluates whether whole grain phytochemical-rich barley accessions developed from ancient grain (for improved climate credentials) can produce a significant change in blood sugar levels to complement the established lipid lowering health claims related to barley β-glucan. This project supports new food and drink market opportunities and promotes barley as a healthy and sustainable crop. 

This project considers the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on dietary behaviours and impacts on health and well-being in Scotland using information from a large household survey. We focus on whether people changed how much fruit and vegetables they ate, how much alcohol they drank, and whether they worried more about buying healthy food. We also assess whether mental health and overall life satisfaction changed, and whether that affected diet. 

The project aims to test the evidence that Scottish seaweeds can provide rich, sustainable, plant-based sources of essential dietary micronutrients with an eventual goal to include these as dietary ingredients within foods. A key driver for this research is the need to provide alternative, sustainable sources of micronutrients which will decrease as practices transform to address the climate emergency and the need to achieve Net Zero. This project will determine levels of micronutrients as well heavy metals within selected Scottish seaweed species, and therefore aims to identify seaweed species with low levels of heavy metals but dietary-relevant levels of micronutrients which could be used to provide a sustainable, plant-based source of these micronutrients. 

We review current insights on the potential impact of changing to more healthy, environmentally sustainable and affordable diets on the global challenges of climate change and biodiversity loss, and gather knowledge on how this impact can be practically measured and communicated. We assess how cultural factors and socio-economical/demographical factors are associated with a ‘readiness-to-change’ towards more environmentally sustainable food choices.

Dietary fibre has several health benefits; amongst these is acting as a restraint on food intake, body weight gain and adiposity. This study examines the gut response to high dietary fibre (pectin, oligofructose or mixed fibre) in mice fed a high fat diet to understand the mechanisms involved. The purpose of the study is to investigate how type of fibre and dose may alter this response, with the aim of providing new insights and improving our understanding of the public health benefits, so that we can advise policy, the food drink industry and the public on which type of fibres reduce food intake and how they work.

The consumer has a right to know what is contained within the food they eat. Allied to this, there is a significant risk in the food supply chain of fraud where a food is replaced by a cheaper or inferior alternative. This project will develop mass spectrometry-based approaches for determining the provenance of food and beverages. We are developing methods for determining the composition of whisky and meats to ensure their integrity.

This project is designed to develop Distributed Ledger (blockchain) compatible methods – based on DNA and chemical analysis – to determine provenance across key Scottish produce and sectors to protect the safety, integrity, and quality of the food chain and the environment and the status of key Scottish produce. It is pertinent to the UK's EU exit and large-scale shifts in international food trade.

Foodborne pathogen infections and antimicrobial resistance are real health crises. The first aim of this project is to identify specific non-harmful bacteria isolated from livestock and the environment that can inhibit growth of a range of pathogens, in order to interrupt the spread of foodborne pathogens across a range of different environments. The second aim is to screen genome sequences from our collection of Campylobacter strains and non-harmful gut bacterial isolates to identify identical genes, and understand their role in the spread of antimicrobial resistance through the environment.

This project evaluates the potential of Scotland’s underutilised lands to contribute towards a sustainable food system and provide economic motivation to protect our natural capital. The focus is on wild species that can contribute towards sustainable food production, while meeting environment and biodiversity targets. Engagement with a wide range of stakeholders provides a RoadMap that will meet cross-sector needs.