{"id":617,"date":"2024-06-20T15:20:49","date_gmt":"2024-06-20T14:20:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/chemfs\/?p=617"},"modified":"2024-07-09T15:21:01","modified_gmt":"2024-07-09T14:21:01","slug":"hops-rocks-and-plastic-eating-yeast-kent-to-support-five-sustainable-food-trials","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/chemfs\/2024\/06\/20\/hops-rocks-and-plastic-eating-yeast-kent-to-support-five-sustainable-food-trials\/","title":{"rendered":"Hops, rocks and plastic-eating yeast: Kent to support five sustainable food trials"},"content":{"rendered":"

Plastic waste, soil health and marketing of UK hops are just some of the challenges that academics in the\u00a0School of Biosciences<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0School of Chemistry and Forensic Science<\/a>\u00a0will be working with local businesses to overcome after securing a total of \u00a3145,471 in\u00a0Growing Kent and Medway<\/a>\u00a0Business Innovation Vouchers.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The voucher scheme allows organisations to draw upon the expertise of technical specialists based at three research institutes in Kent and Medway, including the University of Kent. Applicants had to propose an innovative idea to help make their products, processes or production more sustainable. The competition was open to businesses across the horticulture and plant-based food and drink industries, with vouchers of \u00a315,000 to \u00a330,000 available.<\/p>\n

Five of the 13 projects funded by the scheme will be supported by researchers at Kent to advance sustainable innovation in our food systems. The winning projects are:<\/p>\n

Reducing the environmental impact of commercial seaweed cultivation<\/strong><\/p>\n

Using Kent\u2019s extensive library of yeast species,\u00a0Professor Tobias von der Haar<\/a>\u00a0will work with\u00a0Nutri-San<\/a>\u00a0to develop a yeast strain which can break down and destroy the plastic used in the seaweed cultivation process.<\/p>\n

Development of a measure, report and verification protocol for enhanced rock weathering to improve soil fertility<\/strong><\/p>\n

Dr Rob Barker<\/a>\u00a0will help the\u00a0UK Carbon Code of Conduct<\/a>\u00a0understand the impact of different sizes, types and application rates of small rock particles (known as fines, a waste product from quarrying) on carbon capture and soil health. The data could lead to new commercial collaborations between quarry owners and farmers, with the additional environmental benefit of removing more carbon from our atmosphere and healthier soils.<\/p>\n

Enhancing soil health through innovative microbiome manipulation<\/strong><\/p>\n

Dr Anastasios Tsaousis<\/a>\u00a0will use cutting-edge genetic sequencing techniques to help\u00a0Inspro Ltd<\/a>\u00a0to understand how different diets and environments influence the gut microbiome of black soldier fly larvae and how the natural fertiliser they produce can improve the nutrient availability and microbial diversity in soil.<\/p>\n

Harnessing UK hops for sustainable non-alcoholic beer production<\/strong><\/p>\n

Dr Helen Cockerton<\/a>\u00a0will analyse the chemical profiles of hops to support\u00a0Wantsum Brewery<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0to develop a new, sustainable, non-alcoholic beer using UK-grown hops. This would offer conscientious drinkers the opportunity to enjoy a beer containing a high-quality real ale flavour profile, without the alcohol, whilst reducing the beer\u2019s carbon footprint.<\/p>\n

Enhancing the uptake of UK hops by national breweries through comprehensive hop sensory and chemical assessments<\/strong><\/p>\n

Dr Helen Cockerton<\/a>\u00a0will work closely with\u00a0Ramsgate Brewery<\/a>\u00a0and a Kent-based hop breeder to delve into the unique aroma, flavour and chemical composition of UK hops to help breweries select and use the right hops for their needs.<\/p>\n

More details about each of these projects are available on the\u00a0Growing Kent and Medway website.<\/a><\/p>\n

Chris McCarthy, Innovation Growth Manager at the University of Kent said: \u2018We\u2019re delighted to have had five projects awarded Business Innovation Vouchers in this round of funding across a broad spectrum of areas. This is a testament to the strong relationships that Kent has with local industry partners and our continued focus on driving innovation in the region.\u2019<\/p>\n

Dr Nikki Harrison, Director, Growing Kent & Medway, said: \u2018The projects we have funded demonstrate innovative thinking to tackle some of the main challenges facing our UK food systems.<\/p>\n

\u2018Our voucher scheme gives businesses across the UK access to the cutting-edge research facilities we have here in Kent and Medway. The specialists at these institutions are leading the way in helping to make our food systems more sustainable. From innovations in plant-based foods, to sustainable packaging, to increasing the carbon we can store in our fields. Kent is at the forefront of innovation in sustainable food systems and we\u2019re excited to be connecting businesses across the UK to these centres.\u2019<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Plastic waste, soil health and marketing of UK hops are just some of the challenges that academics in the\u00a0School of Biosciences\u00a0and\u00a0School of Chemistry and Forensic … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":37654,"featured_media":618,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[98478,70],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/chemfs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/617"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/chemfs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/chemfs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/chemfs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/37654"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/chemfs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=617"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/chemfs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/617\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":619,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/chemfs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/617\/revisions\/619"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/chemfs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/618"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/chemfs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=617"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/chemfs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=617"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/chemfs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=617"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}