How much microplastic are you drinking?

New tool can tell you in minutes

29-Aug-2024 - Micro- and nanoplastics are in our food, water and the air we breathe. They are showing up in our bodies, from testicles to brain matter. Now, University of British Columbiaresearchers have developed a low-cost, portable tool to accurately measure plastic released from everyday sources like ...

A new method for protection from plant pathogens could help support global food security

19-Aug-2024 - By modifying a plant intracellular immune receptor (NLR), researchers have developed a potential new strategy for resistance to rice blast disease, one of the most important diseases threatening global food security. The collaborative team from the UK and Japan have recently published their ...

Strawberries under the high-tech magnifying glass

05-Jul-2024 - Sweet notes and healthy ingredients make strawberries one of the most popular fruits worldwide. The complex biochemical compounds that determine the taste and nutritional value of a strawberry - so-called biomarkers - can only be determined in detail by experts using modern analyses. Now, a team ...

Uptake of tire wear additives by vegetables grown for human consumption

Chemical residues from tyre wear detected in leafy vegetables for the first time

06-Jun-2024 - Car tires contain hundreds of chemical additives that can leach out of them. This is how they end up in crops and subsequently in the food chain. Researchers at the Center for Microbiology and Environmental Systems Science at the University of Vienna and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem have ...

Exploring the Mouthfeel of Food with a Microscope

New Research Approach

31-May-2024 - A team led by Melanie Köhler and Veronika Somoza from the Leibniz-Institute for Food Systems Biology has presented a new research approach in the journal Nature Food. The perspectives article focuses on different ways to study the mouthfeel of food using atomic force microscopy to better ...

Lipids with potential health benefits in herbal teas

The lipids in some herbal teas have been identified in detail for the first time, preparing the ground for investigating their contribution to the health benefits of the teas

05-Apr-2024 - Herbal teas are enjoyed worldwide, not only for their taste and refreshment but also for a wide range of reputed health benefits. But the potential significance of a category of compounds called lipids in the teas has been relatively unexplored. Researchers at Hokkaido University, led by ...

Deadly chicken disease: ancient DNA reveals evolution of virulence

Using genetic analyses, an international team has revealed the evolutionary history of the pathogen of a fatal disease in chickens

19-Dec-2023 - A notifiable animal disease in Germany, Marek’s disease is caused by the globally distributed Marek’s disease virus (MDV). Over the past century, the virus, which causes tumors in chickens and has a high mortality rate, has become increasingly aggressive. Combating the disease costs the poultry ...

Fishing for DNA to measure biodiversity

Identifying the fish species present in a river based on traces of their DNA: this method has been successfully tested at about 90 sites in Switzerland

07-Dec-2023 - As they swim around, fish leave DNA fragments behind them, e.g. via their skin or their excrements. Once collected and analysed, these indicators allow scientists to determine all the species present in the environment. What's more, the method is precise, simpler and less harmful to the fish than ...

Eppendorf and Neste forge strategic partnership to develop new line of renewable lab plastics

A sustainable choice for labs

05-Dec-2023 - Eppendorf SE Hamburg announces that it has joined forces with Neste to advance the development of lab products made with renewable raw materials. Working together, the strategic partnership made it possible to create a new line of renewable plastic lab consumables: Eppendorf Consumables BioBased. ...

Sturgeon products such as caviar sold in Europe are often illegal - or not even genuine

Gene and isotope analyses show that regulations are actively being broken

29-Nov-2023 - Wild caviar from almost all areas of origin has been illegal for decades, as overfishing has brought sturgeon to the brink of extinction. Today, caviar may come almost exclusively from farmed sturgeon and strict regulations are in place to protect sturgeon. However, using genetic and isotopic ...