Garden Tiger Moth photographed by Gabor PozsgaiThis website has been mothballed.

It is no longer being updated but we've left it here for reference.

Further information

Beyond Develonutri

Competitive funding awarded as a result of knowledge, processes and technologies developed during Develonutri, highlighting the source, award amount and Develonutri partner involved.

1. EU Berry - The sustainable improvement of European berry production, quality and nutritional value in a changing environment: Strawberries, Currants, Blackberries, Blueberries and Raspberries. (05/11 – 10/14)

  • Number of SME and Large Companies (LCs): 3 SMEs
  • Funder: EU
  • Value: €3.00M
  • Contact: P1

The main objective of the EUBerry project is to provide the necessary knowledge and tools to facilitate development of high quality, consumer-desirable fresh berry fruits of high nutritive value optimal for human health at a competitive cost. The further objective is the development and validation of a set of tools to improve competitiveness of European berry production and consumer accessibility to berry fruits. The EUBerry platform will be developed and validated by using strawberry and raspberry and blueberry as model crop species. Additionally, specific critical points related to improvement of berry fruit quality and reduction of production costs will be considered also for currants and blackberries. The project aims to develop the fresh fruit market for the target fruit. The outputs of Develonutri inform on the application of metabolic QTL (mQTL) to develop new varieties. Furthermore the Develonutri analytical approaches are being used to mine the impact of fruit components on human health model systems and apply then in vivo.

2. MetaPro; The development of tools and effective strategies for the optimisation of useful secondary METAbolite PROduction in planta (10/09- 10/13)

  • Number of SME and Large Companies (LCs): 2 SMEs
  • Funder: EU
  • Value: €3.00M
  • Contact: P1, P2, P9

MetaPro project aims to optimise the production of several useful isoprenoid derived secondary metabolites to demonstrate the tools and strategies developed (some from Develonutri) for the generic production of useful secondary metabolites in plants. Pathways will be elucidated and mined for new exploitable knowledge in target crops (e.g. potato). Once identified IP will be generated via molecular markers genes etc.

3. Climafruit - Future proofing the North Sea berry fruit Industry (Food, Agri and Biotech) in times of climate change (10/09 - 09/13)

  • Number of SME and Large Companies (LCs): None
  • Funder: EU, Interreg IVb
  • Value: €6.20M
  • Contact: P1

Via a large transnational trial the project will produce methods to reduce the carbon footprint of the Industry (Food, Agri and Biotech), superior plant material and future production strategies better suited to the NSR climate, as well as a virtual Soft Fruit Climate Change and Environment Centre, ensuring the continuous uptake of methods by the berry fruit Industry (Food, Agri and Biotech). Exploitable knowledge will come in the form of new agricultural practices, and possibly molecular markers of abiotic stress (drought, flood, temperature etc) The modelling experiments will be mined for metabolic and end point quality trait changes using Develonutri processes and technologies.

4. Phytochemical analysis of Ribes (05/09 – 10/10)

  • Number of SME and Large Companies (LCs): 1 LC
  • Funder: GSK, UK
  • Value: €0.05M
  • Contact: P1

Confidential

5. Development of high profile germplasm for UK production of blueberries (04/09 – 03/14)

  • Number of SME and Large Companies (LCs): 8 SMEs & 3 LCs
  • Funder: DEFRA-LINK, UK
  • Value: €1.52M
  • Contact: P1

This public private partnership aims to develop a UK blueberry production and breeding programme. Key to this will be phytochemical and sensory profiling to identify unique properties: this will employ DEVELONUTRI derived advances. These will then be exploited by targeted breeding and varietal generation

6. Harnessing new technologies for sustainable oat production and utilisation (10/09 – 09/14)

  • Number of SME and Large Companies (LCs): 7 SMEs & 2 LCs
  • Funder: DEFRA, BBSRC, RERAD-LINK, UK
  • Value: €5.25M
  • Contact: P1

This public private partnership aims to develop a the UK oats sector by target breeding. To do this Develonutri knowledge and processes are being used to mine the exploitable phytochemical diversity to generate mQTL and accelerate varietal generation using the nascent oat genetic map.

7. Reducing energy usage and wastage by improving ethylene control of potato sprouting (04/09 – 03/12)

  • Number of SME and Large Companies (LCs): 3 SMEs & 1LC
  • Funder:  DEFRA-LINK, UK
  • Value:  €0.78M
  • Contact: P1

Aims to develop strategies for improved sprout control using ethylene that reduce quality losses while opening the way for storage at higher temperatures for both processing and fresh marketed potatoes. As part of this metabolic profiling, as developed within Develonutri, is being undertaken to identify the pathways activated/suppressed during standard and novel sprout control

8. Extending the shelf-life and reducing saturated fat levels of oatcakes (04/08 – 03/10)

  • Number of SME and Large Companies (LCs): 1 SME
  • Funder:  KTP, UK
  • Value:  €0.12M
  • Contact: P1

This project has use metabolomics to extend the shelf-life of oatcakes through understanding and management of the chemical pathways and causes of rancidity. Develonutri –derived knowledge is driving the use of metabolomics to facilitate the identification and fate causal agents of rancidity

9. Producing low acrylamide risk potatoes (10/09 – 09/12)

  • Number of SME and Large Companies (LCs): 3 SMEs & 2 LCs
  • Funder:  DEFRA, BBSRC, RERAD-LINK, UK
  • Value:  €1.12M
  • Contact: P1

By using the technologies databases and knowledge developed in Develonutri the partners aim to develop strategies (by integration with appropriate genetic resources) by developing potato varieties with low acrylamide generating potential. The potential knock on for the potato processing market could be enormous

10. Cardiovascular function and intake of soft fruit: effects of qualitative and quantitative variation in berry antioxidants status (06/09 - 12/10)

  • Number of SME and Large Companies (LCs): None
  • Funder:  Chest Heart & Stroke
  • Value: €0.12M
  • Contact: P1

The project has, via fruit intervention trials (blackcurrant and blueberry) used Develonutri-derived metabolomics approaches to follow the molecular fate for the fruit during consumption and this has been correlated with reduced rate of arterial thickening and isoprostane (inflammatory marker) formation

11. BrainHealthFood: Bioactive compounds from blackcurrant processing waste for brain health

  • Number of SME and Large Companies (LCs): 6 SMEs
  • Funder:  EU
  • Value: €0.80M
  • Contact: P1

The project was very translational and aimed to exploit the functional diversity in blackcurrant waste for multiple food and health ends. It used the Develonutri metabolomics approaches to prove health benefits with respect to Alzheimer’s (in model systems) and glucose management in vivo (actual people, real life scenarios). Subsequent to this the project SMEs have developed some products, such as fruit waste supplements and novel fruit juice products.

12. Plant metabolites for healthy plants and healthy people (10/08 – 09/12)

  • Number of SME and Large Companies (LCs): 2 SMEs
  • Funder:  Norwegian Research Council
  • Value:  €2.0M
  • Contact: P1

The Develonutri outputs were used to contribute to competitiveness for food production in northern regions by generating basic knowledge on how climate, agroecosystems and insect feeding influence the synthesis and regulation of secondary metabolites in brassicaceous plants that play a role in plant protection and human health. The translation of this knowledge will be via the partners respective breeding programmes.

13. Development of metabolomics based methods to benefit assisted breeding in perennial ryegrass (10/08 – 09/11)

  • Number of SME and Large Companies (LCs): None
  • Funder:   Irish Department of Agriculture & Food: Research Stimulus Fund Programme
  • Value:  €0.44M
  • Contact: P1

Metabolomics was used to develop mQTL for breeding in perennial ryegrass. It identified pathways implicated (and potentially exploitable) with respect to water and nutrient stress.

14. Metabolic profiling of rubus (cloudberry and raspberry): effect of inheritance and environment on phytochemicals beneficial to human health and the identification of viable targets for nutritional enhancement (04/09 – 09/11)

  • Number of SME and Large Companies (LCs): 1 SME
  • Funder:   Norwegian Research Council
  • Value:  €0.68M
  • Contact: P1

This collaboration was specifically generated by the visibility if P1’s Develonutri effort. As part of this the relative impact of G x E on Rubus fruit quality and health beneficial compounds was teased apart with a view to designing better varieties and growing systems.

15. PARALLELOMICS: high throughput metabolic and transcriptomic profiling of food matrixes (10/08 – 07/11)

  • Number of SME and Large Companies (LCs): 3 SMEs
  • Funder:  Italian Ministry of Research
  • Value:  €9.3M
  • Contact: P3

This project takes a parallel or aligned approach to genomic and metabolic profiling to products of selected vegetables with the aim at identifying the links between genes and products and the routes to exploiting these via both breeding and the food chain. It builds directly from the outputs of Develonutri.

16. Tracciabilità, valorizzazione e tutela della qualità dei prodotti agroalimentari: Analisi qualitativa di semole e prodotti derivati attraverso l’analisi metabolomica (01/11 – 10/11)

  • Number of SME and Large Companies (LCs): None
  • Funder:  Italian Ministry of Agriculture
  • Value:  €0.13M
  • Contact: P3

The project takes a quantitative metabolomic approach to analysing the raw through to processed cereal grains and identify where the value lies and/or is lost.
13. Scottish Government Strategic Research (Food, Land and People Programme) 2011-2016; Theme 7 - Human Diet and Health 0 Scottish Government £40.5M P1
This project is aimed at producing new evidence and tools that will help to improve the efficiency, resilience and sustainability of food production and supply in Scotland. This includes food chain and food security analyses and the development of crop and livestock products with improved nutritional qualities and greater resource efficiency and resilience to climate change. The knowledge and processes developed in Develonutri have proved invaluable in this already in identifying metabolite shifts accompanying abiotic stresses etc.

17. Scottish Government Strategic Research (Food, Land and People Programme) 2011-2016; Theme 7 - Human Diet and Health

  • Number of SME and Large Companies (LCs): None
  • Funder:  Scottish Government
  • Value:  £40.5M
  • Contact: P1

This project is aimed at producing new evidence and tools that will help to improve the efficiency, resilience and sustainability of food production and supply in Scotland. This includes food chain and food security analyses and the development of crop and livestock products with improved nutritional qualities and greater resource efficiency and resilience to climate change. The knowledge and processes developed in Develonutri have proved invaluable in this already in identifying metabolite shifts accompanying abiotic stresses etc.

18. Scottish Government Strategic Research: Realising the potential of cereal products to benefit human health (Strategic Partnerships) 2011-2016

  • Number of SME and Large Companies (LCs): None
  • Funder:  Scottish Government
  • Value: £4.96M
  • Contact: P1

As part of a porfolio of SG funded research this programme is looking at metabolite and large molecule diversity with a view to generating more health beneficial cereal crops with a specific focus on oats and barley.

19. Scottish Government Strategic Research: The Sustainable production of food. (Strategic Partnerships) 2011-2016

  • Number of SME and Large Companies (LCs): None
  • Funder:  Scottish Government
  • Value:  £1.05M
  • Contact: P1

As part of a porfolio of SG funded research this programme is looking at economically important metabolite changes accompanying the growth of food crops under current conventional and putatively sustainable agri-systems. The ultimate payoff with be the development of sustainable crop (and food) production and the development of varieties best suited to specific environments.

20. Scottish Government Strategic Research; Improving efficiency and sustainability through local production (Strategic Partnerships) 2011-2016

  • Number of SME and Large Companies (LCs): None
  • Funder:  Scottish Government
  • Value: £4.96M
  • Contact: P1

As part of a porfolio of SG funded research this programme is looking at the impact of location (terroir) on crop and food production and the changes that growth in non /sub-optimum regions have on economically importane metabolites. Underpinning this is the application of the Develonutri technologies (metabolomics and micronutrient analyses) with respect to the analysis of associated end pont traits (taste, aroma, processability etc).

21. Integrating genetics and high throughput genomics to identity genes underlying tomato quantitative trait (QTL) for metabolites that influence fruit quality (04/09 – 03/12)

  • Number of SME and Large Companies (LCs): None
  • Funder:   BBSRC
  • Value: £0.3M
  • Contact: P2

This research project takes a fundamental route to establishing the genetic basis of economically important end point traits (e.g. metabolites and volatiles). This will take a mQTL approach and aim to exploit this in an accelerated breeding programme with industrial collaborators.

22. The Application of Modern Proteomic and Metabolomic Methodologies to the Assessment of Food Safety (09/11 – 08/13)

  • Number of SME and Large Companies (LCs): None
  • Funder:  Food Standards Agency
  • Value:  £0.175M
  • Contact: P2

The metabolomic advance made in Develonutri will be exploited in a food safety arena (alongside proteomics) to develop approaches for the safety assessment of novel foodstuffs encompassing both fresh and processed products.

23. The validation, characterisation and translation of outputs derived from network analysis and QTL mapping of tomato fruit quality traits (TomNET) (07/12 – 07/15)

  • Number of SME and Large Companies (LCs): None
  • Funder:  BBSRC
  • Value:   £0.27M
  • Contact: P2

In a manner similar to 21. The metabolite advances on tomato traits will be exploited with the view that they exist, or are generated, within biological networks and therefore subject to pathway interplay and associate concentrtion fluccuations. This should more fully inform the varietal development of tomato organolepsis and nutritive value.

24. MULTIBIOPRO - The development and evaluation of Multipurpose crops as new biorefining feedstocks for the industrial BioProducts and biomass (10/12 – 09/16)

  • Number of SME and Large Companies (LCs): 5 SMEs
  • Funder:  EUFP7, KBBE
  • Value:  €5.7M
  • Contact: P2

The project aims to develop and implement multipurpose crops that will deliver improved biomass extractability as well as new sources of non-food oils and biomaterials. This requires high throughput analytical platforms that can identify the broad phytochemical complement in the target crops.

25. BACHBERRY - Bacterial hosts for production of bioactive phenolics from berry fruits. (01/10/13 – 30/09/16)

  • Number of SME and Large Companies (LCs): 4 SMEs & 1 LC
  • Funder:  EUFP7, KBBE
  • Value:  €9.5M
  • Contact: P1

The BacHBerry project aims to develop a portfolio of sustainable methodologies to mine the potential of the untapped biodiversity of the bioactive phenolic compounds in an extensive collection of berry species. Full exploitation of this unrivalled natural resource requires an integrated and comprehensive effort from bioprospecting in berries using SMART high-throughput screens for the valorisation of phenolic bioactivities aligned with their identification using cutting edge analytics and subsequent elucidation of their biosynthetic pathways. This knowledge will facilitate metabolic engineering of suitable bacterial hosts for high-value phenolics production in scalable fermentation bioprocesses, ultimately serving as commercial production platforms.

26. DISCO - From discovery to products: A next generation pipeline for the sustainable generation of high-value plant products (01/10/13 – 30/09/17)

  • Number of SME and Large Companies (LCs): 6 SMEs & 1LC
  • Funder:  EUFP7, KBBE
  • Value:  €8.6M
  • Contact: P1, P2 &P3

In the DISCO project we aim to address these issues and create a framework that can act as a generic pipeline capable of taking discovery through application and validation, to translation and industrial valorisation. Key aspects of the project will be concerned with (i) translating discovery into industrial feasibility and/or commercialisation, (ii) transfer our knowledge gained optimising isoprenoid/terpenoid production to other important terpenoids and different classes of natural products, (iii) maintaining and incorporating the very latest technologies into both the discovery and translational pipelines and (iv) develop “green factories” with integrated biorefining pipelines to reduce or eliminate chemical refining and thus environmental impact. The bioactive molecules and their biochemical pathways targeted include, carotenoids (including apo-carotenoids), terpenoids and tropane alkaloid. For example; ketocarotenoids which are used as colorants in feedstuffs especially aquaculture; colourless carotenes such as phytoene and phytofluene, which are important bioactive ingredients of cosmetics; apo-carotenoids from saffron which are colorants and potent bioactives; the terpenoid solanesol which is used in the production of Coenzyme Q10 and the alkaloid scopolamine which is used as analgesic. The project will have real-life impacts reducing environmental impact, provide new material to benefit human activities and stimulate economic development.