uoguelph.ca/research

ResearchCommitted to Agriculture

and Agri-Food

Challenges facing society have become more complex and global in nature. Problems — and opportunities — facing agriculture and food, health, the environment and communities everywhere require new levels of cooperative research.

Working together is vital. At the University of Guelph, agriculture and agri-food researchers are uniquely poised to connect with provincial and federal departments and granting councils, as well as business, industry and Canada’s largest commodity groups.

Primary producers and processors value investments in research above all. In agriculture, new knowledge travels from the lab to the field effi-ciently and effectively. That makes the economic, environmental and social benefits of research readily available.

Inside these pages are highlights of the University of Guelph’s commit‑ment to agriculture and agri‑food. Guelph’s record and breadth of research, innovation and commercial-ization supports Canada’s position as a valued exporter and consistent pro-ducer of safe, affordable food.

Society, industry benefit from research connections

research highlightProf. Vern Osborne and graduate student Carolyn Borsy are fortifying livestock diets with beneficial bioactive compounds that can be passed on to consumers.

Committed to Agriculture and Agri-Food Research2

• Newfood-relatedresearchcouldchangethefutureforchildrenwhosufferfromeggallergies,thankstoGuelphresearcherswhohavedeveloped egg-derived peptides.Theresearchersisolatedtheexactaminoacidsequenceresponsiblefortriggeringanallergicreactiontoegg.Thissequence,containedinthepeptides,wasfedtomicebornwithaneggallergy.Aftersixweeksofingestingtheeggpeptides,upto80percentofthemicewereabletoconsumethecompleteproteinwithoutexperiencinganyallergicreactions.

• Researchersaremanipulatingandmodifyingplantgenesandenzymestoproduce healthier starches.Theseso-called“resistant”starchesresistdiges-tion,sotheirsugarsaren’tabsorbedasrapidlyintothebody.Asaresult,theyhelptoreducetheriskofType2diabetes,becauselesssugarisreleasedintothebloodstream.Ultimately,theseresistantstarcheswouldbeincorporatedintopeople’severydaydiets,throughfoodssuchasbakedgoods.

• Anewanalyticaltool,theglutenpeaktester,hasbeendevelopedfortestingprotein quality in wheat.Glutenpropertiesareconsideredthebestindi-catorfordeterminingwheat’send-useapplication(pastry,bread,etc.).Atoolthatcandeterminethesepropertiesduringtheearlystagesofawheatbreedingprogramhelpsbreederswithselection.Italsoassistsmillers,whoareabletoidentifyflourqualityandthendelivertheappropriateflourtoprocessors.

• Anaccurateandaffordablesoiltestisbeingdevelopedtohelpgrainfarmerseverywheredeterminehowmuchnitrogen-containingfertilizertoapplytotheirfields.Researchersengineeredspecialized strains of bacteria,calledbiosensorbacteria,whichglowinresponsetosoilnitrogen.Theyinsertedtheglowingandfluorescentgenesfoundinfirefliesanddeepwaterjellyfishintobacteriathatrespondtonitrogenintheirenvironment.Thesespecialstrainsareaddedtosoilsamplestoquantifytheirnitrogencontent.

• AnimalandPoultryScienceresearch-ersareusinginfrared cameras(similartothoseusedinmedicaltesting)toassesscattle’sfeedeffi-ciency—theirabilitytoconvertfoodintogrowthandweightgain.Theresearcherssaythenoveluseofinfra-redcamerasonfarmscouldimprovethewayproducersidentifytheirmostfeed-efficientcattle,and,aswell,maketheirherdsmoreenvironmentallyfriendlybydetermininghowmuchheatandmethanetheanimalsreleasefromtheirbodies.

red wheat berries fermentation beans allergies ultimate tomato honeybeesdisease detection infrared cameras vaccines influenza ragweed omega-3 bioproducts local food cow comfort resistant starches biosensor bacteria

• TheHumanNutraceuticalResearchUnitattheUniversityofGuelphservesbothcampusandindustrypart-nersasthego-toserviceforavarietyofnutrition-relatedclinicaltrials.Ithelpssubstantiate health claims for foods,andsupportscompaniesastheyseektoobtaintheproductlicencesrequiredtosellnaturalhealthproducts(i.e.,vitamins,minerals,herbals,supplements,etc.)inCanada.

• Anincreasingnumberoffermenteddairyproductsarebecomingavail-able,mostlyasaresultofincreasedconsumerawarenessoftheirhealthbenefits.Researchersarelookingatfermentation technologytounder-standhowandwhyitaffectshealthinordertoenhanceanewgenerationoffoodswithincreasedpreventive,andperhapseventherapeutic,properties.

martin schwalbe

research highlightWhat role does the bacterial community in the human digestive system play in Inflammatory Bowel Disease? That’s one of the questions facing Prof. Emma Allen‑Vercoe.

Committed to Agriculture and Agri-Food Research 3

• ResearchersaredevelopingaresearchprogramtohelpproducersmaketherightmanagementdecisionsfordealingwithWesternBeanCutworm,ahighly destructive corn and soybean pest.Itsemergenceisbeingevaluatedasapossibleconsequenceofclimatechange,withtheinsectitselfimpactingyieldandquality.Monitoringrevealedthatthisisanincreasinglyproblematicpest,andthattheindustryneedstopursueproactivemanagementdecisions.

• ResearchersintheSchoolofEnvironmentalDesignandRuralDevelopmentareheadinganewresearchprogramtohelpstruggling rural municipalities cope with economic decline.Theteamplanstodevelopa“howto”manualtoidentifyandexplainbestpracticesforailingmunicipalitiesaswellastohigh-lightsuccessstoriesofotherruralareasandprovideapproachestoimprovelocalconditions.

• Clinicalmastitiscommonlyresultsinreducedmilkyieldandincreasedsomaticcellcount.Butthere’sanothereffectthatisyettobequantified–thatis,painfortheanimal.UniversityofGuelphresearchersarelearningmoreaboutthesensoryaspectsofudderinfection,throughatwo-yearresearchprojectfocusedonobjectivelymeasuringthepainassociatedwithmastitis.Asanimal welfare issues in food animal sectorscontinuetoreceivemoreattentionfrombothmediaandconsumers,researchfocusedoncowcomfortwillprovidevaluableknowledgeforthedairyindustry.

• ThesheepandgoatsectorsarerisingtonewheightsasCanada’spopulationcontinuestodiversify,andtastesbecomemoremulticultural.AtGuelph,researchersarestudyingproducers’concerns with food-borne and zoonotic diseasesassociatedwithsheepandgoatfarmsandproducts.Theywanttoknowwhichdiseasesproducersexperiencemostfrequentlyamongtheirherdsandflocks.Food-borneandzoonoticdiseasesthatcouldbeofconcernincludeQ-fever,Salmonella,E. coli andCampylobacter,whichareharmfultobothhumanandanimalhealth.

• Consumingwhole-grainfoodsmadefromredwheatcurrentlymeanssacrificingflavourforthesakeofhealthbenefits.Theculpritsaretheastringentandbitternotesinherentinredwheat.Researchersarelookingathowpeoplereacttothesetraitstohelpfindabalance between health and tasteinfuturewhole-grainproducts.

• Beans,knownasanalmostperfect food,arehavingtheirgeneticsanalyzedtodiscovertherelationshipsbetweentheantioxidantcompositionofdrybeans,thegenesthatregulatethesynthesisofthesebioactives,theactivitiesoftheenzymesinvolvedintheirsynthesis,andtheirpromotionofhumanhealth.

• ResearchersinFood,AgriculturalandResourceEconomicsarehelp-ingpolicy-makers—andultimatelygrowers—navigate the new green economybymodellingtheimpactsofaprojectedincreaseindemandforcornandsoybeancropsrelatedtoapushforbioproducts.

red wheat berries fermentation beans allergies ultimate tomato honeybeesdisease detection infrared cameras vaccines influenza ragweed omega-3 bioproducts local food cow comfort resistant starches biosensor bacteria

university of guelph

Q Fever, a zoonotic disease that can be passed from livestock such as goats and sheep to humans, is under study at the farm level by University of Guelph researchers.

research highlight

• AUofGresearcherhasdiscoveredtheVarroamiteisthemainculpritbehindthemysterious die-offs of honeybee coloniesthathavealarmedbeekeepers,cropgrowersandthegeneralpublicoverthepastthreeyears.Theresearcherisusinggenetictechniquestolearnmoreabouthoney-beeinfectionsandtohelpbreedersdevelopbetterbees.

• UniversityofGuelphscientistshavemadeadiscoverythatmayleadtomore effective vaccinestoprotectpoultryandhumansfromtheH5N1avianinfluenzavirus.Theteamhasfoundoneofthemoleculardetermi-nantsoftheH5N1avianinfluenzavirusthatcaninduceimmuneresponsesinchickens.

Published by the Office of Research, University Centre, University of Guelph, Guelph ON N1G 2W1Phone: 519-824-4120, Ext. 53781 · Fax: 519-821-5236 · uoguelph.ca/researchEditorial Co-ordination: Owen Roberts, Students Promoting Awareness of Research Knowledge (SPARK) Copy Editor: Stacey Curry Gunn, Flow Public Relations & Marketing · Design and Layout: Gareth Lind, LINDdesign.ca Cover Photo: Martin Schwalbe · Printed by Ampersand Printing, March 2011

• Therearenumerouseffortspromot-ingincreasedconsumptionoflocalfoodforhealth,environmentalandcommunitydevelopmentbenefits.Buthowdofarmersperceivethislocal food movement?ResearchersintheSchoolofEnvironmentalDesignandRuralDevelopmentaretalkingtoproducerstofindoutwhichprograms,policiesandinitiativeshaveencour-agedthemtoselltothelocalmarket,andwhatnewpoliciesareneededtoexpandproducers’involvementinthelocalfoodsystem.

• Asthedemand for bioenergyincreases,researchersintheSchoolofEnvironmentalSciencesarecreatingatooltoassessandmanagepotentialenvironmentalimpacts.Oncecompleted,thismodelwillinformandassessbioenergypoliciesandprovidedirectionforresearch.

• Timingiseverythingwhenitcomestooptimizingacorn crop’s yield,researchershavefound.Recentresearchhasshownthereisa30-bushel“yieldkick”bysprayingherbicidesonce,atthethree-to-fourleafstage.

• The2010FordFlexhasinteriorpartsmadefromwheat-straw-reinforced plastic,usingtechnologythatwascreatedaspartoftheOntarioBioCarInitiativeinvolvingscientistsatGuelphandtheuniversitiesofToronto,WaterlooandWindsor.

• Lycopene,apowerfulantioxidantfoundintomatoes,isbeingbumpedupinnewvarietiesbeingdevelopedattheUniversityofGuelph’sRidgetowncampus.Theresearchteam’sgoalistocreatetheultimate tomatoforprocessing(forketchup,tomatosauceandtomatopaste).Newvarietieswillbenefitfarmers’bottomline,andexceedconsumers’nutritionalexpecta-tionsfortomatoproducts.

• PlantAgricultureresearchershavefoundagiantragweed biotypethatisshowingresistancetothepopularherbicideglyphosate.Theresearchersareconductingfurthergreenhouseandfieldtrialsontheweedbiotypetoconfirmresistance,aswellastoiden-tifypotentialmanagementoptions.Researcherswillalsobeworkingtounderstandthegeneticandbiochemi-calbasisforresistance.

• Toincreaseconsumeroptionsinthegrocerystore,ateamofresearchersattheUniversityofGuelphisworkingtoenrich pork with omega-3.Byfeed-ingflaxseedoiltoyoungpigs,theseresearchershavealreadyshownthatabout70percentofingestedomega-3fattyacidsareretainedineachpig.

• Disease detectioninlivestockmaysoonbeencapsulatedinaplasticmonitoringdevicethatemitsawire-lesssignal,ortelemetricbolus,givingfarmersacomputerized,non-invasivelookatwhat’sgoingoninsidetheiranimals.ResearchersattheUniversityofGuelphhaveusedthisdiagnostictooltodetectcommonillnessesevenbeforeclinicalsymptomsappear.

• Withtheglobalmarketfortherapeu-tic antibody drugsrapidlyexpanding,researchersintheSchoolofEnvi-ronmentalScienceshaveshownthatgeneticallymodifiedplantsareanalternativeforlarge-scaleproductionoftherapeuticantibodies.

• PlantAgricultureresearchersaredevelopingenvironmentally friendly industrial fibresfromconventionalcropssuchascornandsoybeanstoincludeincompositematerialsforautopartsmanufacturing,aswellasproteinisolatesfromwheat,soybeananddrybeansformanufacturingfoodpackaging,papercoatingsandbandag-ingmaterials.

• FoodScienceresearchersarefindingwaystoproducehealthiermeatproductsbyreplacingtraditionalsaturatedanimalfatwithnovelandfeasiblealternativessuchasorganogels.Organogelsconsistofanorganicliquid,suchasahighlyunsaturatedvegetableoil,trappedinagelnetwork.Theyhaveatexturesimilartosaturatedfats.

• Researchersrespondingtothe2009humannovelH1N1pandemicareestablishinganinfluenza surveillance systemforOntariofinisherpigs.Bytestingsalivasamplesfromprivatelyownedpigs,theteamwillassistproducersindeterminingwhetherthenovelH1N1virusisinpigs,sopublichealthofficialscanputtheroleofpigsinperspective.

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research highlightResearch technician Renu Chandra (front), graduate student Julieta Correa and Prof. Gopi Paliyath are studying the anti‑inflammatory properties of Ontario‑grown berries.