Research Programs Funded by the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs

The key to staying ahead of your competition, locally and globally, is to strive for continuous improvements through innovation - in marketing and in product development. The key to innovation is to uncover new truths about your business through research. These can range from the way consumers behave in the market, through more efficient processing and operations at the plant level, to the way proteins fold and react as enzymes or how food components act to promote healthier lives.

That is why the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA), through its "New Directions" and "Food Safety" research programs, as well as through its agreement with the University of Guelph, invests in excess of $40 million annually in agri-food research. This investment is leveraged by financial and in-kind support from private industry, research institutions and the federal government. These programs also invest in Ontario's future by contributing to the training of scientists and technicians who will build their careers in Ontario and continue to advance innovative ideas and strategies.

The research in the New Directions and Food Safety programs focus on upon six themes important to Ontario's food processing industry. These are:

- Functional Foods and Nutraceuticals
- Bio-fuels
- Livestock Technologies
- Protection against Disease
- Detection Methods
- Plant Breeding Biotechnology

You may ask "What would research into bio-fuels have to do with me as a food processor"? For example, a study by Anne Crolla of the University of Guelph at Alfred College is examining new methods to convert cheese whey, often considered a by-product, into ethanol for fuel. The potential benefits to a food processor are that waste disposal costs can be eliminated, even turned into a revenue centre. And as Ontario's ethanol supply grows, that very same processor's fuels costs may be reduced, while contributing to improved air quality.

You might also be wondering what are the opportunities for venturing into functional food and nutraceutical product lines. There is no shortage of basic scientific research into the way certain nutrients and food components act to maintain or promote health. More needs to be done, and OMAFRA programs will continue to support this essential research. But, will the consumer buy such products? Dr. Spencer Henson of the University of Guelph is focussing his research on the consumer in a project entitled "Consumer Acceptability of Functional Foods - Implications for Ontario Agribusiness".

These are two of the many projects funded by OMAFRA that may make a significant contribution to increasing the competitiveness of Ontario's food sector through innovation. A summary of some of the other projects that may have direct relevance to the food processing industry follows:

Improvement and Validation of a DNA Microchip-Based Test for Rapid and Simultaneous Detection of Six Food Borne Pathogens; and Development of a Novel Protein Chip-Based Test for rapid and Cost-Effective Salmonella Serotyping

- Both of these studies are led by Dr. Shu Chen, Laboratory Services Division of the University of Guelph. The availability of sensitive, specific and rapid tests against a panel of common problem organisms will help enhance the safety of food and reduce losses to the processor.

Economic Assessment of Future Labour Demand Needs in the Ontario Agri-Food Sector

- This study by Dr. J. Cranfield, Dept. of Agricultural Economics & Business, University of Guelph hopes to identify key labour issues which will foster a sustainable and competitive agri-food industry.

Innovative processors may be able to create new products for the consumer based on applied research projects which include:

Development of Fermented Soy Milks with Nutraceutical and Functional Food Potential

- Dr. Julia Green-Johnson, University of Ontario Institute of Technology seeks to develop a fermented soy product that will offer healthful benefits and be readily acceptable to the Canadian consumer

Comprehensive Fractionation and Utilization of Commercial Wheat Brans

- Dr. Steve Cui, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Guelph and Dr. Yukio Kakuda, Dept. of Food Science, University of Guelph are developing a number of technologies to utilize the currently undervalued commercial wheat bran in order to produce high value products.

Elimination of Human Pathogens on Seeds Destined for Sprout Production by Using a Novel Sanitizer

- Dr. Keith Warriner, Dept. of Food Science, University of Guelph will provide a basis for Ontario to establish the safest sprout production in the world and boost the domestic/export markets for such nutritious products.

Future product development will also come from basic research. OMAFRA now funds large projects that draw in researchers outside of the traditional food science and nutrition disciplines. The study "The Heart Friendly Margarine of the Future" led by Dr. Alejandro Marangoni, involves researchers in nanotechnology and vascular biology. Others involve collaborators in the U.S.A. and Britain.

OMAFRA's research direction is influenced by the Ontario Food Processing Research and Service Committee. The "Strategic Priorities Report 2004 - 2008" can be found at www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/research/oascc/ofprsc/

Information on OMAFRA research funding programs, as well as executive summaries of the projects and researcher contact information, can be found at

www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/research/new_directions/overview.htm

www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/research/foodsafety/index.html