Teagasc, the Agriculture and Food Development Authority – is the Irish national body providing integrated research, advisory and training services to the agriculture and food industry and rural communities. The Teagasc Food Research Centre is fully equipped to carry out analytical scale extraction and purification of bio-actives including, accelerated solvent extraction, and flash chromatography. The Nutraceutical researchers have access to an ILAB accredited microbiology laboratory, and have a state of the art processing pilot plant.
A current Teagasc-led Nutramara consortium has developed several protocols for the identification, characterisation and de-replication strategies for bioactives from marine sources. The Nutramara programme currently comprises of 7 research institutes and universities with strong industry links.
The Teagasc group will perform food and nutraceutical applications of biomolecules obtained from microalgae, and characterisation and physiochemical properties of valuable compounds obtained from microalgae. Previously developed protocols will be employed to identify the profile of bioactives and de-replication strategies. Clean and green extraction expertise and analytical chemistry will be available for potential exploitation in the project. Key research activities in the area of extraction technologies, characterization of biomolecules and application of biomolecules for various food and nutraceuticals will be used in various WPs.
