INNOVATION
The rise of
smart food
Smart ingredients, added functionality and nutraceuticals are driving new
processes and products in the agrifood industry, writes Dick Ahlstrom
I
reland has developed a massive agrifood industry that generates annual
exports worth ¤10 billion and employs tens of thousands. It is an industry that has been built through the application of research, creativity and
innovation.
These are the ingredients needed to
keep the sector growing. They lead to new
ideas, new processes, new products and
more efficiency. Innovation can open up
new markets, keep growth on the agenda
and sustain companies during downturns
that can leave other sectors struggling.
“You can anticipate emerging markets
when you are involved in research but typically the sector develops through small advances,” says Dr Frank O’Mara, director of
research at Teagasc.
This is happening at the moment in the
area of smart ingredients, nutraceuticals
and adding functionality to an existing
product, he says. “Building in functionality
is an area that we are heavily immersed in.”
Innovations
The innovations that are driving probiotics, health-promoting yoghurts and better
cheeses arise through research, he says,
hence Teagasc’s close associations with
University College Cork’s Alimentary
Pharmabiotic Centre (APC) and with
researchers at Cork Institute of
Technology.
“The research helps explain how your
health is influenced by your diet. There is a
lot of evidence that your health is affected
by your diet. The question is how do we
make products that turn that to an advantage,” he says.
20 |THE IRISH TIMES | March 26, 2014
The science proceeds with one eye on
the lab bench and the other on how discoveries might be used. “The work always has
an application in mind. The APC is strategic, basic research by nature, but we are always looking at how we can exploit discoveries for new applications,” Dr O’Mara
says.
This combination of research, innovation and market interest is most readily
seen in the Food for Health Ireland technology centre established with the backing of
Enterprise Ireland. Its focus is on milk and
developing innovative ways to add value to
it by delivering improved health.
It is an industry/academic combine with
the company involvement helping to keep
the research work close to and relevant to
market. It involves University College
Cork, University College Dublin, NUI Galway, NUI Maynooth, Dublin City University, University of Limerick, Teagasc and
Moorepark Food Research Centre on the
academic side. Company engagement includes the Irish Dairy Board, Carbery
Group, Dairygold Food Ingredients Ltd,
Glanbia plc and Kerry Group plc.
The goal is to deliver functional food ingredients and products. It pursues an “intelligent milk mining” programme that
searches for valuable ingredients, for example components of milk that promote infant development or boost immunity or
support healthy ageing. The work draws
Cash in: Find out about tax breaks and credits
Companiescanhalvethecostofdoingresearchanddevelopmentbytakingadvantage
oftaxbreaksandcredits.Manycompanies
ignorethispotentialsourceofsupportassumingthattheywouldnotqualify,saysIanCollins,
headofR&DtaxserviceswithEY.
“Oneofthemostcommonmistakeswehear
companiesmakeisdisregardingpotential
eligibilityforR&Dactivities,”saysCollins.
Companiesmaybepicturingresearchersin
whitecoatsbutinfactresearchexpenditure
thatisconsideredvalidfortheIrishtaxregime
canbemuchbroaderthanpeoplethink.
Itiswellworthinvestigatingbecauseitcan
meanbeingabletoclaimbackhalfofthe
researchcost,hesays.Itincludestaxreliefof
upto37.5percentso¤37.50inevery¤100
spent,Collinssays.Thereisalsograntaidso
thenetcostofresearchcanbereduced
significantly.
Thetaxcreditsonoffercanbeappliedto
developingnew,orimprovingexisting,products,devices,processes,materials,systems
andservices.Dataintensive activitiesare
included,adoptionofnewtechnologiesand
modificationtoexistingprocessesorsystems,
Collinssays.
“Thisissomethingalotofcompaniestendto
overlookand,asaresult,aremissingouton
valuablecashrefunds,”hesays.“Itisimportantthatyoudonotautomaticallyruleout
claimingforthisbenefituntilyouhavefully
exploredtheactivitieswithinyourbusiness.”
Therearepitfalls,theprimaryonebeing
underclaimingR&Dbenefits.ButRevenuehas
tobesatisfiedtheclaimsarerealandwill
requireadequatedocumentation.Companies
mustalsoensurethattheclaimisincompliancewiththerelevanttaxlegislation.
DICKAHLSTROM
on basic research expertise, but quickly
brings p roducts to market that are safe and
deliver benefits.
But efforts to innovate work from both
ends of the agrifood chain. It is not just
about the laboratories and the scientists, innovation is also being applied at farm level,
says Dr Tom Kelly, director of knowledge
transfer at Teagasc.
In this case, on-farm issues that need resolution are tackled through research and
the results are applied at farm level.
Farmadvisers
“We are probably a unique organisation in
Europe,” Dr Kelly says. “On one side we
have an advice and education service and
on the other basic research. But there is a
lot of interaction between the research
staff and the farm advisers.”
For example, if a new technology is being promoted for use on farms, an adviser
will explain its impact on the farm and the
researchers will be able to assess the effectiveness of the technology. The need for innovation touches all farming areas including breeding, dairy, sheep, beef, the general environment, forestry, even farmer education, Dr Kelly says.
“The ideas come in different ways. Over
the last eight to 10 years we have been using stakeholder ‘consultative groups’ for
each of the major farm enterprises. They
will include leading farmers along with people from industry, academics, Teagasc and
the Department of Agriculture,” he says.
“It is a way to try and feed in new ideas. If
they work we can be more confident in going out to the farmers and advising they
take up the ideas.”