This new research project, funded by Tate & Lyle, will see APC Microbiome Ireland screen dietary fibres to identify potential health benefits for specific age groups and to explore the benefit of these fibres for specific health outcomes, particularly relating to cardio-metabolic health.
Representatives from both organisations joined Leo Varadkar, Taoiseach (Prime Minister) of the Republic of Ireland, to discuss this project’s potential to improve global diets at the SFI food innovation roundtable in Washington, D.C., U.S. this week.
Based at University College Cork and Teagasc, APC Microbiome Ireland is ranked number one globally for research in antimicrobial and therapeutic microbes and is in the top five institutions in the world for microbiome research.
Andrew Taylor, president of innovation and commercial development at Tate & Lyle, said: “Dietary fibre provides a wide range of health benefits, including digestive health, keeping blood glucose levels healthy, weight management, cholesterol reduction and possibly even bone health.
"At Tate & Lyle, we are excited by the potential our fibres have to address significant societal health challenges, and by working with APC Microbiome Ireland we’re committed to building further the evidence base around the positive role fibre can play in improving public health.”
Professor Mark Ferguson, director general for Science Foundation Ireland and chief scientific adviser to the Government of Ireland, said: “By growing and expanding international links through partnerships and collaborations with such world-leading organisations, the SFI Research Centres are creating opportunities for innovation and global knowledge transfer.
"It is a tribute to our researchers in Ireland that Tate & Lyle is committing to this research partnership and I look forward to seeing the fruits of this collaboration in the future.”
APC Microbiome Ireland
Formed in 2003, this Science Foundation Institute research centre represents a collaboration between University College Cork and Teagasc (the Irish Agriculture and Food Development Authority).
Over the last decade the APC has established itself as one of the leading global centres in gut microbiota research.
Researchers at the centre recently discovered that supplementation with short‐chain fatty acids derived from fibre appear to alleviate episodes of psychosocial stress and promote good gut health, reversing “leakiness” in the gastrointestinal tract.