Teagasc Annual Report Details New Scientific Research and Advisory Services
Research scientists at Teagasc's National Food Centre in Dublin are involved in cutting-edge work on the development of a gluten-free bread formulation that is superior to anything yet available on the market.
A number of small bakeries in Ireland have taken the formulation and are working on it commercially.
Following trials on dairy farming, Teagasc's research on once-a-day milking has led to an enclosed order of nuns implementing a once-a-day milking regime for their dairy herd.
These and other research findings, together with an overview of advisory and training services, are contained in Teagasc's Annual Report 2004, published today (Tuesday, October 18th, 2005).
Work on the gluten-free formulation was undertaken because of the increasing numbers of people who are gluten-intolerant, as well as Coeliac sufferers, and because what was available on the market often was of poor quality and expensive, according to Dr Eimear Gallagher, head of the research team.
"When we started, we found it difficult to find literature on what other researchers had done; it's a new and developing area.
"Gluten is responsible for the elastic properties of wheat dough. When you remove it, you go from a dough to a liquid batter. We started to develop a gluten-free bread with no wheat starch or gluten presence, working with rice flour and potato starch. We used Xanthan gum and CMC - a cellulose derivative - as a water bonding agent. This gave us a network similar to a wheat network," she explains.
A lot of statistical and mathematical models and equations were used to give the best formulation. Taste tests were done with panels from the Irish Coeliac Society, which has given the new formulation its approval.
As yet the formulation has no name and there are no commercial results. "We have done it on a laboratory scale. It takes work to do so on a factory scale," says Dr Gallagher. "We're starting another project now using this formulation and adding some functional ingredients - proteins, dietary fibre, calcium and micronutrients. One of the problems that people with gluten intolerance have is that they are not able to absorb important nutrients properly."
"The market is still quite small," Dr Gallagher explains, "but the actual numbers of people with intolerance to the gluten in wheat are increasing all the time.
An increase in the number of farmers working in off-farm jobs and the difficulty in getting skilled farm labour have led Teagasc researchers to investigate the feasibility of milking cows less frequently than twice a day.
Trials conducted at Teagasc's dairy research facility at Moorepark in Co Cork, over a full lactation, showed that 30 cows milked once a day produced 26 per cent less milk than a similar herd milked twice a day - 4,437 kgs on average, compared with 6,013 kgs for those milked twice a day. However, the fat and protein content of the milk - which determine milk price - increased by 0.41 per cent and 0.24 per cent, respectively. This partially compensates for the drop in yield.
Cows milked once a day had better body condition and improved hoof health and there are possible beneficial effects on reproductive performance, according to Dr Bernadette O'Brien, who led the trials. "While the feasibility and merits of once-a-day milking need further investigation, eg, the effect on heifers and a study of the economics of the system, it appears once-a-day milking may provide an alternative management option on farms,'' she says.
The Cistercian nuns at Glencairn Abbey in Co Waterford were among the first farmers to implement once-a-day milking. A decline in the number of young women entering the religious life has meant there are fewer nuns available to run the farm and carry out work like milking.
Teagasc's Director, Mr Jim Flanagan, says in his review of the year that during 2004, Teagasc initiated a new research strategy, investing in centres of excellence. "The aim is to equip those in the business of agriculture and food with the knowledge to improve efficiency, competitiveness and responsiveness to the market and to develop policies that respect the physical environment, promote biodiversity and guarantee the maintenance of a healthy population and health-giving countryside," he says.
Mr Flanagan says the advisory service has been strengthened in areas of technology and business to service more commercially orientated, specialised farmers. Environmental services will be improved with e-REPS and on-line REPS planning to facilitate nutrient management planning for non-REPS clients. The Options for Farm Families programme has been given new impetus to improve the service to part-time farmers and smaller farmers. This programme is geared towards advising farm families on options to generate desired family income from farming and possibly non-farming activities.
On education and training, he says the agricultural colleges of the future will provide training for young students, but also courses for adults and part-time farmers that are integrated with Teagasc's research programmes.
