Total Food ― Sustainability of the Agri-Food Chain

This proceedings volume provides the latest research and development presented at the Total Food 2009 International Conference in Norwich, April 2009. The Total Food series of biennial conferences was initiated in 2004 by the Royal Society of Chemistry Food Group and the Institute of Food Research, Norwich.

The aim of Total Food: Sustainability of the Agri-Food Chain is to provide an overview of global research and development relevant to exploiting the whole food crop rather than the limited proportion that is consumed at present. For example, many vegetables are subjected to a high degree of trimming during post-harvest processing, and many parts including the outer leaves and stems are often disposed of by landfill. Much of the `wasted'material is potentially food grade and may also contain important ingredients for further exploitation and the volumes involved are considerable.

The book is multidisciplinary and international. It presents the latest expertise and covers a broad spectrum of R&D which is being brought to bear in the quest for sustainability. Areas covered include the minimisation of waste through water recycling and energy recovery, value added products from plants and food chain wastes, and the exploitation of low value residues for the production of biofuels.

Since the Total Food series began, the issue of food security has become prominent. The increasing global population in conjunction with the use of crops for biofuel production mean that the more efficient exploitation of biomass will be required. The Total Food conferences are well placed to provide regular forums for debate and to facilitate knowledge transfer between representatives of the agri-food (and increasingly non-food) industries, scientific research community, legal experts on food-related legislation and waste management, and consumer organisations.

Keith Waldron is at the Institute of Food Research, Norwich, UK. Keith is a graduate of the University of Edinburgh (Biochemistry, 1981) and University of Glasgow (PhD, 1984). After a research fellowship at the University of Glasgow, he was appointed to the IFR in 1986. He is currently an IFR Senior Scientist, a Fellow of the Institute of Biology, and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry. In 1999 he was a Royal Institution Scientist for the New Century. He has published widely on the topic of plant cell walls (research papers and university texts) and his research interests currently focus on the exploitation of agri-food chain biomass, and the development of biofuels. Since graduating with an MBA in 2001 for which he received the Open University Ray Nelson Prize, he has devoted time and effort to understanding the potential for innovation in relation to environmental and economic sustainability. This has involved close involvement with the IFR Food & Health Network, particularly the Co-Product Upgrade Cluster which he leads. He has coordinated a number of national and international (EC) projects and PhD studentships, and lectures widely. He recently coordinated the EC STREP "REPRO" and leads several projects funded by the UK DTI and DEFRA. Keith has also been awarded an Honorary Professorship from the University of East Anglia. Graham Moates is at the Institute of Food Research, Norwich, UK and is a research scientist in the exploitation platform. He joined the IFR in 1985 and has worked on a wide variety of projects to help improve our understanding of food ingredients. His research has involved studies into the use of supercritical fluids, plant cell walls, the use of thermoplastic starch as biodegradable packaging, colloids, and ultrasonic characterisation. He is currently involved in two work packages within the EU-funded NovelQ project concerning life cycle assessment of food production systems and the utilisation of food wastes. Craig Faulds is at the Institute of Food Research, Norwich, UK. Craig graduated from the University of Glasgow (BSc, Biochemistry 1984) and went on to look at the production of ligninolytic enzymes in white-rot fungi (MPhil, University of Paisley, 1989) and the enzymatic extraction of phenolic acids from agro-industrial by-products (PhD, University of East Anglia, 1997). In 1995 he was a recipient of Les Prix CUrUalier des Organisations CUrUaliTres Frantaises. Craig is currently on Sabbatical at the Centro de Investigaciones Biol?gicas (CSIC) in Madrid with a Marie Curie Fellowship where he is looking further at the use of enzymes to extract and modify lignin, and he remains a Senior Research Scientist at the IFR. His scientific interests include the interaction between hydrolytic enzymes in the deconstruction and modification of lignocellulosic material, especially cereals and non-woody plants, the use of enzymes as novel probes to detect specific polysaccharides and in the up-grading of plant by-products. He has published over 80 papers looking at the biochemistry of feruloyl esterases which has led to a number of national and international projects looking at applications for these enzymes.