2003 IRISH SCIENTIST YEAR BOOK

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University of Ulster
Sean Strain, David Thurnham & Ian Rowland
The Northern Ireland Centre for Food and Health (NICHE)

"Analysis of plasma samples from dietary studies by mass spectrometry"

The Northern Ireland Centre for Food and Health (NICHE) is a multidisciplinary research team located at the University of Ulster, within the twice top rated for research School of Biomedical Sciences. NICHE's objectives are to advance basic knowledge in the area of nutrition and the relationship between diet and health, and to provide scientific support to the food industry for the development and testing of new food products.

NICHE conducts fundamental research into the complex relationship between nutrition and health status. Research is focused on the effects of trace elements, vitamins, phytochemicals, n-3 fatty acids and indigestible carbohydrates on optimal health & development, disease processes and ageing, both in industrialized countries as well as in the developing world. A particular interest is the role of folic acid and other B-vitamins in reducing risk of heart disease and cancer.

Obesity is a major area of research, focusing on dietary, socio-economic and psycho-social factors and on effects of macronutrients on appetite and satiety. During the past year NICHE has produced 'Dish it Up' - an interactive multi-media CD-ROM for the promotion of nutrition education in secondary school children. This has been circulated to all secondary schools in the UK. A new project aims to develop a similar CD for primary schools.

The group is recognised as being one of the leaders in developing methods for assessing dietary intake, and worked on the North-South Dietary Survey of Ireland. NICHE conducts work into a range of generic and consumer issues at the product innovation stage, including: physiological response, factors influencing consumer choice of food products with novel or improved nutritional and sensory specifications, and food processing and bioavailability. The group has recently expanded to include food microbiology research and conducts research into microbiological food safety in domestic and commercial environments and Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP).

Currently NICHE provides high quality, comprehensive services to the food industry for the development and evaluation of new food products with health promoting properties. NICHE has an extensive network of collaborations with leading universities and research institutes throughout the world, and works with major food companies and provides services for the local food industry.

NICHE's Research Group Leaders are Prof. Sean Strain, Prof. David Thurnham and Prof. Ian Rowland.

Contact: Professor Ian Rowland, School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Ulster, Coleraine, BT52 1SA;
Tel: +44 (0) 2870 323039; Fax: +44(0)2870 323023;
E-mail: [email protected] ; Web: http://www.science.ulster.ac.uk/niche/