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Plant, Food & Climate

Projects

Below please find a selection of ongoing research projects. Project descriptions for several of them are publicly available on websites which can be linked to from this page:


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  1. DFF-green transmission project: Impact of plant-based diet on the consumption of health promoting microRNA’s

    Martin Krøyer Rasmussen , Milena Corredig & Rong Zhou

    With today’s climate changes and limited resources, the availability of high quality proteins for consumption is increasingly challenged. Plant-based alternative protein sources has been identified. However, animal based food ingredients (e.g. milk) contains exosomes encapsulating microRNA (miRNA) with health beneficial properties. Thus, minor compounds of importance for health are provided by the food and we are currently lacking knowledge about these in plant-based diets. To deliver this, the aim of this project is to map dietary plants that contains exosomes with miRNA and provide proof-of-concept by demonstrating that the exosomes are prone to processing, digestion and has biological activity. This is done by 1) documenting the content of exosomes and miRNA in dietary plants, 2) determine the stability towards food processing and human digestion and 3) deliver knowledge on the health beneficial properties of the exosomes and how to increase the health potential of plants.Description

    01/01-202101/06-2024

  2. Data baseret optimering af bæredygtig dansk fødevareproduktion

    Carl-Otto Ottosen , Niels Holst , Jesper Mazanti Aaslyng , Torben Roll & Henning Jørgensen

    The traditional food supply of imported vegetables both from the field and protected cultivation is under pressure, among other things, due to changes in the climate conditions in Southern Europe. In the spring of 2023, the supermarkets had relatively large problems in procuring more of the green products and in Denmark the drought was affecting the production. With the expected climate changes, these challenges with will become even greater. The production of fresh greens is challenged as the current production systems as the use of pesticides, nutrient and water use due to unfavorable climate. Thus, there is a need to develop both effective
    systems for greenhouses but also to include some of the traditional field vegetable crops in greenhouse production. To improve the greenhouse productivity there is a need to develop a data driven approach to reduce energy use, yield and at the same time reduce food waste.

    Climate change is a challenge for security of supply, but is also an opportunity to increase the Danish production of healthy, green, tasty food by an effort to improve the control of climate and production using state of art sensors and utilize diode light (LED) that can help to promote the quality and taste of the crops, especially in the darkest part of the year combined with development of new crop types – altogether securing fresh locally produced fresh greens with as low environmental impact as possible.Description

    01/01-202431/12-2026