ɬ�﷬ News - Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences

Food Science Students Selected as Finalists in IFTSA Student Competitions

webfull — Tue, 31 Mar 2026 17:23:50 +0000

ɬ�﷬’s Department of Food Science and Agricultural Chemistry is celebrating an outstanding achievement by its students: all three ɬ�﷬ teams entered into this year’s Institute of Food Technologists Student Association (IFTSA) competitions have been selected as finalists. The teams will represent ɬ�﷬ at the IFT Annual Meeting & Food Expo in Chicago in July 2026—one of the largest and most influential gatherings in the global food science community.

Published: 31 March 2026

Building Canada’s Future Environmental Leaders

webfull — Thu, 12 Mar 2026 13:40:22 +0000

A new NSERC CREATE initiative, MIXCHEM, is reshaping how Canada prepares researchers to confront the growing challenge of complex chemical mixtures in the environment. Prof. Stéphane Bayen, a leading voice in Food Science and Agricultural Chemistry, is helping drive this interdisciplinary program, which blends cutting‑edge analytical training with hands‑on experience across industry, government, and academia.

Published: 12 March 2026

ɬ�﷬ researchers optimize process for converting human urine into clean energy

webfull — Mon, 16 Feb 2026 15:07:32 +0000

Researchers at ɬ�﷬ have improved the efficiency of a method for converting human urine into clean energy.

The method employs microbial fuel cells (MFCs), which use bacteria to turn organic waste into electricity, providing a sustainable and low-cost means of treating wastewater while generating energy from an abundant source. The ɬ�﷬ research provides insights into which urine concentrations are optimal for this process.

Published: 16 February 2026

In polar regions, microbes are influencing climate change as frozen ecosystems thaw, ɬ�﷬ review finds

webfull — Mon, 26 Jan 2026 16:35:08 +0000

Microbes across Earth’s coldest regions are becoming more active as glaciers, permafrost and sea ice thaw, accelerating carbon release and potentially amplifying climate change, according to a new international review from ɬ�﷬.

Published: 26 January 2026

ɬ�﷬ researchers create shapeshifting materials that could power the next generation of soft robots

webfull — Fri, 23 Jan 2026 15:59:18 +0000

ɬ�﷬ engineers have developed new ultra-thin materials that can be programmed to move, fold and reshape themselves, much like animated origami. They open the door to softer, safer and more adaptable robots that could be used in medical tools that gently move inside the body, wearable devices that change shape on the skin or smart packaging that reacts to its environment.

Published: 23 January 2026

ɬ�﷬ researchers identify a range of unexpected chemical contaminants in human milk

webfull — Tue, 20 Jan 2026 15:45:07 +0000

An interdisciplinary team including researchers at ɬ�﷬ has found a range of unexpected chemical contaminants in human milk samples from Canada and South Africa. The chemicals include traces of pesticides, antimicrobials and additives used in plastics and personal-care products. The findings were published across five papers.

Published: 20 January 2026

ɬ�﷬ professor awarded one of the eight science diplomacy chairs newly created by the Fonds de recherche du Québec

webfull — Tue, 16 Dec 2025 18:31:34 +0000

Ebenezer Miezah Kwofie, based at Macdonald Campus, will work to advance food sustainability in Africa

Ebenezer Miezah Kwofie, Assistant Professor in the Bioresource Engineering Department, has been awarded one of eight science diplomacy chairs newly created by the Fonds de recherche du Québec (FRQ).

Published: 16 December 2025

Microencapsulated B-vitamins help dairy cows produce more milk with fewer emissions

webfull — Thu, 11 Dec 2025 16:38:40 +0000

A new international study led by ɬ�﷬ in collaboration with Jefo Nutrition shows that supplementing dairy cow diets with microencapsulated B-vitamins can significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions while increasing milk yield and quality. The use of the feed additive cut global warming potential, an internationally standardized measure of climate impact, by up to 18 per cent across seven countries.

Published: 11 December 2025

Scientists decode the full range of oat genomes, opening the door to more nutritious, climate-smart crops

webfull — Fri, 28 Nov 2025 14:16:51 +0000

Researchers have cracked one of agriculture’s most complicated genomes, revealing long-hidden DNA rearrangements that could help scientists breed oats that are more resilient, nutritious and sustainable.

The study, by an international consortium that included researchers from ɬ�﷬ and published in Nature, presents the first-ever “pangenome” and “pantranscriptome” of oats. These map all known oat genes and track how they behave across 33 varieties that grow around the world.

Published: 28 November 2025

Patrick Cortbaoui Appointed UNAI Vice Chair

webfull — Wed, 05 Nov 2025 20:23:23 +0000

Patrick Cortbaoui, Senior Managing Director of ɬ�﷬’s Margaret A. Gilliam Institute for Global Food Security, has been appointed Vice Chair for Outreach and Partnership for the United Nations Academic Impact (UNAI) SDG 2 Hub for the 2025–2027 term. This appointment recognizes Patrick’s ongoing leadership in advancing SDG 2 (Zero Hunger) through global academic collaboration.

Published: 5 November 2025