Nestlé, the world’s largest food and beverages company, and APC Microbiome Ireland (APC), a world-leading Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) Research Centre based in University College Cork (UCC), have announced a new collaboration that will focus on various aspects of the human microbiome that could ultimately benefit new product development with the potential to improve human health and wellness.
According to Jonathan O’Regan, Head of Nestlé’s R&D facility in Askeaton, Co Limerick, this project will explore new opportunities to strengthen our portfolio of infant and maternal nutrition products, building on our understanding of the human microbiome.
“Microbes are critical contributors to human health, they protect us against pathogens, help our immune system develop, and enable us to digest food to produce energy. This collaboration with APC which is a global leader in microbiome research is an opportunity for us to deepen our knowledge for future product development,” said O’Regan.
The project will be led by APC Principal Investigators Professor Catherine Stanton, Senior Principal Research Officer in the Teagasc Food Biosciences department and Research Professor in UCC, and Professor Paul Ross, Director of APC and faculty in the School of Microbiology, UCC.
With the funding contribution from Nestlé, the project will recruit two PhD students who will be based in Teagasc Moorepark.
Paul Ross, Director APC Microbiome Ireland, said: “This is an exciting project and we are delighted to team up with Nestlé again on this innovative research. It underlines APC’s world-class credentials as a leader in the microbiome research arena and how we can help leading global food and nutrition companies like Nestlé develop products with health benefits.”
