The university's activities for Sustainable Development and Goal 2 presented in the reports for 2021-2022 and 2020-2021 "Lodz University of Technology on the path of sustainable development".
The overweight problem and obesity of children are becoming more and more relevant and noticeable.
The Institute of Fermentation Technology and Microbiology at TUL conducts research on the impact of modern generation of food products on this group of recipients, and in particular on the possibility of eliminating metabolic complications caused by excessive body weight.
These products are unsweetened fruit and vegetable preserves, enriched with a fibre preparation with prebiotic properties, additionally acceptable by children and adolescents organoleptic characteristics and adequate storage stability.
The aim of the subject pursued in the field of food technology and human nutrition is to familiarize students with issues related to the sustainable development of the food economy in the sectors of the food industry, agriculture and biodiversity.
The acquired knowledge raises the awareness of the future management of production plants and enables them to act in accordance with the assumptions of the 2030 Agenda.
With the skills gained, students are able to develop safer, green and competitive products and services in the agricultural and food industry sectors.
Kombucha is a fermented tea drink with a number of health-promoting properties.
Scientists from the Institute of Fermentation Technology and Microbiology at TUL are working on the project: "Development and implementation of innovative kombucha production technology".
In the production of kombucha, tested and selected strains of acetic acid bacteria, lactic acid bacteria and yeast, selected plant extracts with a high concentration of bioactive compounds and infusions of selected tea mixtures, obtained in cold and hot extraction, will be used.
This method of production will allow for creating a product with new sensory features and increased pro-health effects.
Students from the Faculty of Management and Production Engineering, as part of their specialisation project laboratory, carried out an activity involving the creation of a graphic message relating to the topic "Hunger in the world - some people go hungry, others throw food away: how to provide food for everyone". The target audience was school children.
Students had to identify the needs of representatives of this group and determine the methods of constructing the message adequate to these needs and the level of perception. The aim of the project was to make young people reflect on the problem of hunger in the world and stimulate their curiosity in identifying threats resulting from the devastation of ecosystems.
The implementation of the project also contributed to deepening students' knowledge and increasing their involvement in promoting knowledge about hunger.
For several years, an intensification of the phenomenon of the so-called mass extinction syndrome of the honeybee has been observed. The main cause is bee diseases caused by various types of microorganisms, as well as pesticides used on a massive scale. The reduction of the population of these insects has a very negative impact on agricultural production and natural ecosystems.
To prevent this, the project carried out by scientists from the Department of Environmental Biotechnology at TUL envisages the production of an ecological preparation containing strains of lactic bacteria with pro-health potential for bees.
The project is funded by the WFOŚiGW in Lodz.
Lodz University of Technology has launched a new field of study Food and Nutrition Manager.
Engineering studies are conducted at the Faculty of Biotechnology and Food Sciences in a full-time mode. Students of this major gain knowledge in the field of food and nutrition technology, management and marketing, also in the context of sustainable development.
After completing their training, they will be able to manage the service of catering companies in the hotel, catering or agritourism
industry.
Potatoes are the most common vegetable grown in large-scale rural areas as well as in home gardens. They are called the second bread. Unfortunately, they are very susceptible to diseases, as a result of which on average up to 20% of the crop is lost. This problem is faced by a team of scientists from the Faculty of Biotechnology and Food Sciences, whose aim is to develop an ecological biopreparation that inhibits the growth of plant pathogens that cause seed potato diseases, as well as an effective method of storing tubers. Many months of intensive work in the laboratory ended successfully. The most active microorganisms and plant extracts were selected. The optimal method of tuber dressing was also selected. At the same time, scientists strive to develop the most favourable storage conditions for seed potatoes, taking into account the basic parameters of the environment: temperature, humidity, lighting and aeration. The results of laboratory tests are subject to continuous verification at the Institute of Horticultural Research in Skierniewice, where the morphological and physiological characteristics of potatoes are assessed. The result of the project will be an ecological biopreparation for dressing seed potatoes, based on products of microbial origin and plant extracts, fully characterized in terms of species composition, chemical composition and activity against potato phytopathogens. In turn, the prototype of the cooling chamber will be a ready-made solution, especially for small producers, but in the future, it may become the basis for a project dedicated to farms dealing with the large-scale production of seed potatoes. More information.
The problem of overweight and obesity in children is becoming increasingly important and noticeable. Scientists from the Faculty of Biotechnology and Food Sciences of Lodz University of Technology are conducting research as part of a project whose main goal is to develop and implement a technology for the production of unsweetened vegetable and fruit preserves enriched with a fibre preparation with prebiotic properties from potato starch and with organoleptic characteristics acceptable to children and adolescents and appropriate stability storage. There are also studies evaluating the effect of enriching vegetable and fruit preserves with a starch fibre preparation with prebiotic properties on overweight and obese children and its metabolic complications.
In the last decade, the phenomenon of mass extinction of honeybees has been observed in Poland and in the world. Pathogens, parasites, loss and fragmentation of natural habitats, climate change and environmental pollution are the most common causes. The result is a decrease in the bees' immunity and an increase in their susceptibility to bacterial infections, such as American foulbrood (Paenibacillus larvae) or European (Melissococcus plutonius). Reducing the population of these insects has a very negative impact on agricultural production and natural ecosystems. Therefore, there is a growing interest in ecological preparations, developed on the basis of natural ingredients, which would strengthen the immunity of bees. They include e.g. probiotic preparations. The Faculty of Biotechnology and Food Sciences conducts research aimed at developing an ecological protective biopreparation based on probiotic microorganisms. The intensive laboratory research, which has been going on for over two years, has been successful - the strains of lactic acid bacteria with the strongest antagonistic properties against bee pathogens and the most active in terms of pesticide detoxification have been selected. Currently, work is underway to learn the mechanisms of the tested activities and to assess the probiotic features of selected strains. The result of the research will be the construction of an innovative ecological probiotic preparation intended for bees, containing selected, most active strains of bacteria with health-promoting properties. The research is carried out as part of a project obtained from the Provincial Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management in Lodz.
Kombucha is a fermented tea drink with interesting taste and health benefits. A big problem for the producers of this drink is to achieve repeatability of chemical parameters and sensory properties. In addition, kombucha, which contains live microorganisms, requires refrigerated storage and transport, and its pasteurization adversely affects the bioactive compounds present in the drink. The Institute of Fermentation Technology and Microbiology of Lodz University of Technology is a partner of the project, the aim of which is to implement an innovative technology for the production of kombucha with an attractive taste and aroma, increased health-promoting effect and extended shelf life compared to beverages of this type available on the market. A novel approach to the problem of kombucha stabilization is the use of extracts or pure bioactive substances of plant origin. This will improve the microbiological stability and the taste and aroma of the drink, as well as its health-promoting properties. It will also be possible thanks to the replacement of hot tea brewing with cold extraction of tea leaves and the use of newly obtained strains of microorganisms.
The offer of the Faculty of Biotechnology and Food Sciences includes the field of study Food Technology and Human Nutrition, in which students learn about issues related to the sustainable development of the food economy in the sectors of the food industry, agriculture and biodiversity. The acquired knowledge and competences raise the awareness of the future management staff of production plants and enable them to act in accordance with the assumptions of the 2030 Agenda. Thanks to the acquired skills, students are able to develop safer, ecological and competitive products and services in the agricultural and food industry sectors. A new field of study, Food and Nutrition Manager (engineering studies conducted on a full-time basis), which also launched at the same Faculty. Students of this field gain knowledge in the field of food and nutrition technology, management and marketing, also in the context of sustainable development. After completing their education, they will be able to manage the service of catering companies in the hotel, catering or agritourism industry.