Special Issue on the Faculty for World Food Day
A special issue of Agri Magazine in collaboration with The Robert H Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment
type of news item
2019 Diabetes Research Center Annual Meeting
29 March, 2019
Mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative stress have been implicated in the pathology of chronic metabolic diseases associated with type 2 diabetes mellitus. In the last decade, tremendous progress has been made in understanding the mitochondrial structure, function and their physiology in metabolic syndromes such as diabetes, obesity, stroke, hypertension, liver and heart diseases.
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Furthermore, progress has also been made in developing therapeutic strategies, including lifestyle interventions, pharmacological strategies and mitochondria-targeted approaches.
These strategies are mainly focused to reduce mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative stress and to maintain mitochondrial quality in metabolic syndromes.
The purpose of this meeting was to highlight the recent progress on the mitochondrial role in metabolic diseases, to understand the molecular basis for optimal mitochondrial function or mechanisms of dysfunction and finally correlate them with diabetes.
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Chickpeas: Food of the Future
12 June, 2018
Hold the Steak; Chickpeas Are the Food of the Future
Hummus – a world-famous mashed chickpea dish – is one of the most popular foods in Israel, and one whose true origins are hotly debated across the Middle East. It is said that this foodstuff was first made in Egypt, where there are recipes dating back as far as the 13th century. Prof. Ram Reifen, a Hebrew University Medical Faculty graduate, pediatrician and an expert in children’s nutrition and digestive diseases, has devoted more than 15 years of research to this field. He created ChickP, a powder comprised of 60% to 90% from which milk- and meat-substitutes will be manufactured, along with high-protein energy snacks, beverages and more.
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ChickP is also a safe and better alternative to soy protein – which contains phytoestrogens – and peas, both of which trigger allergic reactions in many people. Concentrated chickpea protein can actually lower cholesterol and triglyceride levels.
For his breakthrough, Reifen will receive, during the university’s board of governors meetings, a Kaye Innovation Award.
Prof. Ram Reifen, director of the research center for nutrigenomics and functional foods at the faculty’s School of Nutritional Sciences, has found a revolutionary new way to use these humble legumes that is likely to benefit the whole world.
https://www.breakingisraelnews.com/109303/hold-the-steak-chickpeas-are-the-foo...
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Partnership with College of ACES Illinois
15 August, 2018
The aim of the visit was to identify opportunities and strengthen collaborations to increase the effectiveness of agricultural practices and food processing; to identify potential industry partners; and to explore opportunities for shared student experiences that can lead to industry connections and eventual full-time employment.
Under just the right light, ice turns into a twisting labyrinth
Ice absorbs near-infrared light more efficiently than does water, triggering the formation of intricate patterns.
Evolution of grain yield
Decoding the genetic basis of floret fertility in wheat - A high grain yield is undoubtedly a desirable trait in cereal crops. Floret fertility is a key factor which determines the number of grains per inflorescence of cereals such as bread wheat or barley. Nonetheless, until recently little was known about its genetic basis. Whilst investigating floret fertility, a group of researchers have now discovered the locus Grain Number Increase 1 (GNI1), an important contributor to floret fertility. A writeup from Science Daily of an international collaboration, including researchers from the Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture, to decode the genetic basis of floret fertility in wheat.
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The research was published in PNAS:
Unleashing floret fertility in wheat through the mutation of a homeobox gene
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Faculty Team Wins at iGem
4 November, 2018
One year ago, to the week, a group of driven students came to us with a exciting idea- they wanted to represent the Hebrew University of Jerusalem at iGEM- the worlds biggest synthetic biology competition.
After a year of hard work the results are in. Of over 300 teams our students' work was nominated for best software tool, won second place in the environmental project category, and won the best plant synthetic biology award!!
Congratulations to our winners who's achievements have made us very proud.
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First MSc in wine making in Israel
I24 News Story about the first academic course in Israel in wine-making - the next step in growing the local wine industry
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in French:
En Français
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Students show off latest food technology
Jerusalem Post covers Food Tech Nation Conference at the Faculty - The future of healthy eating drew crowds Thursday at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture in Rehovot. About 300 people came to an event celebrating the institution’s 75th anniversary and giving students the opportunity to showcase their work. It featured some of the latest developments in Israeli food technology ranging from 3D printed meals to protein powder made from fly larva.
The man who just can’t stop inventing
Nanotech pioneer Prof. Oded Shoseyov has already founded 11 companies based on his inventions. Now he’s on his next: a 4D printing platform to create customized meals.
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Koalas, horses and pygmy goats
in Israeli-UC Davis Vet Team-up - From jweekly: Three decades of joint research at the Faculty and UC Davis vet schools, supported by Koret grants.: A list of the collaborative work between the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine and the Koret School of Veterinary Medicine — the only veterinary school in Israel — reads something like a “who’s who” of the animal kingdom....
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Professor Ron Ofri of the Hebrew University Koret School of Veterinary Medicine
performing an ophthalmological examination on a koala from a zoo in Israel.
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Modern, nutritious manna printed in 3D
Faculty scientists Professors Ido Braslavsky and Oded Shoseyov develop technique to print food according to pre-defined criteria in a process that will serve a variety of special-needs populations.
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New tool predicts which compounds taste bitter
Journal club article in PNAS about BitterPredict, a machine learning tool that predicts whether a chemical tastes bitter. BitterPredict was developed by members of Prof Masha Niv's lab.
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Triwax Center reveals why honeybees are dying
Fewer wildflower choices thwart bees’ natural inclination to choose a balanced diet and they suffer cognitively from lack of omega-3 acids. Experiments performed at Israel’s Benjamin Triwaks Bee Research Center at Hebrew University’s Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture in Rehovot, revealed that, like humans, bees consuming an unhealthy ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids develop cognitive deficiencies.
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They cannot simply choose pollen from flowers high in omega-3 because increasing urbanization has decimated many kinds of wildflowers. The resulting nutritional imbalance is a major reason why honeybees, responsible for the pollination of more than 90 commercial food crops across the world, are dying at an alarming rate.
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Harnessing natures hidden superpowers
What do you get when you combine the strongest materials from the plant world with the most elastic ones from the insect kingdom? Super-performing materials that might transform ... everything. Nanobiotechnologist Prof. Oded Shoseyov of our Faculty walks us through examples of amazing materials found throughout nature, in everything from cat fleas to sequoia trees, and shows the creative ways his team is harnessing them in everything from sports shoes to medical implants.
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