The Institute of Animal Reproduction and Food Research PAS in Olsztyn invites healthy (not smoking) women and men aged 18-65 with normal body weight (BMI 19-25) to participate in a scientific study on vitamin D.
The study will be conducted from November 2023 to February 2024 (7 meetings).
By taking part in this study, you will learn:
what is the level of vitamin D in your blood;
whether your body has a very good, average or poor response to vitamin D.
What do you need to do?
contact us to participate in the initial examination;
come to your appointment after overnight fasting and give your blood sample (approx. 20 mL);
take a personalized monthly dose of vitamin D (under the supervision of our doctor);
come the next day to give another blood sample (approx. 20 mL);
this procedure will be done once a month over a 3-month period.
In addition, by participating in the study, you will receive breakfast together with a dose of vitamin D, and get a chance to be selected for a long-term intervention study that will allow you to optimize the level of vitamin D in your body.
If you are interested in participating in the study, please contact us by phone or e-mail:
What the symbols on packaging mean, whether food packaging needs to be washed before throwing it away to make it recyclable and whether fresh fruit and vegetables need to be packaged – the answers to these questions are not obvious to consumers.
The European education campaign for responsible handling of food packaging, in which the Institute of Animal Reproduction and Food Research of the Polish Academy of Sciences in Olsztyn participates, comes to help.
The EIT Food project 'InformPack’ is an international initiative of scientific and expert institutions from Denmark, the UK, Poland, Finland and Spain.
– The premise of the project is to investigate consumer behaviour, knowledge and attitudes towards food packaging. In the survey, we asked consumers, among other things, whether they pay attention to the material from which the packaging is made when buying food, whether they are able to resign from buying a product because of an excessive amount of plastic in the packaging or whether they find it difficult to segregate used packaging. On this basis, we develop educational materials to encourage consumers to behave responsibly with food packaging, both at home and outside – says Iwona Kieda of IAR&FR PAS in Olsztyn.
Analysis of the results so far has identified three key themes that consumers find most troubling and difficult. These are: lack of understanding of packaging symbols, misunderstandings about the need to clean food packaging before discarding and further recycling, over-packaging of fresh fruit and vegetables and handling of multi-material packaging.
On this basis, experts and researchers from the institutions involved in the project created educational campaigns with material in the form of infographics and animated videos.
Among other things, the materials provide information on whether food packaging should be washed, why manufacturers package fresh fruit and vegetables, what to do with multi-material juice packaging, where to dispose of bread packaging, what the triangles on packaging mean, which plastic packaging is most often recycled and the difference between compostable and biodegradable packaging
Materials on bioplastics and a campaign specifically aimed at children on good practice in the context of handling food packaging will also soon be available.
The InformPack project has also created a quiz (in adult and children’s versions) to test your knowledge. The quiz is available here.
Currently, project partners are disseminating the developed information on the Internet or in workshops in schools. In the process, they are measuring long-term changes in consumer behaviour.
– Next year, we plan to conduct consumer research in France, Italy, Germany, Denmark and Finland. In addition, in the coming months, we will continue to work on new materials, and we will also continue to hold workshops for schoolchildren and organise educational activities during science popularisation events in Poland – announces Dr Joanna Fotschki of IAR&FR PAS in Olsztyn.
EIT Food InformPack
The EIT Food InformPack project is an international initiative of scientific institutions from the University of Aarhus (Denmark), the University of Reading (UK), the Institute of Animal Reproduction and Food Research of the Polish Academy of Sciences (Poland), the VTT research network (Finland), manufacturers: Bioazul (Spain) and Maspex Group (Poland), and the Spanish supermarket chain Eroski.
The aim of the project’s activities is first and foremost to change consumer behaviour so that they deal with food packaging in a responsible and sustainable manner. It is also important to involve and raise awareness among food producers themselves, as well as local authorities, who are responsible, among other things, for the availability of recycling bins in the streets.
InformPack is funded by the EIT Food, the Knowledge and Innovation Community for Food of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT), a body of the European Union, under the EU’s Horizon 2020 framework programme for research and innovation.
Supporting the process of fish reproduction in the event of an environmental disaster, safeguarding the stability of breeding in fish hatcheries and protecting the gene pool – these are the main objectives of the fish semen banks that scientists from the Institute of Animal Reproduction and Food Research of the Polish Academy of Sciences in Olsztyn are developing.
– Awareness of the need for fish semen banks continues to grow. Last year’s ecological catastrophe on the Oder River in Poland made us realise how important it is to have backup to be able to start the process of reproduction of native fish populations efficiently and effectively in such situations – emphasises Dr. Sylwia Judycka from the Department of Gamete and Embryo Biology of the IAR&FR PAS.
In addition to protecting endangered species or entire fish populations, semen banks also make it possible to safeguard the stability of breeding lines in fish hatcheries. Dr Sylwia Judycka worked on the creation of a fish semen bank for the largest facility of this type in Poland, located in Dąbie (Dąbie Fish Hatchery). The project was implemented as part of a project from the National Centre for Research and Development (NCBiR).
– Having frozen semen greatly improves breeding in various situations, e.g. when sexual maturity of females and males does not occur at the same time for various reasons, or when a breeding farm does not have sexually mature males in a certain year, making it impossible to obtain fresh semen for spawning – the scientist points out.
Supporting efficiency in breeding is not the only reason for having a fish semen bank. – Catastrophes can also occur in farms when a dangerous virus for fish is detected in the water. In such situations, unfortunately, the entire stock of the farm has to be disposed of. It can take years to rebuild it by natural means; using frozen semen of valuable breeding lines, the process will be much quicker – stresses Sylwia Judycka.
As the researcher points out, currently the main barrier against having a fish sperm bank is financial: the cost of creating such a base and maintaining it.
Fish semen is cryopreserved (stored at an ultra-low temperature of -196°C) before being deposited in the bank. – We fill thin straws, several centimetres long, with semen, which are frozen on special frames in liquid nitrogen vapour and then transferred to liquid nitrogen containers. Each straw with a sample of frozen semen is accurately labelled, which enables the frozen semen samples to be correctly identified and has a specific number of sperm per millilitre – the scientist explains.
The lifespan of semen frozen and stored in this way is calculated to be up to thousands of years. – So far, we have tested semen thawed after several years and it was still of high quality – Sylwia Judycka reports.
Dr. Sylwia Judycka’s research interests include studies of fish semen – its quality or learning about the mechanisms responsible for, e.g. the maturation of spermatozoa in rainbow trout neo-males (neo-males are sex-reversed fish). The main method used in Dr. Sylwia Judycka’s research is the aforementioned cryopreservation.
In September, the researcher starts a three-month research internship in France (at the Laboratory of Fish Physiology and Genomics of the INRAE in Rennes) to learn about a research technique called gene editing and be able to use it later in her further research.
For her scientific achievements, Dr. Sylwia Judycka was awarded the 'L’Oréal-UNESCO For Women and Science’ scholarship (2022).
Director of the Institute of Animal Reproduction and Food Research of Polish Academy of Science in Olsztyn announces an open call for the position:
Post-doc in Department of Team of Reproductive Pathology and Translational Medicine
within the realization of the project financed by the National Science Centre, Reg. No: 2018/29/B/NZ9/00391, entitled: “Biological study and mathematical modeling to describe and predict new processes controlling the development, function and atresia of ovarian follicles in cows” led by prof. Dariusz Jan Skarżyński.
Scientific research and other tasks in which the Candidate would participate:
research related to: (1) investigation of the effects and mechanisms of growth factors on follicular growth, steroidogenesis, maturation and ovulation in cattle; and (2) developing mathematical models that will describe mechanisms controlling above functions of bovine follicles,
execution of experiments,
participation in in vitro experiments (cell separation and culture),
participation in molecular biology analysis,
perform data analysis and presentation, create high quality figures,
collaborate with mathematicians, biologists and veterinarians,
draft manuscripts for publication, present/publish the results in scientific conferences.
Candidate qualification requirements:
Ph.D. in veterinary or animal sciences, biology, biotechnology, mathematical biology or bio-informatics;
experience in one or more of the following fields is desirable: reproductive biology, cell physiology, hormonal regulations, mechanisms of growth factors actions, cell dead mechanisms, mathematical modelling of hormonal dynamical systems;
good writing and presentation skills of scientific papers and work, oral and written communication skills: English essential, Polish desirable.
Expectations:
communicativeness and good organization of work,
ability to work in a team, create research teams.
The Institute offers:
assistance in accommodation during the initial period near the Department location,
academic work without the need to conduct classes with students,
technical, administrative and organizational support,
participation in research conferences, courses, scientific trainings and conscious academic mentoring.
Application documents required from candidates:
Curriculum Vitae including: education history, details on the PhD thesis (title, name of the supervisor, institution awarding the title, date of issuing the diploma), scientific record (scientific articles, conference presentations, book chapters, monographs, books, etc.), awards and other achievements (scholarships, internships, training schools, participation in research projects, etc.);
copy of PhD diploma;
at least one recommendation letter signed by a recognized researcher.
Employment duration – 6 months: since December 1, 2023 until May 31, 2024
Mrs. Karolina Łukasik Department of Team of Reproductive Pathology and Translational Medicine, Institute of Animal Reproduction and Food Research of PAS Olsztyn, Poland
Kindly note that only online applications will be accepted.
The deadline for sending the documents is September 30, 2023; 12.00. a.m.
Results of the call will be announced within 7 days since the application deadline (may be extended until suitable Candidate who fulfills all requirements is found).
Please include in your application the following, signed statement:
“I agree to the processing of personal data provided in this document for realizing the recruitment process pursuant to the Personal Data Protection Act of 10 May 2018 (Journal of Laws 2018, item 1000) and in agreement with Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 April 2016 on the protection of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data and on the free movement of such data, and repealing Directive 95/46/EC (General Data Protection Regulation)”.
Information clause:
The administrator of personal data processed as part of the recruitment process is the Institute of Animal Reproduction and Food Research of the Polish Academy of Sciences in Olsztyn, 10-748 Olsztyn, ul. Tuwima 10, phone no. 89 523 46 86, e-mail: instytut@pan.olsztyn.pl.
Contact with the personal data protection officer is possible at the above-mentioned address.
The provided personal data will be processed in order to carry out the current recruitment process and kept until its completion on the basis of expressed consent (in accordance with Article 6 (1) (a) of the GDPR).
You have the right to withdraw consent at any time without affecting the lawfulness of the processing which was carried out on the basis of consent before its withdrawal.
You have the right to access your personal data, request their rectification or removal. Submitting a request to delete data is tantamount to resignation from participation in the recruitment process. In addition, you have the right to request the restriction of processing in the cases specified in art. 18 GDPR.
You have the right to lodge a complaint with the President of the Personal Data Protection Office against the unlawful processing of his personal data. This authority will be competent to consider the complaint, provided that the right to file a complaint concerns only the lawfulness of the processing of personal data, and not the recruitment process.
Your data will not be profiled or made available to entities or third countries. The recipients of the data may be institutions authorized by law.
Providing your personal data is not obligatory, but it is a necessary condition to participate in the recruitment process.
The results of the competition will be available on the website.
The recruitment rules for research positions are available here.
On 26 and 27 August, at the Gryźliny airport in Poland the AgroWARMA 2023 trade fair took place – the largest industry event in the region, attracting farmers, exhibitors and residents of the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship interested in a healthy lifestyle and ecology.
EIT Food #InformPack stand took part in an interactive game on responsible consumer attitudes and food packaging recycling. We also provided hands-on activities on how to segregate packaging into different fractions. For the younger visitors, we set up an activity on how to paint reusable bags that they can use when they go shopping. Participants had the opportunity to ask questions and confront their concerns directly with scientists from our Institute.
Dr Joanna Szuszkiewicz, who completed her PhD thesis under the supervision of Prof. Monika Kaczmarek, received the Scientific Award of the Society for Reproductive Biology for the best scientific work in the field of reproductive biology in 2022.
The awarded publication entitled „Early steps of embryo implantation are regulated by exchange of extracellular vesicles between the embryo and the endometrium” by Joanna Szuszkiewicz, Kamil Myszczynski, Zaneta P. Reliszko, Yael Heifetz and Monika M. Kaczmarek was published in FASEB Journal 36: e22450 (2022); https://doi.org/10.1096/fj.202200677R. This publication was included in the doctoral thesis of Dr. Szuszkiewicz, conducted under the supervision of Prof. Monika Kaczmarek and defended at the Institute’s Hormonal Action Mechanisms Department in March, 2023.
Dr. Szuszkiewicz and coworkers (2021) described the mechanism of communication between the embryo and the mother in the peri-implantation period with the participation of extracellular vesicles (EVs) carrying miRNAs. EVs, identified in the uterus, together with the miRNAs they carry, of both embryonic and maternal origin, appear to modulate the transcriptome of the embryo, affecting its proper growth, development, and implantation. These results make an important contribution to our understanding of the complex processes involved in early pregnancy.
The Institute of Animal Reproduction and Food Research PAS has joined a large EU partnership for the development of sustainable production, processing, distribution and consumption of food – Future FoodS. This only Polish entity in the international consortium will be responsible for creating a European network of so-called living labs, i.e. laboratories where new solutions for the agrifood industry will be developed and tested.
– Ensuring people’s food security is one of the key challenges around the world. In this context, it is important that actions for the production and consumption of healthy, nutritious and diverse food also translate into sustainable environmental, social and economic development. Therefore, the mission of our partnership is to integrate the work of European research centers and the food industry in order to create a healthy, environmentally friendly, socially safe, fair and economically viable food system in Europe, in the perspective of 2030 and beyond, emphasizes Mariusz Piskuła, director of the Institute.
87 institutions from all over the European Union participate in the Partnership for Sustainable Food Systems – Future FoodS. These are scientific entities, food producers, legislators, innovation support centers and organizations operating in the agri-food industry. The initiative is coordinated by the French National Research Agency (ANF).
The Institute of Animal Reproduction and Food Research PAS is one of the most significant research centers in Poland focusing on scientific research in the field of food, e.g. its safety, health-promoting effect or food innovations.
As part of the partnership, the Polish representative, together with the large Belgian agri-food cluster Flanders’ Food, will co-manage the work to create an EU network of so-called living labs.
– Living labs are multi-stakeholder structures, open to innovation and local cooperation. Their main task is to test solutions in real conditions, with the participation of all interested parties. In our case, these are laboratories where new solutions in the field of food are developed and tested, e.g. with consumers as active agents. As part of the partnership, we will identify such places in Poland and other European Union countries, and then we will create an international network – explains Iwona Kieda, project manager at the Institute of Animal Reproduction and Food Research PAS.
The aim of the European Union is that in the future this network of living laboratories will form the backbone of an ecosystem of food systems.
The activities carried out under the described partnership focus on the issue of sustainable food systems. It is about such a system of food production and consumption, which in a fair and honest way will provide the society with safe and healthy food, taking care of low environmental impact.
The consortium will announce external calls for international projects open to entities from outside the partnership, which will promote research and innovation in such areas as:
ensuring food security;
reducing greenhouse gas emissions from food systems;
ensuring the availability of water, e.g. in the context of droughts affecting Europe;
preventing food waste;
appropriate business models for the food sector in the European Union, including i.a. environmentally friendly management;
ensuring diversity and inclusiveness in food systems.
The Partnership for Sustainable Food Systems is part of the global efforts of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, in particular Goal 17: Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development.
The early stage of insulin resistance development is associated with the structures surrounding the skeletal muscles – show scientists from the Department of Prophylaxis of Metabolic Diseases at IARFR PAS.
The results of their research may be a step towards the search for a new drug for diseases associated with insulin resistance, which would have a targeted effect.
Insulin resistance is the reduced sensitivity of tissues to insulin (a hormone that regulates blood glucose levels). Its development can lead to type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and many other diseases.
The most important tissue related to the action of insulin are skeletal muscles, which are responsible for about 80-85% of insulin-dependent glucose uptake. These tissues, along with the structures surrounding them, were examined by scientists from the Institute of Animal Reproduction and Food Research of the Polish Academy of Sciences in Olsztyn (their review paper on this subject can be read here).
– Our research shows that the extracellular matrix of skeletal muscle may be important in the development of insulin resistance – it is a kind of mixture produced by cells filling the free spaces between them. It includes e.g. integrins, i.e. protein receptors that transmit information between the external environment and the inside of cells. We have shown that they can be involved in the modulation of insulin action even at the early stages of insulin resistance development – explains Róża Aleksandrowicz, technologist from the Department of Prophylaxis of Metabolic Diseases IARFR PAS.
The results of research conducted together with Prof. Marek Strączkowski and Dr. Magdalena Stefanowicz, have just been published in the „Endocrine Journal” .
As the researcher explains, the role of factors related to the extracellular matrix in the development of insulin resistance is still not fully understood.
– The obtained results are the basis for further research on the role of integrins, which can help in better understanding the pathogenesis of insulin resistance, and in the future can be used to search for new drugs targeted specifically at the action of these integrins – points out Róża Aleksandrowicz.
The potential of honey to prevent e.g. hypertension, obesity and neurological diseases will be examined by scientists from the Department of Chemistry and Biodynamics of Food at IARFR PAS, as part of a project financed by the National Center for Research and Development.
– Honey is rich in many ingredients with health-promoting properties, which has already been described in scientific publications. We will test the potential of honey in the prevention of civilization diseases. We will verify whether honeys – enriched with targeted additions of antioxidants of natural origin – have the potential to prevent i.a. hypertension, obesity or neurological diseases such as Alzheimer’s – says Dr. Małgorzata Starowicz, head of the Department of Food Chemistry and Biodynamics of Food at IARFR PAS in Olsztyn.
Poland is the largest producer of honey in Europe, and its production is an important element of the national economy.
In the opinion of Dr. Małgorzata Starowicz, it is worth monitoring and improving analytical techniques for determining the level of bioactive compounds, i.e. those that can affect the proper functioning of our body, because high environmental pollution, the use of plant protection products or climate changes (e.g. droughts) negatively affect the amount of honey produced by bees and its quality.
– The most commonly consumed types of honey are multiflorous, linden and buckwheat. All honeys are healthy, but in our previous studies we showed that the latter – buckwheat honey – is the richest source of polyphenolic compounds among the basic types of honey and it shows the highest antioxidant activity – the scientist points out.
What to look for when buying honey?
– Consumers are often guided by the crystallization of honey, considering it a negative value, but it is a natural process. It is worth remembering that each honey is specific in this respect, e.g. acacia honey can remain liquid for several months, unlike rapeseed honey, which crystallizes very quickly, because the crystallization process begins after 1-2 weeks. In turn, heather honey crystallizes, taking the form of a „jelly” – says the researcher.
She also reminds that it is best to buy honey straight from the apiary or from local producers.
„By educating the next generation about food, we can also engage them with the benefits and opportunities of working in our food industry. This is becoming increasingly important as many parts of the industry are experiencing a shortage of labour” – says Laura Elphick Ecosystem Manager for EIT Food and part of the EIT Food Educators programme on the pages of „Baking Europe’s” magazine.
The EIT Food Educators programme is inspiring children to learn about healthy and sustainable food production and consumption. Resources have been created for teachers to use in the classroom, including lesson plans.
