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Call for a position of a Post-doctoral Researcher in an NCN project OPUS 23

Institution name:

Institute of Animal Reproduction and Food Research, Polish Academy of Sciences (IAR&FR PAS)

Name of the position:

Assistant professor – post-doctoral researcher in National Science Centre project OPUS 23 entitled „Soluble scavenger receptor cysteine-rich domain-containing protein – SSc5D, a new player of innate immunity in turkey (Meleagris gallopavo) semen involved in yellow semen syndrome”

Description of the position:

The candidate will participate in the following research tasks:

  • isolation and culture of spermiophages from turkey semen,
  • immunofluorescence detection of the SSc5D in turkey semen spermiophages,
  • investigation of changes in spermiophage population (M1, M2 and SSc5D+) in relation to turkey semen quality,
  • analysis of the proteomic signature of activated spermiophages from turkey semen in relation to semen quality.

Conditions of work:

  • the elected candidate will receive a monthly brutto salary 8 500 – 9 600 zł per month (net salary around 5 800 – 6 900 zł),
  • location of the workplace: Department of Gamete and Embryo Biology, IAR&FR PAS, Bydgoska Str. 7, 10-243 Olsztyn,
  • date of beginning of the employment: May-June 2023,
  • length of work contract: 42-48 months.

Requirements:

  1. PhD in biotechnology, biology, veterinary or related discipline; PhD degree obtained in the year of employment in the project or within 7 years before 1 January of the year of employment in the project;
  2. Knowledge in the field of molecular biology, reproduction and immunology;
  3. Experience with the following techniques: ELISA, Western blot, qPCR, and immunofluorescence staining of proteins in the cell;
  4. Experience with primary cell isolation and culture;
  5. At least one international internship (minimum 1 months in length);
  6. First authorship of at least 3 scientific papers;
  7. Ability to communicate easily in English;
  8. Ability to work in a group.

Interested candidates are asked to provide the following documents:

  1. Motivation letter;
  2. CV including a list of publications, conference presentations, and other awards;
  3. Copy of PhD diploma;
  4. Recommendation letter from a previous supervisor or scientific supervisor confirming skills necessary for completing the project;
  5. Other documents, that in the opinion of the candidate are important when considering him/her for the position.

Applications should be sent to:

Dr. hab. Mariola Słowińska
e-mail: m.slowinska@pan.olsztyn.pl
Deadline: April 28, 2023 (until midnight)

The subject of the message should be „Call for Post-doc Researcher/OPUS”.

In your CV, please include a consent clause for the processing of personal data in the recruitment process:

„I consent to the processing of my personal data contained in the application documents by the Institute of Animal Reproduction and Food Research of the Polish Academy of Sciences in Olsztyn, 10-748 Olsztyn, ul. Tuwima 10, in order to carry out the recruitment process and publishing the full results of the competition on the Institute’s website”.

Information clause:

  1. 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.
  2. Contact with the personal data protection officer is possible at the above-mentioned address.
  3. 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).
  4. 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.
  5. 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.
  6. 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.
  7. 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.
  8. Providing your personal data is not obligatory, but it is a necessary condition to participate in the recruitment process. 

 

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Call for a position of a Post-doctoral in an NCN project SONATA BIS 9

Employer:

Institute of Animal Reproduction and Food Research, Olsztyn, Poland

Job Title:

Post-doctoral in an NCN project SONATA BIS 9 entitled „Maternal obesity and epigenetic and metabolic regulations during gametogenesis and early embryo development in mice: the specific role of leptin signalling”.

Job Description:

The Lab of Dr Antonio Galvao is recruiting an experienced computational biologist to integrate the research programme on ovarian function in mouse models for maternal obesity. The escalating epidemic of overweight and obesity is a major burden for our health systems. Obesity leads to long-term health problems, such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease or infertility. In the lab we use mouse models and/or in vitro systems of ovarian/follicular culture to study the impact of maternal obesity in ovarian function and oocyte biology. The project investigates particularly the impact of altered leptin signalling in the ovary, a major feature of obese mothers, on the establishment of oocyte epigenome and metabolic regulations in both gamete and surrounding granulosa cells throughout folliculogenesis. The present research programme benefits from the close collaboration with the Laboratory of Dr Gavin Kelsey, Babraham Institute, Cambridge, UK, a world leader in single cell transcriptome and methylome analysis. The appointed scientist will be responsible for undertaking the analysis of methylome, transcriptome and lipidome datasets generated within the programme.

This work will lead to important advances in our understanding of the impact of altered leptin signalling in oocyte epigenome establishment, profiling also metabolic and gene expression changes in granulosa cells and other underlying mechanisms.

Key areas of responsibility:

  • quality control of NGS datasets,
  • providing high-level support in bioinformatic analysis of genome-wide epigenomic datasets,
  • integration and analysis of RNA-seq, BS-seq and other relevant datasets,
  • application of bioinformatics methods to single-cell datasets,
  • preparation of manuscripts, including sequence dataset submission to public repositories.

Person specification: Essential

  • Ph.D. in Bioinformatics or Computational biology, or Ph.D. in a Molecular biology or related discipline with a strong Bioinformatics component,
  • working knowledge of epigenomic and transcriptomic analyses,
  • programming in some of the main languages used in Bioinformatics (in particular R, Python, Java),
  • working understanding of statistics and statistical programming environments,
  • able to understand and communicate in English to a level appropriate for the position,
  • ability to work independently and as part of a team,
  • excellent organisational skills, with good time management,
  • excellent interpersonal skills with the ability to communicate with staff at all levels,
  • proactive, motivated, showing initiative to move projects forward,
  • ability to make independent decisions and solve routine problems.

The post is initially available for 24 months, with the salary range of 85 000 – 98 000 PLN / year (before taxes/brutto), based on experience. Applications will be accepted until 27th of February 2023 and interviews will be held soon after. Applications should be submitted to the e-mail address: a.galvao@pan.olsztyn.pl.

Documents to present with the application:

  • Cover letter highlighting the suitability of the candidate to the post (max 2 pages),
  • CV (max 6 pages),
  • One contact reference (one of letters must be from the last supervisor/line manager).

For informal questions about the post please contact Dr Galvao (a.galvao@pan.olsztyn.pl).

In your CV, please include a consent clause for the processing of personal data in the recruitment process:

„I consent to the processing of my personal data contained in the application documents by the Institute of Animal Reproduction and Food Research of the Polish Academy of Sciences in Olsztyn, 10-748 Olsztyn, ul. Tuwima 10, in order to carry out the recruitment process and publishing the full results of the competition on the Institute’s website”.

Information clause:

  1. 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.
  2. Contact with the personal data protection officer is possible at the above-mentioned address.
  3. 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).
  4. 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.
  5. 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.
  6. 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.
  7. 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.
  8. Providing your personal data is not obligatory, but it is a necessary condition to participate in the recruitment process. 

 

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Publication by Dr. Agnieszka Wacławik’s team selected as Editor’s Choice

The publication by the team of Dr. Agnieszka Wacławik from the Department of Hormone Mechanisms, entitled „Novel role for conceptus signals in mRNA expression regulation by DNA methylation in porcine endometrium during early pregnancy” by P. Kaczyński, V. van der Weijden, E. Goryszewska-Szczurek, M. Baryly, SE Ulbrich and A. Waclawik, was selected as ’Editor’s choice’ in the prestigious journal Biology of Reproduction 2023, 108(1): 150-168.

’Edtitor’s choice’ publications are articles that have made a significant contribution to a field of science. The selection of an article as an 'Editor’s choice’ recognises the authors’ work and highlights the importance of their research in the field of reproductive biology.

Dr. Piotr Kaczyński and the authors mentioned above have described a novel mechanism of embryonic effects on processes related to methylation changes in DNA sequences that may regulate the expression of genes in the endometrium that are important for the development of pregnancy. The findings, published in the journal Biology of Reproduction (2023, 108(1): 150-168, doi: 10.1093/biolre/ioac193), were produced within the framework of the NCN OPUS project (2017/27/B/NZ9/03014) under the direction of Dr. Agnieszka Wacławik, carried out at our Institute and during the internship of Dr. Piotr Kaczyński in the team of Prof S. Ulbrich at the ETH Zurich.

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Phd Student Edyta Walewska with SRF Poster Prize Winner Award

We are happy to announce that PhD student Edyta Walewska from Institute’s Department of Team of Reproductive Pathology and Translational Medicine has been awarded the SRF Poster Prize Winner at recent Fertility 2023 „Reproduction in an ageing world”, held in January 10-14, 2023 in Belfast. The awarded poster is entitled „Impaired decidualisation in obese mice is associated with the upregulation of leptin signalling modulators Socs3 and Ptpn2”.

The research presented at the conference was carried out as part of the following research projects funded by the National Science Centre (NCN):

  • Sonata Bis nr 2019/34/E/NZ4/00349; Principal Investigator Dr. António Galvão
  • Preludium 14 nr2019/35/N/NZ4/03496; Principal Investigator Edyta Walewska

For further information, visit the conference website.

Poster Prize Winners.

 

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Prof. Ryszard Amarowicz and Prof. Henryk Zieliński honored with Statuettes of St. Jacob

Awards Gala for the President of Olsztyn’s Statuettes of St. Jacob was held on 27 January at the Auditorium in Olsztyn. The committee, chaired by Piotr Grzymowicz, awarded distinctions in six categories for the years 2020, 2021 and 2022. Two statuettes in the Science category went to scientists from our Institute – Prof. Ryszard Amarowicz and Prof. Henryk Zieliński.

The St. Jacob Statuettes honour outstanding people living and working in the capital of Warmia and Mazury who are particularly involved in the life of the city, create its scientific, cultural and economic achievements, and thus shape the image of Olsztyn.

Prof. Ryszard Amarowicz – Statuette of St. Jacob 2020

In 1980, while a graduate of the Faculty of Food Technology at the Warsaw University of Life Sciences, he joined the Faculty of Food Technology at the Agricultural and Technical Academy in Olsztyn. He studied food contamination with pesticides and heavy metals. He was awarded for his teaching activities by the Minister of Science and Higher Education and the Rector of ART. In 1988 he started working at the Institute of Animal Reproduction and Food Research, Polish Academy of Sciences. He currently heads the Department of Chemical and Physical Properties of Food, where he investigates the antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anticancer properties of biologically active compounds in food.

Prof. Amarowicz is the highest ranked scientist from Poland in the field of food science in a ranking published by Stanford University, Elsevier Publishing and SciTech Strategies. More than 380 publications authored by Prof. Amarowicz are recorded in world science databases, cited more than 11,000 times, which gives him a Hirsch index of 57 (according to the Scopus database).

The Professor’s high international position is confirmed by his former and current membership in several editorial boards of world-class scientific journals. He was repeatedly awarded the title of outstanding reviewer of scientific papers, and the Minister of Science and Higher Education entrusted him with the function of chairman of the team evaluating scientific journals in the area of food technology and nutrition. For his remarkable scientific achievements, he was awarded the Golden Cross of Merit by the President of the Republic of Poland and the „Best of the Best” Award by the Marshal of the Warmia and Mazury Region.

Prof. Henryk Zieliński – Statuette of St. Jacob 2022

His relationship with Olsztyn goes back to 1985. As a graduate of the Faculty of Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry and Astronomy of the Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń, majoring in chemistry, he started working at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at the Agricultural and Technical Academy in Olsztyn. For his research activity at ART, he was awarded the Bronze Cross of Merit and three times awarded by the Rector of ART. In 1996 he started working at the Institute of Animal Reproduction and Food Research of the Polish Academy of Sciences. For many years, he headed the Department of the Chemistry and Biodynamics of Food. In 2010-2020, he was the editor-in-chief of the scientific quarterly Polish Journal of Food and Nutrition Sciences. In 2023, he took the position of the Deputy Director for Scientific Affairs at the Institute’s Division of Food Sciences.

Prof. Zieliński’s research concerns biologically active compounds in plant raw materials, mainly in cereals, and their functional properties. There are almost 190 publications by Prof. Zieliński recorded in world science databases, cited over 4600 times, which gives him a Hirsch index of 35 (according to the Scopus database). These achievements placed Prof. Zieliński on the list of the Top 2% of the best scientists in the world. He has been recognised and awarded many times for his scientific activities, i.a. by the American Chemical Society and the President of the Republic of Poland, from whom he received the Golden Cross of Merit. In 2022, the team under his direction received the Scientific Award of the Marshal of the Wamia and Mazury Region for research entitled „Buckwheat products of potential importance in the prevention of civilization diseases – a new brand of Warmia and Mazury”. In recognition of his outstanding scientific achievements, in the same year he was awarded the title „Honorary Citizen of the Town of Jabłonowo Pomorskie” by the authorities of his hometown.

These are two more St. Jacob’s Statuettes to add to the Institute’s distinctions, yet the first ones in the ‘Science’ category. So far, the Institute has been honoured with two distinctions in the category of 'Special merits for Olsztyn’, awarded to Prof. Zenon Zduńczyk (2018) and in recognition of the European Researchers’ Nights organised by the Institute between 2014 and 2017.

Photo credits: Olsztyn24



 

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Scientific Awards of the Branch of the Polish Academy of Sciences in Olsztyn and Białystok

Prof. Agnieszka Wacławik honoured with the Scientific Award of the Branch of the Polish Academy of Sciences in Olsztyn and Białystok for significant achievements in the category of biological, agricultural and medical sciences in 2022. Distinction award – based on the recommendation of the Award Committee, for deepening knowledge on understanding the mechanisms regulating two opposing ways of healing skin injuries – went to Prof. Barbara Gawrońska-Kozak. (więcej…)

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Ph.D. Students at the Department of Hormonal Action Mechanisms

Department of Hormonal Action Mechanisms at the Institute of Animal Reproduction and Food Research Polish Academy of Science (IARFR PAS) offers a position for one Fellow interested in molecular and cell biology, motivated to develop a career in the interdisciplinary team of prof. Monika M. Kaczmarek.

Deadline for applications: February 20, 2023

Preferred job starting date: no later than March 1st, 2023.

Institution:

IARFR PAS is located in Olsztyn and is one of the top ranked Polish research institutes that performs interdisciplinary research in agricultural and biological sciences, booth basic and applied. The Institute is equipped with state-of-the-art technology, has excellent core facilities and supportive administration. IARFR provides stimulating scientific environment, especially due to its cooperative, multidisciplinary character. Collaborations and exchange of knowledge and techniques between scientists from different disciplines is common and encouraged.

City:

Olsztyn would be a good choice if you appreciate close contact with nature and quiet life. Within the administrative bounds of the city you will find more than 10 lakes with a very well-developed tourist and sport infrastructure, as well as leisure facilities. Each year the calendar is filled with a number of cultural and sports events (more @ Wikipedia).

Team interests:

Research of the prof. Monika M. Kaczmarek team is focuses on the mechanisms assuring successful reproduction in mammals. We are especially interested in understanding the molecular communication between mother and embryo/newborn leading to healthy offspring. More info at Kaczmarek’s Lab web page and Molecular Biology Laboratory – core facility page.

Project description:

Within the OPUS grant „Milky Way to reproductive success: role of leptin in the programming of reproductive functions over generations” we aim to decipher the multiple layers of signaling pathways leading to lactocrine-based programming of reproductive performance over generations using mouse model. Because parental investment is one of the environmental conditions that can directly influence the development of offspring we decided to test how malnutrition of mother during lactation affects reproductive performance of next generations. In order to reach set specific aims of the project a combination of molecular biology, cell biology and high-throughput screening of transcriptome and epigenome will be used. We provide opportunities for interdisciplinary collaborations within the team, in the institute, as well as with the national and international partners.

Requirements:

  1. M.Sc. degree in biology, biotechnology or related area of science;
  2. Eligibility for Ph.D. studies in Poland under the supervision of prof. Kaczmarek;
  3. High motivation, independent thinking, good analytical and interpersonal skills, collaborative attitude;
  4. Have very good written and oral communication in English;
  5. Previous experimental experience in one or more of the following areas – molecular and cell biology, animal reproduction, neurobiology and rodent studies will be advantageous.

We offer:

  1. Full-time scholarship for 16 months;
  2. min. 3500 PLN of full stipend cost per month;
  3. Position with 100% focus on research (no teaching obligations);
  4. Full technical, administrative and organizational support;
  5. Participation in courses, scientific training, support from peers, and academic mentoring.

Additional information:

The Ph.D. student will be selected from candidates in an open competition, according to the procedure complying the rules for granting scholarships for young scientists in research projects funded by the National Science Centre (NCN Council Resolution No. 96/2016 dated October 27, 2016 r.) and to the rules of the European Charter for Researchers and the Code of Conduct for the Recruitment of Researchers as a part of HR Excellence in Research strategy.

How to apply?

Interested candidates are kindly asked to contact prof. Monika M. Kaczmarek by e-mail (m.kaczmarek@pan.olsztyn.pl) and provide CV, a short motivation letter, a description of your key achievements, contacts to at least two potential referees (including one of your supervisors) and copy of the diploma by 20.02.2023.

The deadline for applications may be extended until suitable candidates who fulfills all requirements are found.

In your CV, please include a consent clause for the processing of personal data in the recruitment process:

„I consent to the processing of my personal data contained in the application documents by the Institute of Animal Reproduction and Food Research of the Polish Academy of Sciences in Olsztyn, 10-748 Olsztyn, ul. Tuwima 10, in order to carry out the recruitment process and publishing the full results of the competition on the Institute’s website.”

Information clause:

  1. 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.
  2. Contact with the personal data protection officer is possible at the above-mentioned address.
  3. 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).
  4. 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.
  5. 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.
  6. 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.
  7. 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.
  8. Providing your personal data is not obligatory, but it is a necessary condition to participate in the recruitment process.

 

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Scientists use flaxseed oilcake to enrich gluten-free bread

Dr. Urszula Krupa-Kozak from the Department of Food Chemistry and Biodynamics at our Institute and dr. Łukasz Łopusiewicz from the West Pomeranian University of Technology is working on a new recipe for gluten-free bread. They use flaxseed oilcake, the residue left after pressing oil from oilseeds.

Source: Nauka w Polsce

The food industry generates vast amounts of waste and by-products, most of which go unused. Some of them may be useful for their nutritional value and health-promoting properties. One example is oilcake, which are the residues from oilseed oil pressing. They can be raw materials for various food industries.

Due to their content of valuable biopolymers and bioactive components, one of the uses of oilcake (or pomace), proposed by scientists from the Institute of Animal Reproduction and Food Research of the Polish Academy of Sciences in Olsztyn and the West Pomeranian University of Technology, could be to enrich baked goods for particular dietary purposes.

„Gluten-free baked products, compared to conventional bread, are characterized by lower quality due to unsatisfactory texture, bad taste, reduced nutritional value, and short shelf life. The need to improve their quality and enrich them with nutrients prompted us to study the potential of flaxseed cake, as a natural source of valuable protein, minerals, and antioxidants, in the context of improving the qualities of gluten-free bread.” – wrote the researchers in their latest publication, which appeared in the journal Molecules.

„People who go on a gluten-free diet for medically justified reasons (celiac disease, non-celiac gluten intolerance, wheat allergy, or gluten allergy) can only consume gluten-free products. This is because the elimination diet is the only effective therapeutic method in this case,” says the study’s lead author, dr. Urszula Krupa-Kozak in an interview with PAP. – Consumers on a gluten-free diet have the right to expect that the quality of gluten-free products available commercially, rolls, pastries, etc., will be similar to conventional products. However, this is difficult to achieve and poses a significant challenge for food technologists and manufacturers.”

„Younger children diagnosed with the gluten-dependent disease, who have to start therapy and switch to a gluten-free diet, have it a little easier because they have not yet become so accustomed to the taste of traditional bread (wheat, wheat-rye) and are not so attached to it. More difficult are adult patients who have established eating habits and preferences. They are often very disappointed with the taste, texture, and even appearance of these products.” – he adds.

That’s why she and her colleagues, dr. Krupa-Kozak is trying to develop gluten-free products in such a way as to improve their quality. „It is often significantly lower compared to gluten-containing counterparts. The elimination of this visco-elastic protein, which is important in bread technology, entails the need to look for substitutes. Therefore, ingredients that mimic the characteristics of gluten are often used, making it possible to impart the right dough texture and consistency to baked goods: hydrocolloids, gums, emulsifiers,” the specialist explains.

The latest study by a team from the Institute of Food and Agriculture of the Polish Academy of Sciences and the University of Science and Technology (ZUT) looked at flax seed cake’s use to enrich the gluten-free bread composition. With flaxseed cake extract, the scientists replaced water (from 25 to 100 percent of its original content).

„I have been involved in research for years on improving the quality of gluten-free baking products, among other things. Those commercially available are often low in dietary fiber, for being excessively sweet and fatty. This translates negatively into the quality of the diet and the health of a secret group of consumers. When developing new recipes, I use both naturally gluten-free raw materials and supplements, i.e., prebiotics, minerals, proteins of plant and animal origin,” she says. – tells the publication’s author.

She adds, „This year, I have established an interesting cooperation with dr. Łukasz Łopusiewicz from ZUT in Szczecin researches oilseed pomace daily. We managed to find a common denominator for our rather distant scientific interests, which resulted in the creation of an idea for an innovative gluten-free bread with linseed cake extract. Dr. Łopusiewicz shared his knowledge and experience on the method developed by his team to extract water extract from flaxseed cake.”

As dr. Krupa-Kozak explains, „The extraction above results in a product resembling flax 'milk.’ And it was this extract, rich in valuable substances, that we used to develop a new formula for gluten-free bread. The research included recipe development, pilot baking, and final product characterization, from nutritional evaluation, through analysis of various technological and functional parameters to sensory quality testing.”

„Along with flaxseed cake, we introduce numerous proteins and polysaccharides into the bread recipe, which are responsible, among other things, for the formation of the characteristic mucilage that we probably all associate with cooking flaxseed. In this case, they give the bread the desired cohesiveness, porosity, structure, or in a word, improve its technological properties.” – dr. Łukasz Łopusiewicz adds.

He explains that the same compounds are also responsible for improving the color of the bread (crust and flesh) and aroma. „The previously mentioned proteins and polysaccharides react with each other during baking. This results in forming compounds responsible for, among other things, the perception of aroma.” Meanwhile, both of these aspects are often as important to consumers as other characteristics of bread.

The researchers’ goals were twofold: first, to study what effect replacing part of the water with flaxseed „milk” would have on the technological parameters of the bread, and second, to increase the content of nutritional and bioactive compounds in the final product, which would have a potential nutraceutical effect on the human body.

„And this was successful,” says the Olsztyn scientist. – Proportionally to how much of the water we replaced with the maca extract, the content of protein and minerals, especially potassium and magnesium, increased. The use of flax 'millet’ had a particularly positive effect on the sensory quality of the bread, which we believe could enrich the daily diet of gluten-free bread consumers with both valuable nutrients and ingredients with health-promoting potential.”

Detailed analyses of the bread’s composition showed an increased nutritional profile (it contained more protein and much higher concentrations of essential minerals) and antioxidant properties.

Dr. Krupa-Kozak stresses that a highly favorable result would be an increase in the freshness of the bread. „The disadvantage of the gluten-free one is its crispness. It quickly loses its moisture content, and its crumb disintegrates,” she says. – Manufacturers are making efforts to improve its quality and slow the blackening, such as using packaging with a modified composition of the atmosphere inside to keep the tasty product longer.”

„We are currently investigating whether the addition of flax 'milk’ could affect extending the freshness of our bread. In addition, it will be interesting to test the microbiological stability of this product, that is, how quickly it goes moldy compared to bread without adding the cake extract.” – he adds.

For the time being, the team’s research from IARFR PAS and ZUT is in the pilot stage. „Already at this stage, we are delighted with the results obtained. So much so that we will continue the research perhaps using other oilcake, extracted from more 'exotic’ oil plants,” – dr. Krupa-Kozak says.

„After all, depending on the plant species, oilcake can contain very different macronutrients, antioxidants, and bioactive substances,” adds dr. Łopusiewicz.

The researcher recalls that, for the moment, oilseed plant extraction waste is practically not used in any way. The exceptions are rare cases of adding them to animal feed or using them for fuel.

„And their potential is enormous. My team and I have been running a project for a few years now, in which we are trying to use the extract (milk) mentioned here to make fermented vegan foods, such as yogurt and kefir or camembert-type cheese,” – he mentions.

„Our study presents an auspicious way to use the by-product, which, due to its high content of proteins, polysaccharides, minerals, and antioxidants, can significantly increase the value of gluten-free baked goods.” – Dr. Krupa-Kozak concludes.

 

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Polish Journal of Food and Nutrition Sciences with a state grant

The scientific quarterly Polish Journal of Food and Nutrition Sciences has received funds from the Ministry of Education and Science Republic of Poland as a part of the program “Development of scientific journals” (project no. RCN/SP/0520/2021/1). The program aims at improving the level of publishing and editing practices, increasing the impact of scientific journals on science development, and extending the international range of scientific journals.

The financing is planned for 2022-2024 and amounts to 120,000 PLN.

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