4 research outputs found
V2: Integrated management of rainwater for crop-livestock agroecosystems
With mixed crop-livestock systems projected to remain the main providers of food in the coming decades, opportunities exist for smallholders to participate and benefit from emerging crop and livestock markets in the Volta Basin. This project intends to identify, evaluate, adapt, and disseminate best-fit integrated rainwater management strategies (RMS), targeted to different biophysical and socio-economic domains. The integrated RMS are comprised of technological solutions, directed at different components of the agroecosystems, underpinned by enabling institutional and policy environments and linked to market incentives that can drive adoptio
Process Proteomics of Beer Reveals a Dynamic Proteome with Extensive Modifications
Modern beer production is a complex
industrial process. However, some of its biochemical details remain
unclear. Using mass spectrometry proteomics, we have performed a global
untargeted analysis of the proteins present across time during nanoscale
beer production. Samples included sweet wort produced by a high temperature
infusion mash, hopped wort, and bright beer. This analysis identified
over 200 unique proteins from barley and yeast, emphasizing the complexity
of the process and product. We then used data independent SWATH-MS
to quantitatively compare the relative abundance of these proteins
throughout the process. This identified large and significant changes
in the proteome at each process step. These changes described enrichment
of proteins by their biophysical properties, and identified the appearance
of dominant yeast proteins during fermentation. Altered levels of
malt modification also quantitatively changed the proteomes throughout
the process. Detailed inspection of the proteomic data revealed that
many proteins were modified by protease digestion, glycation, or oxidation
during the processing steps. This work demonstrates the opportunities
offered by modern mass spectrometry proteomics in understanding the
ancient process of beer production
Decoupling Livestock from Land Use through Industrial Feed Production Pathways
One of the main challenges
for the 21st century is to balance the
increasing demand for high-quality proteins while mitigating environmental
impacts. In particular, cropland-based production of protein-rich
animal feed for livestock rearing results in large-scale agricultural
land-expansion, nitrogen pollution, and greenhouse gas emissions.
Here we propose and analyze the long-term potential of alternative
animal feed supply routes based on industrial production of microbial
proteins (MP). Our analysis reveals that by 2050, MP can replace,
depending on socio-economic development and MP production pathways,
between 10–19% of conventional crop-based animal feed protein
demand. As a result, global cropland area, global nitrogen losses
from croplands and agricultural greenhouse gas emissions can be decreased
by 6% (0–13%), 8% (−3–8%), and 7% (−6–9%),
respectively. Interestingly, the technology to industrially produce
MP at competitive costs is directly accessible for implementation
and has the potential to cause a major structural change in the agro-food
system
Decoupling Livestock from Land Use through Industrial Feed Production Pathways
One of the main challenges
for the 21st century is to balance the
increasing demand for high-quality proteins while mitigating environmental
impacts. In particular, cropland-based production of protein-rich
animal feed for livestock rearing results in large-scale agricultural
land-expansion, nitrogen pollution, and greenhouse gas emissions.
Here we propose and analyze the long-term potential of alternative
animal feed supply routes based on industrial production of microbial
proteins (MP). Our analysis reveals that by 2050, MP can replace,
depending on socio-economic development and MP production pathways,
between 10–19% of conventional crop-based animal feed protein
demand. As a result, global cropland area, global nitrogen losses
from croplands and agricultural greenhouse gas emissions can be decreased
by 6% (0–13%), 8% (−3–8%), and 7% (−6–9%),
respectively. Interestingly, the technology to industrially produce
MP at competitive costs is directly accessible for implementation
and has the potential to cause a major structural change in the agro-food
system