EPSRC Centre for Innovative Manufacturing in Food

EPSRC 食品创新制造中心

基本信息

批准号：
EP/K030957/1
负责人：
Timothy Foster
金额：
$ 573.52万
依托单位：
University of Nottingham
依托单位国家：
英国
项目类别：
Research Grant
财政年份：
2013
资助国家：
英国
起止时间：
2013 至无数据
项目状态：
已结题

来源：
https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=EP%2FK030957%2F1
关键词：
EPSRC Centre Innovative Manufacturing Food

项目摘要

Centre vision: The EPSRC Centre for Innovative Food Manufacturing will meet the challenges of UK and global food security through developing world-leading technologies, tools and leaders, tailored to the specific needs of food products.With a turnover of £76.2bn (20% of the UK total), Food and drink is the largest manufacturing sector in the UK employing around 400,000 people. With an anticipated rapid growth in 'better value' products and in products designed for the nation's Health and Wellness, in particular for the ageing population, food manufacturing requires innovation in increased productivity - to produce more from less - to preserve natural resources such as water and energy, to minimise waste generation and to decrease the trade deficit in the sector. Crucially this will enable the UK food sector to be at the forefront of the next generation of sustainable production which are more natural and healthier., and to develop more resilient supply chains leading to state of the art manufacturing capability, in an increasingly competitive landscape.The proposed research focuses on identifying not only new sources of raw material but also on reducing the demand on existing resources through a simultaneous improvement of food products, manufacturing methods and supply networks. In this context, some of the key research questions are: How do we fully valorise biomass (including waste re-use) as new sources of raw material in food production?; How can we design and manufacture products with the high nutritional values using fewer raw materials?; How do we improve the efficiency of food production processes (e.g. through smart monitoring technologies; process intensification / flexible manufacturing) to consume fewer resources (materials, energy and water) across the supply chain?; How can we eliminate the production and post-production waste caused by inefficient supply and manufacturing activities and /or relationships?The scope of the proposed research focuses on the manufacturing activities from 'post-farm gate to supermarket shelf', and will be considered under two specific Grand Challenges (GC): 1) Innovative materials, products and processes and 2) Sustainable food supply and manufacture. These research challenges closely align with the EPSRC call for 'Centres for Innovative Manufacturing', in particular the three areas of Resource Efficiency in Manufacturing: processes and technologies towards complete reuse of key materials and components; the need to dramatically reduce energy demand, including the incorporation of smart energy monitoring and management technologies; optimisation of material and product re-use, re-manufacturing and recycling, Innovative Production Processes: manufactured foods being complex formulated systems, and Complex Multifunctional Products: food is a high volume product assembled using processes which operate from the nano- (raw material) to the macro-scales (packaged goods).The proposed EPSRC Centre brings together world leading expertise in the areas of biomaterial science, formulation engineering and sustainable manufacturing. Loughborough and Nottingham are involved in the current EPSRC Centres and will ensure complementarities with other EPSRC research portfolios. The Centre will deliver demonstrable tools, methods and specific technologies, will develop academic and industrial leaders, and will provide evidence to support future policy making, thus ensuring the long-term competitiveness and security of the UK and global food supply chain. The proposal benefits from the interest and support of a wide range of stakeholders from ingredient producers and manufacturers to retailers and governmental organisations and has exploitation opportunities as the research challenges fit with the strategic themes in the new TSB High Value Manufacturing Strategy 2012-2015.

中心愿景：EPSRC 创新食品制造中心将通过开发世界领先的技术、工具和领导者，针对食品的具体需求量身定制，应对英国和全球粮食安全的挑战。营业额达 762 亿英镑（20%）的英国总数），食品和饮料是英国最大的制造业，雇用了约 400,000 名员工，预计“更高价值”产品以及为国家健康和保健（特别是为健康而设计）的产品将快速增长。随着人口老龄化，食品制造业需要在提高生产力方面进行创新——以更少的资源生产更多的产品——以保护水和能源等自然资源，最大限度地减少废物的产生，并减少该行业的贸易赤字，这一点至关重要。处于更自然、更健康的下一代可持续生产的最前沿，并在竞争日益激烈的环境中开发更具弹性的供应链，从而实现最先进的制造能力。拟议的研究不仅侧重于确定新的原材料来源，同时也减少了对现有原材料的需求在这种背景下，一些关键的研究问题是：我们如何充分利用生物质（包括废物再利用）作为食品生产中的新原材料来源？；我们如何使用更少的原材料设计和制造具有高营养价值的产品？；我们如何提高食品生产过程的效率（例如通过智能监控技术；过程集约化/灵活制造）以消耗更少的资源（材料）、能源和水）整个供应；如何消除因供应和制造活动和/或关系效率低下而造成的生产和生产后浪费？拟议研究的范围集中于“从农场门口到超市货架”的制造活动，并将在两个具体的重大挑战 (GC) 下进行考虑：1) 创新材料、产品和工艺，以及 2) 可持续食品供应和制造。这些研究挑战与 EPSRC 对“创新制造中心”的呼吁密切相关，特别是这三个领域。资源数量制造效率：实现关键材料和部件完全再利用的工艺和技术；需要大幅减少能源需求，包括采用智能能源监控和管理技术；优化材料和产品的再利用、再制造和回收；创新生产工艺：制成品是复杂的配方系统，而复杂的多功能产品：食品是使用从纳米（原材料）到宏观（包装商品）的工艺组装的大批量产品。拟议的 EPSRC 中心带来了拉夫堡大学和诺丁汉大学在生物材料科学、配方工程和可持续制造领域拥有世界领先的专业知识，共同参与当前的 EPSRC 中心，并将确保与其他 EPSRC 研究组合的互补性。培养学术和工业领袖，并将为支持未来的政策制定提供证据，从而确保英国和全球食物链供应的长期竞争力和安全。该提案受益于成分广泛的利益相关者的兴趣和支持。生产者和制造商到零售商和政府组织，并且由于研究挑战符合新的 TSB 高价值制造战略 2012-2015 中的战略主题，因此具有开发机会。