��Թ� News - Dept. of Bioresource Engineering

A Well-Deserved Retirement for Four Mac Staff Members

webfull — Tue, 09 Jun 2026 18:23:07 +0000

The Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (AES) is proud to celebrate four members of the Macdonald Campus community who are preparing to embark on a well-deserved retirement: Luis Agellon (Professor in Human Nutrition), Shelly Johnston (Research Finance Services Supervisor), Roger Cue (Associate Professor in Animal Science) and Yvan Gariepy (Academic Associate in Bioresource Engineering.)

We sat down with Roger and Yvan to reflect on their journeys at ��Թ�- the paths that brought them here, some of the work that defined their careers and what lies ahead.

Published: 9 June 2026

AES Researchers Celebrated at ��Թ�'s 2025 Bravo Gala

webfull — Mon, 11 May 2026 18:13:49 +0000

Each year, ��Թ�'s Office of the Vice-President (Research and Innovation) hosts the Bravo Gala to celebrate faculty members and researchers who have earned major provincial, national, and international prizes. This year, the Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (AES) is proud to have nine members honoured among ��Թ�'s brightest research leaders. Their work spans food safety, plant science, nutrition, material engineering, animal science, ornithology, and agricultural communication.

Published: 11 May 2026

Moderate UV light is best when it comes to boosting the vitamin D content of edible mushrooms, ��Թ� study finds

webfull — Mon, 04 May 2026 14:00:59 +0000

Researchers at ��Թ� have discovered that moderate ultraviolet (UV) light exposure is best when the technique is used to enhance vitamin D₂ in edible mushrooms. Excessive exposure leads to nutrient degradation or a plateau effect, they found. The paper also provides quantitative guidance.

The researchers’ work supports efforts to address vitamin D deficiency, which affects between 30 and 50 per cent of the world’s population, as well as enhance the nutritional value of mushrooms more broadly.

Published: 4 May 2026

When Theory Meets the Real World: ��Թ� Students Shine at the IFTSA Competition

webfull — Mon, 27 Apr 2026 14:41:33 +0000

Imagining, designing, and developing a food product just as it would be done in industry within the framework of a prestigious international competition, was the challenge taken on by Cole, Jackie, and Deniz, students in ��Թ�’s Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.

Published: 27 April 2026

Study finds treating peanuts with cold plasma could make them less allergenic

webfull — Wed, 22 Apr 2026 14:16:33 +0000

Researchers at ��Թ� have found that briefly treating peanuts with cold plasma, an ionically charged gas that triggers chemical changes, reduces their potential to cause allergic reactions. The researchers say this is probably because the process causes changes to the protein structure, the part of the peanut that can trigger an immune response. The technology was also shown to improve functional properties important for food manufacturing.

Published: 22 April 2026

��Թ� researchers optimize process for converting human urine into clean energy

webfull — Mon, 16 Feb 2026 15:07:32 +0000

Researchers at ��Թ� have improved the efficiency of a method for converting human urine into clean energy.

The method employs microbial fuel cells (MFCs), which use bacteria to turn organic waste into electricity, providing a sustainable and low-cost means of treating wastewater while generating energy from an abundant source. The ��Թ� research provides insights into which urine concentrations are optimal for this process.

Published: 16 February 2026

��Թ� researchers create shapeshifting materials that could power the next generation of soft robots

webfull — Fri, 23 Jan 2026 15:59:18 +0000

��Թ� engineers have developed new ultra-thin materials that can be programmed to move, fold and reshape themselves, much like animated origami. They open the door to softer, safer and more adaptable robots that could be used in medical tools that gently move inside the body, wearable devices that change shape on the skin or smart packaging that reacts to its environment.

Published: 23 January 2026

Microencapsulated B-vitamins help dairy cows produce more milk with fewer emissions

webfull — Thu, 11 Dec 2025 16:38:40 +0000

A new international study led by ��Թ� in collaboration with Jefo Nutrition shows that supplementing dairy cow diets with microencapsulated B-vitamins can significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions while increasing milk yield and quality. The use of the feed additive cut global warming potential, an internationally standardized measure of climate impact, by up to 18 per cent across seven countries.

Published: 11 December 2025

��Թ� study shows low-grade heat from renewable sources could be used to desalinate water

webfull — Fri, 14 Nov 2025 15:56:35 +0000

A ��Թ�-led research team has demonstrated the feasibility of a sustainable and cost-effective way to desalinate seawater. The method – thermally driven reverse osmosis (TDRO) – uses a piston-based system powered by low-grade heat from solar thermal, geothermal heat and other sources of renewable energy to produce fresh water.

Published: 14 November 2025

Bioresource Engineering Ph.D. candidate pitches biogas to turn farm waste into renewable energy

webfull — Mon, 21 Jul 2025 19:36:13 +0000

In her presentation at a scientific symposium hosted by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada's Sherbrooke Research and Development Centre in June, ��Թ� Ph.D. candidate Anjaly Paul highlighted the potential for Canadian farms to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions while generating renewable energy, by converting agricultural waste into biogas.

Published: 21 July 2025

���������Թ� News - Dept. of Bioresource Engineering

A Well-Deserved Retirement for Four Mac Staff Members

AES Researchers Celebrated at ���������Թ�'s 2025 Bravo Gala

Moderate UV light is best when it comes to boosting the vitamin D content of edible mushrooms, ���������Թ� study finds

When Theory Meets the Real World: ���������Թ� Students Shine at the IFTSA Competition