Research Projects:

• Biorefinery (EPSRC)

• Co-products from rapeseed oil biodiesel production (EPSRC)

• Physical and chemical properties on novel microbial and plant polysaccharides

• Histochemical and chemical characterisation of cell wall polysaccharides of almond seed in relation to lipid bioavailability (supported by Almond Board of California)

• Novel Nanomanipulation in Environmental SEM for measuring the mechanical properties fracture mode and beam damage of single Melamine-formaldehyde particle, yeast cell and other biological samples (EPSRC)

For more information please contact Prof Adam Harvey.

Adaptive Processing of Natural Feedstocks

The overall aim of this project is to develop an adaptive technology, capable of dealing with (i) variability within one type and between different types of natural feedstocks, as well as (ii) product variations in responding to both current and new end-users. The envisaged technology will be integrally linked with the feedstock plant development via genetics and breeding approaches, new high-value products development, and utilisation of low-value plant components, thus establishing a new integrated supply chain approach to plant feedstocks technology.

Some results can be found at:

Chemical and Physical Characterisation of Reactively Extracted Rapeseeds Effect of Particle Size

1. Yilong Ren, Athene Donald and Zhibing Zhang (2008). Investigation of the morphology, viability and mechanical properties of yeast cells in environmental SEM. (accepted by Scanning).

2. Yilong Ren, Athene Donald and Zhibing Zhang (2008). Investigation of the morphology and mechanical properties of single yeast cell in environmental SEM: II. Fixed Single Yeast Cell. In preparation.

3. Yilong Ren, Athene Donald and Zhibing Zhang. (2007), Investigation of the radiation damage to microcapsules in an Environmental Scanning Electron Microscope. Materials Science and Technology, 23(7):857-864

4. Yilong Ren, David, R Picout, Ellis, P.R., G. Reid and Ross-Murphy, S.B. (2005). A novel xyloglucan from seeds of Afzelia africana Se. Pers.--extraction, characterization, and conformational properties. Carbohydrate Research, 340(5):997-1005.

5. Yilong Ren, David, R Picout, Ellis, P.R. and Ross-Murphy, S.B. (2004). Solution properties of Xyloglucan polymer from Afzelia africana,Biomacromolecules 5:2384-2391.

6. P.R. Ellis, C.W.C. Kendall, Y. Ren, C. Parker, J.F. Pacy, K.W. Waldron, D.J.A. Jenkins and (2004). The Role of Cell Walls (Dietary Fibre) in Influencing the Bioaccessibility of Lipids in Almond Seeds. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 80(3):604-613.

7. Ren, Y, Ellis, P.R. Sutherland, I.W. and Ross-Murphy, S.B. (2003). Dilute and semi-dilute solution properties of polysaccharides from E. coli strain 61. Carbohydrate polymer. 52:189-195

8. Ren, Y, Ellis, P.R., Ross-Murphy, S.B. and Wood, P.J. (2003). Dilute and semi-dilute solution properties of b-glucan, the endosperm cell wall polysaccharides of oat (Avena stativa L.), Carbohydrate polymer: 53(4):401-108.

9. Ren, Y, Waldron, K.W., Pacy, J.F., Brain, A. and Ellis P.R. (2001). Chemical and histochemical characterisation of cell wall polysaccharides in Almond seeds in relation to lipid bioavailability, in Biologically-active phytochemicals in food. Ed. W. Pfannhauser, G.R. Fenwick and S. Khokhar. Royal Society of Chemistry, Thomas Graham House, Sciences Park, Milton Road, Cambridge CB4 0WF, UK.

10. Ellis, P.R., Wang, Q., Rayment, P., Ren, Y. and Ross-Murphy, S.B. (2001). Guar gum: agriculture and botanical aspects, physico-chemical and nutrition properties and its use in the development of functional foods, in Handbook of Dietary Fibre. Ed. Susan Sungsoo Cho and Mark L. Dreher, Marcel Dekker, Inc. New York, Basel.

11. Ren, Y., Wang, L. (1989). Studies on fertilisation and development of embryo and endosperm of Cercis chinensis, Journal of Southwest China Normal University, 14:35-39.

12. Ren, Y., Wang, L. (1989). Microsporogenesis and development of male gametophyte of Cercis chinensis, Journal of Southwest China Agriculture University,14:89-94.

13. Ren, Y., Wang, L. (1988). The studies of megasporogenesis and megemetogenesis of Cercis chinensis, Journal of Southwest China Agriculture University, 10:58-65.

14. Wang, L., Ren, Y. (1987). Megasporogenesis, microsporogenesis and male, female gametogenesis of Gordonia acumenata, Journal of Southwest China Normal University, 4:25-31.