Food research organisation CHR Hansen has teamed up with CLC bio and Roskilde University in an effort understand the genetic make-up of bacteria. The research could be used to improve probiotic food products.
New bioinformatics solutions will make it possible to further understand why bacteria perform the way they do, and to find undiscovered potential in lactic acid bacteria. This could in time lead to improved probiotic food products, like fermented milk, and dietary supplements for the global consumers.
During the project, Chr. Hansen, CLC bio, and Roskilde University will work in conjunction with researchers in Aalborg and Copenhagen in Denmark, and Tokyo in Japan. The scientists will use bioinformatics, a way of converting complex biological data such as DNA into practical knowledge using complicated mathematical models and statistics, to analyse the bacteria.
The project has a total budget of 1.8 million USD of which half will be provided by the Danish Strategic Research Council. CHR Hansen develops natural ingredient solutions such as cultures, enzymes, colours and flavours. The ingredients are used in the food, pharmaceutical, nutritional and agricultural industries.
