Science on Your Plate
ETH Zurich researchers collaborating with the university’s World Food System Center enlightened guests about the food value chain and the science behind what was served on their plates during the opening ceremony of Zurich week in the Swiss Pavilion at Expo Milano 2015. Further links to their research can be found below.
Salad greens and fresh vegetables
Dr. Christina Engels, Department of Health Sciences and Technology, Institute of Food, Nutrition, and Health's Laboratory of Food Biotechnology researches "BioControl," a novel approach to biologically control spoilage of fresh vegetables using naturally produced reuterin. Read more...
Dairy / Cheese
Dr. Valeria Galetti, Department of Health Sciences and Technology, Institute of Food, Nutrition and Health's Laboratory of Human Nutrition is about to begin work on a two-year study of iodine levels in Swiss cows, their dairy products, and the Swiss population. Read more...
Cassava
Dr. Herve Vanderschuren, Professor of Plant Genetics (University of Liège) and group leader in the Plant Biotechnology Laboratory of ETH Zurich's Department of Biology's Institute of Agricultural Sciences. Vanderschuren focuses his research on cassava, an important starchy food crop in the tropics and subtropics. Through cooperative research projects with laboratories in developing countries his research activities aim at bringing crop improvement innovation to farmers and consumers in the South. Read more...
Buckwheat
Dr. Eduardo Pérez, Department of Environmental Systems Science, Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Group of Crop Science, ETH Zurich researches how to improve buckwheat as an agronomically attractive crop for healthy food (IMPROBUCK). Read more...
Rice
Dr. Charlotte Decock, Department of Environmental Systems Science, Institute of Agricultural Sciences's Sustainable Agroecosystems Group, ETH Zurich researches the effects of improved water management and greenhouse gas emissions in rice systems. Read more...
Decock is also working on how to sustainably intensify organic Basmati rice production in Uttarakhand, India. Read more...
Honey and Pollination
Dr. Antoine Champetier de Ribes, Department of Environmental Systems Science, Institute of Agricultural Sciences' Agricultural Economics Group, ETH Zurich presented research on bioeconomics of honey and pollination. Read more...
Chocolate
Dr. Wilma Blaser, Department of Environmental Systems Science, Institute of Agricultural Sciences' Sustainable Agroecosystems Group, ETH Zurich researches Sustainable Cocoa Intensification in Ghana. Read more...
Coffee
Charlotte Pavageau, doctoral student in the Department of Environmental Systems Science, Institute of Terrestrial Ecosystems' Ecosystem Management Group as well as the Group of Forest Management and Development researches coffee in the region of Kodagu in South India, where it is grown under shade in a complex agro-ecological landscapes. Read more...