Department of Bioresource engineering

Department of Bioresource engineering /channels/taxonomy/term/23097/all en Eating the way we do hurts us and the planet, study finds /channels/channels/news/eating-way-we-do-hurts-us-and-planet-study-finds-357234 In an age of abundance and variety in food options, are Canadians eating better than they were half a century ago? According to <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2211912423000664">a recent paper</a> by researchers at �㽶��Ƶ and the International Food Policy Research Institute, those relying on Canada’s food supply for their dietary needs not only face deficiencies in healthier alternatives, but they also contribute to the disproportionate levels of environmental degradation caused by Canadian agricultural and food distribution policies. Mon, 06 May 2024 14:48:42 +0000 webfull 199945 at /channels India's millet revival: How the once-neglected seed is making a comeback /channels/channels/news/indias-millet-revival-how-once-neglected-seed-making-comeback-352517 Millet, once a staple in Indian cooking and agriculture before being superseded by rice, is at the centre of a massive promotional campaign launched by the Indian government. The healthy and hardy cereal, which thrives in arid and difficult conditions in which other crops cannot survive and requires less water, is being touted as a "superfood" that could force a more nutritious diet on India's population, and also help mitigate the devastating effects of climate change on the South Asian country. Mon, 06 Nov 2023 21:33:43 +0000 webfull 194527 at /channels Bridging the Gaps | Phenomics: Where Plant Science and Engineering meet /channels/channels/event/bridging-gaps-phenomics-where-plant-science-and-engineering-meet-352154 Join us on Thursday, November 23 for a dynamic research conversation with professors <a href="/plant/faculty/valerio-hoyos-villegas">Valerio Hoyos-Villegas</a> (Plant Science) and <a href="/bioeng/faculty-&lt;/body&gt;&lt;/html&gt;"></a> Mon, 23 Oct 2023 14:25:48 +0000 webfull 194124 at /channels From AI to robot butchers, automating the meat packing industry is not cut-and-dried /channels/channels/news/ai-robot-butchers-automating-meat-packing-industry-not-cut-and-dried-351782 Artificial intelligence, automation and robotics are reshaping many parts of the economy, and experts say the meat-processing sector could benefit from improved technology to overcome labour shortages, improve food safety and remain competitive against alternatives like plant-based proteins. Change has been slow, but companies are making strides, such as using robotics to transport heavy animal carcasses within a facility, to stack and move boxes for delivery and to optimize transportation loads to reduce the amount of trucking. Wed, 11 Oct 2023 15:32:24 +0000 webfull 193706 at /channels How can the use of plastics in agriculture become more sustainable? /channels/channels/news/how-can-use-plastics-agriculture-become-more-sustainable-351432 It is impossible to imagine modern agriculture without plastics—12 million tons are used every year. But what about the environmental consequences? An international team of authors, including McGill Department of Bioresource Engineering Professor <a href="/bioeng/faculty-and-staff/academic-staff/jan-adamowski">Jan Franklin Adamowski</a> and Department of Food Science and Agricultural Chemistry Associate Professor and Chair <a href="/foodscience/staff-and-research/stephane-bayen">Stéphane Bayen</a>, addresses this question in a recent study. Wed, 27 Sep 2023 20:30:12 +0000 webfull 193280 at /channels Climate change made weather conditions that powered Quebec fires twice as likely, scientists say /channels/channels/news/climate-change-made-weather-conditions-powered-quebec-fires-twice-likely-scientists-say-350248 The record-setting wildfires that ripped through Quebec this summer were made more likely and more intense by human-caused climate change, according to <a href="http://spiral.imperial.ac.uk/bitstream/10044/1/105981/7/scientific%20report%20-%20Canada%20wildfires.pdf" target="_blank">a new analysis</a> conducted by 16 researchers within the World Weather Attribution group, from universities and meteorological agencies in Canada, the Netherlands, the U.K. and the U.S. Mon, 28 Aug 2023 19:34:09 +0000 webfull 191559 at /channels Canada’s devastating wildfire season prompts calls for new approach /channels/channels/news/canadas-devastating-wildfire-season-prompts-calls-new-approach-349685 The wildfires that ravaged Canada this summer have some experts calling for a more aggressive approach than the country has applied in the past. This year, nearly 30 million acres have burned across Canada. In eastern provinces such as Quebec, where blazes are less common, wildfire agencies that are equipped to fight fewer and smaller fires were largely unprepared for the circumstances. Wed, 16 Aug 2023 18:43:28 +0000 webfull 191144 at /channels Montreal looks to boost lagging participation in food waste collection /channels/channels/news/montreal-looks-boost-lagging-participation-food-waste-collection-349275 All residential buildings in Montreal with under nine units now have brown bins—but only 63 per cent actually sort out their food waste, according to a 2021 survey conducted by the city. Meanwhile, the Lachenaie landfill in Terrebonne—the only landfill in the Montreal area—is set to reach its capacity in 2029. The city says a large-scale food waste awareness campaign will launch later this year to try to boost citizens' participation in separating out organics. Fri, 28 Jul 2023 00:02:36 +0000 webfull 190766 at /channels Palm oil plantations and deforestation in Guatemala: Certifying products as 'sustainable' is no panacea /channels/channels/news/palm-oil-plantations-and-deforestation-guatemala-certifying-products-sustainable-no-panacea-349274 Palm oil, which can be found in roughly half of all packaged supermarket products, is notorious for causing deforestation and biodiversity loss. Efforts to curtail the damage have largely focused on voluntary environmental certification programs that label qualifying palm-oil sources as "sustainable." Thu, 27 Jul 2023 23:50:15 +0000 webfull 190765 at /channels Natural structures can give rise to stronger, lighter systems /channels/channels/news/natural-structures-can-give-rise-stronger-lighter-systems-349220 In a recent multidisciplinary study published in Advanced Science, researchers build upon the principles of biomimicry by drawing inspiration from the wing of a dragonfly to redesign that of a Boeing 777. Wed, 26 Jul 2023 20:29:51 +0000 webfull 190706 at /channels Lean times hit the vertical farming business /channels/channels/news/lean-times-hit-vertical-farming-business-349111 Vertical farming, once touted as the future of agriculture, is currently facing a lean period. Challenges in scalability and energy consumption have cast a shadow on this innovative farming method. Tue, 18 Jul 2023 20:12:24 +0000 webfull 190571 at /channels Experts: Quebec summer forecast calls for heat, humidity and severe thunderstorms /channels/channels/news/experts-quebec-summer-forecast-calls-heat-humidity-and-severe-thunderstorms-339717 A hot, "unstable and sticky" summer awaits Quebecers, according to The Weather Network, which predicts periods of abundant heat, often followed by severe thunderstorms. This will be the "fifth consecutive summer where temperatures will be above seasonal normals, which has never happened since we started compiling data" in 1942, according to André Monette, chief meteorologist at The Weather Network. (<a href="https://montreal.ctvnews.ca/montreal-summer-forecast-calls-for-heat-humidity-and-severe-thunderstorms-1.5925670" target="_blank">CTV News</a>) Wed, 01 Jun 2022 16:33:19 +0000 webfull 180346 at /channels Caucasian households in U.S. emit most carbon despite greater energy efficiency /channels/channels/news/caucasian-households-us-emit-most-carbon-despite-greater-energy-efficiency-335054 Residential energy use represents roughly one-fifth of annual greenhouse gas emissions in the United States. A team of researchers led by �㽶��Ƶ has used data from 60 million individual American households to look into how carbon emissions caused by household energy use vary by race and ethnicity across the country. Paradoxically, this first national level analysis found that even though energy-efficient homes are more often found in Caucasian neighbourhoods, carbon emissions from these neighbourhoods are higher than in African American neighbourhoods. Mon, 22 Nov 2021 15:00:31 +0000 webfull 174996 at /channels Experts: COP 26 United Nations Climate Change Conference /channels/channels/news/experts-cop-26-united-nations-climate-change-conference-334505 The twenty-sixth session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 26) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) will be hosted by the United Kingdom, in partnership with Italy. The summit will bring parties together to accelerate action towards the goals of the Paris Agreement and the UNFCCC. More than 190 world leaders will participate, along with tens of thousands of negotiators, government representatives, businesses and citizens for twelve days of talks. (<a href="https://www.un.org/en/un-climate-change-conference-cop-26" target="_blank">United Nations</a>) Mon, 01 Nov 2021 14:19:27 +0000 webfull 174410 at /channels McGill-led training program receives $1.65M NSERC CREATE grant /channels/channels/news/mcgill-led-training-program-receives-165m-nserc-create-grant-322545 An inter-university collaboration led by Dr. <a href="/bioeng/faculty-and-staff/mark-lefsrud">Mark Lefsrud</a>, Associate Professor in the Department of Bioresource Engineering, has received a $1.65 million research grant, to be distributed over six years, from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada’s (NSERC) Collaborative Research and Training Experience (CREATE) Program. Tue, 02 Jun 2020 13:50:38 +0000 webfull 161097 at /channels