Research

Funding: Bundesministerium für Wirtschaft und Energie (BMWE) im Rahmen der Industriellen Gemeinschaftsforschung (IGF) aufgrund eines Beschlusses des Deutschen Bundestages, 524.935 EUR

Project Details:
The "SweetGut" project investigates the effects of non-nutritive sweeteners (NNS) on the human gut microbiome, intestinal barrier function and inflammation-related processes. Both individual sweeteners and commonly used combinations in sweetened dairy products are examined.
Using in vitro cell models and ex vivo fecal models, potential adverse physiological effects such as microbial dysbiosis and proinflammatory responses are analyzed. In addition, the project evaluates whether functional oligosaccharides (e.g. inulin, GOS, FOS) can mitigate or compensate for these effects.
The overall aim is to provide a scientific basis for safe, health-oriented reformulation of sugar-reduced dairy products and to support consumer protection.

Cooperation Partners:

Deutsches Institut für Lebensmitteltechnik (DIL), Quakenbrück, Abteilung Biochemie der Ernährung; Abteilung Biotechnologie

Max-Rubner-Institut (MRI), Bundesforschungsinstitut für Ernährung und Lebensmittel, Institut für Mikrobiologie und Biotechnologie, Kiel

Funding: Niedersächsisches Ministerium für Wissenschaft und Kultur (MWK) ZERN - Zukunft Ernährung Niedersachsen, 365.144 EUR

Project Details:
This project is carried out at DIL e.V., Quakenbrück.

The project provides evidence-based insights into the sensory quality, microbiological safety and potential health effects of raw milk kefir. The results identify conditions under which raw milk kefir can be a viable option for regional direct marketing. A practical guideline supports dairy farms in quality-assured production and marketing.

Cooperation Partners:

Deutsches Institut für Lebensmitteltechnik (DIL), Quakenbrück, Abteilung Biochemie der Ernährung

Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, Fakultät für Agrarwissenschaften, Labor für sensorische Analysen und Konsumentenforschung, Department für Agrarökonomie und Rurale Entwicklung

Funding: Niedersächsisches Ministerium für Wissenschaft und Kultur (MWK) ZERN - Zukunft Ernährung Niedersachsen, 30.000 EUR

Project Details:
The project is carried out on DIL e.V., Quakenbrück.
The project "HIDDEN PEATENTIAL! - Exploring the Hidden Potential of Plant-Based Proteins" aims to communicate scientifically sound knowledge on sustainable nutrition and alternative protein sources, with a particular focus on plant-based proteins derived from legumes such as peas.
Using a Citizen Lab outreach format, two interactive public events will be held in pedestrian zones in Osnabrück and Quakenbrück. Through tastings, hands-on experiments, playful learning formats and direct dialogue with scientists, citizens are invited to engage with topics such as sensory properties of plant proteins, amino acid composition, techno-functional characteristics (e.g. foaming properties of aquafaba), and environmental impacts of different protein sources.
The project contributes to public science communication within the ZERN network and serves as a pilot for transferable outreach formats supporting informed and reflective decision-making in the field of sustainable nutrition.

Cooperation Partners:

Deutsches Institut für Lebensmitteltechnik (DIL), Quakenbrück, Abteilung Biochemie der Ernährung;

Universität Osnabrück

Funding: Bundesanstalt für Landwirtschaft und Ernährung (Bundesprogramm ökologischer Landbau), 231.160 EUR

Project Details:
The overarching objective of the project is to improve the health of suckling and weaned piglets under organic farming conditions in free-farrowing systems and piglet rearing systems through optimized housing and feeding strategies, and to identify approaches for reducing piglet mortality. In addition to adapted housing and nutrition, an improved, farm-specific health and hygiene management system is intended to contribute substantially to stable herd health in organic production systems. Furthermore, the project aims to close existing knowledge gaps and generate new scientific insights for organic sow husbandry and piglet production through the investigation and evaluation of multiple research questions.

Cooperation Partners:

Landwirtschaftskammer Nordrhein-Westfalen

Georg-August Universität Göttingen

Universität Kassel

Funding: DFG, 502.000 EUR

Project Details:
This project focuses on advancing our understanding of the human enteric nervous system (ENS), specifically the myenteric plexus, which plays a crucial role in regulating gastrointestinal motility. The ENS is often compared to an external hard disk controlling gastrointestinal functions and operating autonomously from the brain. Our literature research emphasizes the need for human-specific data, due to limitations in extrapolating findings from animal models to humans, as demonstrated by species-specific differences in neurotransmitter effects and signalling pathways.
The present study proposes comprehensive research methods involving human intestinal (colonic) tissue sampling and preparation, neuroimaging with voltage and calcium-sensitive dyes, in vitro motility experiments in organ bath, and immunohistochemistry. Our aim is to bridge the gap in knowledge regarding the functional properties and connectivity of human myenteric neurons. The experimental design involves investigating neuronal activation, neurotransmitter responses, and synaptic communication within the human colonic myenteric plexus. Additionally, the study aims to characterize and identify mechanosensitive enteric neurons, to perform immunohistochemistry for phenotypic analysis, and to study spontaneous and nerve-mediated intestinal motility and its pharmacology. The project also aims to explore the influence of extrinsic afferents on intestinal motility. Furthermore, the project plans to assess the impact of patient characteristics especially in relation to age, sex, and body mass index on the neuronal count and motility data.
In summary, the research project strives to provide a comprehensive understanding of the human colonic myenteric plexus, contributing valuable insights into the pathophysiology of functional gastrointestinal disorders and potentially paving the way for targeted therapeutic interventions.

Funding: Gefördert mit Mitteln aus zukunft.niedersachsen, 612/ZERN 7897049-TiHo - Open Call, 301.520 EUR

Project Details:
Animal welfare and animal health are, among other factors, substantially influenced by the barn climate. Establishing an optimal barn climate is a complex task, and additional challenges arise from changes in the external climate.
In this project, conducted in collaboration with partners from academia and industry, barn climate parameters and floor temperatures in a forward-looking, animal-friendly housing system are adjusted on the basis of measurements, AI (artificial intelligence)-supported behavioral observations, and accompanying hygiene monitoring. The aim is to ensure that pigs in the rearing and fattening phases make optimal use of pen structures. At the same time, the project investigates from which point onward barn climate control based on the use of enthalpy values becomes meaningful. Furthermore, based on the collected data, heat transfer processes will be represented within a pen model in order to better understand their effects on the microclimate in individual pens.

Cooperation Partners:

Prof. Dr.-Ing. Markus Richter, Robin Kahlfeld, M. Sc,

Institut für Thermodynamik, Fakultät für Maschinenbau,

Leibniz Universität Hannover

Assoziierte Partner:

Big Dutchman AG

H. Bröring GmbH & Co. KG

VetVise GmbH

Funding: DFG (VIPER GRK)

Project Details:
Characterizing the impact of morbilliviruses upon innate responses and the integrity of respiratory epithelial cells.
-Generation and characterization of 3D-culture systems of different wildlife carnivore species
-Analyses of morbillivirus infections upon respiratory tract cells of wild carnivores in vivo and ex vivo

Funding: DFG (VIPER GRK)

Project Details:
Hypothesis:
Viral genomic sequences obtained from archived canine formalin-fixed, paraffin embedded tissue of the central nervous system and will allow establishing a cause-consequence relationship between the detected known and unknown viral pathogen and pathological findings.
Aim and objectives:
The general aim of the project is further identify the viral cause of canine diseases of the central nervous system.
-By using conventional histology and immunochistochemistry of archived tissues from the last 6 decades to identify cases of non-supprative encephalitis of unknown origin
-Suspected virus infection will be further substantiated by applying double-stranded RNA or selected interferon stimulated genes specific antibodies and a probe specific for interferon β.
-Followed by ribonucleic acid extraction from the selected FFPE tissues, RT-qPCR using pan-genus primer and/or NGS. Alignment to reference genomes available in databases will be used to detect known viral pathogens and related unknown viruses
-Investigation of the pathogenesis of the discovered virus by studying cell tropism and the distribution of the virus in the host organism using in situ hybridization for the distribution of the pathogen

Cooperation Partners:

Institut für Virusdiagnostik, Friedrich Löffler Institut

Funding: DFG, 45.000 EUR

Project Details:
Glycoprotein-mediated immune evasion mechanisms of human and animal pneumoviridea

Funding: DFG, 45.000 EUR

Project Details:
Evolution and ecology of RNA-viruses in small mammels