Prior knowledge allows new technology

Researchers at the Riddet Institute know a lot about protein structures and how to modify them. The researchers used this knowledge to develop a new system for enriching food with omega-3 from fish oil.

Transcript

Dr Harjinder Singh (

The prior knowledge wasn't actually related to encapsulation, the prior knowledge was related to the protein structures and function. I have been involved in milk protein research for the last 20 years or so, and we had known a lot about how to modify protein structures and how to look at the different functionality of different structures. So when we talked about the opportunity to produce this unique emulsion, suddenly we realised there may be an opportunity to bring these two together, and we may be able to create this new system. Because it was based on prior knowledge and understanding, there wasn't so much developing science, because science we knew, but applying that science to a different context. It was more looking for a technological solution, seeing a different opportunity if you like, or different application that people hadn't seen before.