Animal Science - NEWS

91ɬ��’s Bravo Gala shines a spotlight on research excellence

91ɬ�� — Thu, 14 May 2026 16:18:30 +0000

At event honouring 116 winners of major awards, keynote speaker and SSHRC Gold Medal recipient Myriam Denov emphasized the importance of listening.

91ɬ�� celebrated more than 100 researchers at the 21^st edition of Bravo, a gala event May 7 honouring the winners of major provincial, national and international research prizes and awards in 2025.

91ɬ�� awarded 16 new or renewed Canada Research Chairs

91ɬ�� — Wed, 13 May 2026 17:51:34 +0000

From fundamental physics to child well-being, 91ɬ�� researchers advance discovery across disciplines

91ɬ�� has been awarded $18.1 million in federal funding to support 16 Canada Research Chairs – six new and 10 renewed.

$1.25 million for 91ɬ�� research from the New Frontiers in Research Fund

91ɬ�� — Wed, 13 May 2026 17:34:01 +0000

Federal fund will support transformative high risk, high reward research across engineering, science, and medicine at 91ɬ��.

AES Researchers Celebrated at 91ɬ��'s 2025 Bravo Gala

91ɬ�� — Mon, 11 May 2026 18:13:49 +0000

Each year, 91ɬ��'s Office of the Vice-President (Research and Innovation) hosts the Bravo Gala to celebrate faculty members and researchers who have earned major provincial, national, and international prizes. This year, the Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (AES) is proud to have nine members honoured among 91ɬ��'s brightest research leaders. Their work spans food safety, plant science, nutrition, material engineering, animal science, ornithology, and agricultural communication.

Macdonald Scholarship Reception

91ɬ�� — Tue, 05 May 2026 14:12:10 +0000

The most recent Macdonald Scholarship Reception was held with a shared sense of honour and pride on Tuesday, April 14, 2026. The occasion brought together members of the Macdonald community to celebrate both the excellence of its student awardees and the generosity of its donors, whose commitment continues to shape meaningful academic pathways.

Moderate UV light is best when it comes to boosting the vitamin D content of edible mushrooms, 91ɬ�� study finds

91ɬ�� — Mon, 04 May 2026 14:00:59 +0000

Researchers at 91ɬ�� have discovered that moderate ultraviolet (UV) light exposure is best when the technique is used to enhance vitamin D₂ in edible mushrooms. Excessive exposure leads to nutrient degradation or a plateau effect, they found. The paper also provides quantitative guidance.

The researchers’ work supports efforts to address vitamin D deficiency, which affects between 30 and 50 per cent of the world’s population, as well as enhance the nutritional value of mushrooms more broadly.

The Macdonald Campus Community Pays Tribute to Professor Varoujan Yaylayan

91ɬ�� — Mon, 27 Apr 2026 14:59:41 +0000

The Macdonald Campus community gathered on Friday, April 10, to celebrate the life and legacy of the late Professor Varoujan Yaylayan, PhD., who was a cherished faculty member of the Faulty of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences’ Department of Food Science and Agricultural Chemistry.

Study finds treating peanuts with cold plasma could make them less allergenic

91ɬ�� — Wed, 22 Apr 2026 14:16:33 +0000

Researchers at 91ɬ�� have found that briefly treating peanuts with cold plasma, an ionically charged gas that triggers chemical changes, reduces their potential to cause allergic reactions. The researchers say this is probably because the process causes changes to the protein structure, the part of the peanut that can trigger an immune response. The technology was also shown to improve functional properties important for food manufacturing.

91ɬ�� opens state-of-the-art greenhouse and research platform

91ɬ�� — Mon, 13 Apr 2026 19:42:42 +0000

91ɬ�� has officially opened a new teaching greenhouse and advanced plant phenotyping facilities at its Macdonald Campus, marking a major investment in climate-focused agricultural education and research. Designed for hands-on undergraduate and graduate training, the sustainable greenhouse features controlled growing bays, teaching labs, tissue culture facilities and classrooms, giving students direct experience with modern, climate-smart production systems.

NRS M.Sc. Linda Nong Wins 91ɬ��’s English 3MT Competition

91ɬ�� — Mon, 13 Apr 2026 19:36:14 +0000

91ɬ��’s annual Three Minute Thesis (3MT) and Ma thèse en 180 secondes (MT180) competitions showcased the diversity of graduate research, with finalists presenting complex topics in just three minutes to a general audience. Held on April 1 at the Faculty Club, the event highlighted research ranging from neuroscience and mental health to musicology and ecology.

91ɬ�� inaugurates new facilities at Macdonald Campus to advance teaching and research on climate‑resilient agriculture

91ɬ�� — Thu, 09 Apr 2026 10:32:51 +0000

91ɬ�� today inaugurated state‑of‑the‑art teaching greenhouse and plant phenotyping research facilities at its Macdonald Campus in Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue. These represent major investments in teaching and research focused on food security, crop resilience and sustainable agriculture.

Food Science Students Selected as Finalists in IFTSA Student Competitions

91ɬ�� — Tue, 31 Mar 2026 17:23:50 +0000

91ɬ��’s Department of Food Science and Agricultural Chemistry is celebrating an outstanding achievement by its students: all three 91ɬ�� teams entered into this year’s Institute of Food Technologists Student Association (IFTSA) competitions have been selected as finalists. The teams will represent 91ɬ�� at the IFT Annual Meeting & Food Expo in Chicago in July 2026—one of the largest and most influential gatherings in the global food science community.

Building Canada’s Future Environmental Leaders

91ɬ�� — Thu, 12 Mar 2026 13:40:22 +0000

A new NSERC CREATE initiative, MIXCHEM, is reshaping how Canada prepares researchers to confront the growing challenge of complex chemical mixtures in the environment. Prof. Stéphane Bayen, a leading voice in Food Science and Agricultural Chemistry, is helping drive this interdisciplinary program, which blends cutting‑edge analytical training with hands‑on experience across industry, government, and academia.

91ɬ�� researchers optimize process for converting human urine into clean energy

91ɬ�� — Mon, 16 Feb 2026 15:07:32 +0000

Researchers at 91ɬ�� have improved the efficiency of a method for converting human urine into clean energy.

The method employs microbial fuel cells (MFCs), which use bacteria to turn organic waste into electricity, providing a sustainable and low-cost means of treating wastewater while generating energy from an abundant source. The 91ɬ�� research provides insights into which urine concentrations are optimal for this process.

In polar regions, microbes are influencing climate change as frozen ecosystems thaw, 91ɬ�� review finds

91ɬ�� — Mon, 26 Jan 2026 16:35:08 +0000

Microbes across Earth’s coldest regions are becoming more active as glaciers, permafrost and sea ice thaw, accelerating carbon release and potentially amplifying climate change, according to a new international review from 91ɬ��.

91ɬ�� researchers create shapeshifting materials that could power the next generation of soft robots

91ɬ�� — Fri, 23 Jan 2026 15:59:18 +0000

91ɬ�� engineers have developed new ultra-thin materials that can be programmed to move, fold and reshape themselves, much like animated origami. They open the door to softer, safer and more adaptable robots that could be used in medical tools that gently move inside the body, wearable devices that change shape on the skin or smart packaging that reacts to its environment.

91ɬ�� researchers identify a range of unexpected chemical contaminants in human milk

91ɬ�� — Tue, 20 Jan 2026 15:45:07 +0000

An interdisciplinary team including researchers at 91ɬ�� has found a range of unexpected chemical contaminants in human milk samples from Canada and South Africa. The chemicals include traces of pesticides, antimicrobials and additives used in plastics and personal-care products. The findings were published across five papers.

91ɬ�� professor awarded one of the eight science diplomacy chairs newly created by the Fonds de recherche du Québec

91ɬ�� — Tue, 16 Dec 2025 18:31:34 +0000

Ebenezer Miezah Kwofie, based at Macdonald Campus, will work to advance food sustainability in Africa

Ebenezer Miezah Kwofie, Assistant Professor in the Bioresource Engineering Department, has been awarded one of eight science diplomacy chairs newly created by the Fonds de recherche du Québec (FRQ).

Microencapsulated B-vitamins help dairy cows produce more milk with fewer emissions

91ɬ�� — Thu, 11 Dec 2025 16:38:40 +0000

A new international study led by 91ɬ�� in collaboration with Jefo Nutrition shows that supplementing dairy cow diets with microencapsulated B-vitamins can significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions while increasing milk yield and quality. The use of the feed additive cut global warming potential, an internationally standardized measure of climate impact, by up to 18 per cent across seven countries.

Scientists decode the full range of oat genomes, opening the door to more nutritious, climate-smart crops

91ɬ�� — Fri, 28 Nov 2025 14:16:51 +0000

Researchers have cracked one of agriculture’s most complicated genomes, revealing long-hidden DNA rearrangements that could help scientists breed oats that are more resilient, nutritious and sustainable.

The study, by an international consortium that included researchers from 91ɬ�� and published in Nature, presents the first-ever “pangenome” and “pantranscriptome” of oats. These map all known oat genes and track how they behave across 33 varieties that grow around the world.

Des abbatoirs qui vont de ferme en ferme

91ɬ�� — Thu, 24 May 2018 14:53:53 +0000

Animaux transportés sur de longues distances et stressés, cadence d'abattage élevée… Devant les désavantages de l'abattage industriel, une autre solution est possible : l'abattoir mobile, qui se déplace directement à la ferme. […] Kevin Wade, directeur du département des sciences animales de l'Université 91ɬ�� : Légalement, il est possible d'exploiter un abattoir mobile au Québec, à condition de respecter les exigences prévues par la réglementation (loi et règlements).

Father's lasting influence: Molecular foundations of intergenerational transmission of the paternal environment

91ɬ�� — Wed, 22 Apr 2015 18:02:46 +0000

Laval and 91ɬ�� researchers team up with Health Canada and international researchers from Africa, Italy, Copenhagen and Greenland to investigate the impact of environmental exposures on the hertibale information coded in the fathers sperm and the health of offspring. The research team includes Professor Sarah Kimmins of the Department of Animal Science and is funded for $1.5 million by the Institute of Aboriginal Health, and the Institute of Gender and Health.