I had the pleasure of viewing an extensive range of undergraduate research posters at CAFRE's Loughry Campus on Monday the 13th May. Topics ranged from the likely effects of Brexit on local companies, salt replacement, major sources of salt in the Ulster diet, through to product manufacture and quality assurance.

The posters were all well presented. It was clear that a number of students had presented interesting and relevant commercial findings.

I had the privilege of supervising three projects this year. One was concerned with determining the optimum protein content of a high protein ice cream intended for athletes, another investigated the concentration of E. coli and coliforms in cheeses made from raw or pasteurized milk and sold in N. Ireland and the final project traced the sources of thermophilic and thermoduric sporeformers in milk powders produced by a local company.

The author pictured with Jill Gourley and Eimear Mullan. Jill was working on the origin and development of thermoduric sporeformers in milk powders and Eimear on the concentration of E. coli and coliforms in cheese

When I get some time I intend to summarise the findings of some of these projects.