Scottish blueberry breakthrough sounds a lot better than Willy Wonka's chewing gum
On being told Wonka has invented chewing gum that tastes like a three-course meal – tomato soup, roast beef with baked potato, then blueberry pie and ice cream – she ignores warnings it's not ready for human consumption and starts chewing anyway. The result is that she turns blue, expands to become a giant blueberry, and is rolled off to have the juice extracted before she explodes.
However, we're quite sure the invention of a new kind of blueberry by experts at the James Hutton Institute will come with no such (entirely fictional) risks. Instead, the ten years of research that went into the creation of the Highland Charm – the first capable of flourishing in Scotland's climate – should mean that, in about three years' time, we'll be able to have in-season, local fruit that's tastier and healthier than imports which can take weeks to reach supermarket shelves after being picked.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Record
20 hours ago
- Daily Record
First blueberry designed to flourish in Scotland's climate created by scientists
Growers are "really excited" about the berry's creation. Scientists have created the first blueberry specifically designed to flourish in Scotland's climate. The discovery has left researchers "really excited". The unique blueberry has been named by its creators as the 'Highland Charm'. The fruit is the result of around 10 years of research. The Highland Charm was created as part of a programme at The James Hutton Institute. The institute's breeding site at Invergowrie saw the making of more than 300 unique blueberry crosses. Every blueberry was investigated to find a selection bred from the native north American species that can flourish in the Scottish climate. The resulting berry has been described as "a real standout". According to blueberry breeder Susan McCallum, the development of the Highland Charm has been met with enthusiasm. She stated that growers are "really excited" about its creation. McCallum commented: "This cultivar is a real standout. It combines high yields, excellent fruit size, outstanding flavour, with a balanced sugar-acid profile and a satisfying bite, and an impressive shelf life. "It is reliable and has performed well in our trials year after year, with consistent yield, size and taste." The new berry has been successfully trialled in the UK and the EU. It has consistently performed well across multiple seasons and diverse conditions. UK consumers purchase approximately 60,000 tonnes of blueberries per year. However, 90 per cent of these are imported from overseas. As part of efforts to tackle the problem, researchers are investigating how the cultivar responds under different growing conditions, as well as with reduced input systems, aligning with the industry's goals of sustainability and efficiency. McCallum hopes the new berry will inspire consumers to buy in-season and local fruit. She continued: "They are fresher with higher health benefits than imported berries that take six weeks to get from the field to the shelves. The imported fruit is often picked slightly too early and while its colour continues to develop, its flavour does not. "I guarantee people will taste the difference with in-season, local fruit and will want to go back for more." Highland Charm is currently going through the licensing process that will declare it to be a "novel and unique blueberry". It is believed that the berry will land on supermarket shelves in between two to three years. According to scientists at the James Hutton Institute, Scotland's fertile soils, abundance of clean water, and milder summer temperatures create optimal conditions for producing high-quality berries. Cooler summers extend the ripening period of soft fruit and allow for greater accumulation of sugars and acids, resulting in "a more intense, well-balanced flavour" compared to berries that ripen rapidly in hotter climates. The Hutton is an internationally renowned research centre whose breeding programme supports the entire fruit supply chain from growers to marketing organisations and retailers.
Scotsman
2 days ago
- Scotsman
Formal NHS partner backs ‘transformative healthcare ambitions' of Scotland's first National Innovation Week
Scotland's first National Innovation Week will take place this autumn, including renewed health and life sciences goals – a move welcomed by formal NHS partner InnoScot Health. Sign up to our Scotsman Money newsletter, covering all you need to know to help manage your money. Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... The organisation believes the announcement is 'bold, ambitious, and potentially transformative for inward investment aspirations' as the country aims to showcase its many world-leading capabilities to global investors. The gathering, taking place from Monday, September 22 to Friday, September 26, will throw the spotlight on the country's life sciences breakthroughs, leading data and digital technologies, advanced manufacturing, and energy transition, as well as Scotland's key role in developing industries of the future. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Innovation Commercialisation Manager at InnoScot Health, Frances Ramsay said: 'The announcement of Scotland's first ever National Innovation Week isn't just the rollout of an annual event – instead, it represents the start of an exciting push for a new type of collective national ambition with sights set higher. Innovation Commercialisation Manager at InnoScot Health, Frances Ramsay. 'It is bold, ambitious, and potentially transformative for inward investment aspirations. 'Following on from the country's recent successful trade mission to Japan, the week's focus is firmly on fostering international engagement, capitalising on competitive advantage in key areas of national strength – as set out in Scotland's National Innovation Strategy – and encouraging cross-sector collaboration for expansion of global presence. 'We are particularly pleased to note that health and life sciences are high on the week's progressive agenda for knowledge exchange and relationship building. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'It is our belief that accelerating innovation identified by NHS Scotland staff, in tandem with the right support, can be key to unlocking vital health service improvements while placing our country on the map as a world-class hub of clinical creativity.' Featuring a centrepiece summit taking place at the Edinburgh International Conference Centre (EICC) on Thursday 25 September, the National Innovation Week will celebrate Scotland's rich heritage of world-leading breakthroughs. It will also showcase the country's global leadership in pioneering the transformative technologies as well as its role in driving the industries of the future. Frances continued: 'We are particularly looking forward to the summit and its build-up which will no doubt have many international eyes on it. We must take full advantage of the opportunity to drive home the unique skills which Scotland can offer in abundance.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad During a recent visit to visit to ONE BioHub, a focal point for life sciences in Aberdeen, Business Minister Richard Lochhead – an InnoScot Health webinar guest speaker last year – said: 'Scotland's first National Innovation Week marks a pivotal moment to turn ambition into action and cement our place as a truly global innovation nation. 'Today we stand at the forefront of the next wave of transformative technologies which not only offer immense potential for economic growth but also powerful tools to tackle the global challenges of our time – from healthcare and energy to climate change. 'Companies across Scotland are speeding up the development of new drugs and medicines through automation, pioneering the energy systems of the future and developing the space and satellite technology to help tackle climate change – to give just a few examples.
-(1).jpeg%3Fwidth%3D1200%26auto%3Dwebp%26quality%3D75%26trim%3D95%2C51%2C0%2C91%26crop%3D&w=3840&q=100)
Scotsman
2 days ago
- Scotsman
Turning ideas into impact: how Scottish businesses can tap into academic expertise on our doorstep
Pete Scullion A unique new study aims to use academic insights to prove exactly how and why clearing up our local trails and taking part in Citizen Science helps to boost wellbeing through an increased connection to nature. Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... The partnership between Edinburgh Napier University and not-for-profit Trash Free Trails will help to build an evidence-based model to measure and enhance the wellbeing impacts of removing pollution from our environment for the first time. It's part of the university's mission to ensure its research makes a difference to the world around it – a mission that saw it named Scotland's number one modern university for Research Power and Research Impact in the most recent Research Excellence Framework. Maggie Reid, Business Development Relationship Manager for the School of Applied Sciences, where the academic team is based, wants more local organisations to harness the brainpower of the academics on their doorstep. 'It's about bridging the gap. We are a very industry-focused university, and we want to apply our research to real situations for organisations and the community around us," she explains. "Sometimes universities can seem quite opaque to get into for businesses: these partnerships provide that open door to get research in and out to drive innovation and growth, and to develop talent.' Using evidence for maximum impact We all know that single use pollution (aka litter) is bad and picking it up is good – but how can we prove it? That's the question being asked by Professor Tom Campbell, who's also the director and academic lead at the Mountain Bike Centre of Scotland, and Dr Hollie Fountain, who has focused on exploring the impact of mountain bike "trail therapy" for people facing mental health challenges. "The wider public understands the negative impacts of litter in that natural environment on our trails, whether it's for mountain biking or walking... we know litter and single-use plastics have negative environmental impacts (largely due to TFT's existing research - The State of Our Trails Report is a world's first project documenting exactly this): we know how long single-use plastics in particular can linger in the environment; we know they break down and smaller microplastics contaminate soil, water and air and that there's a real danger to wildlife through ingestion and entanglement. "But equally, if not more importantly, I think the act of physically removing litter from the natural environment is really significant. We're talking about environmental stewardship and ecological citizenship, with people taking responsibility for the environment – and there's evidence that this type of stewardship can promote a sense of place, a connection to nature, and ultimately improve well-being." The team believes this is the first study of its kind that aims to demonstrate the impact on wellbeing of cleaning up much-loved spots like trails: as Tom says, "there's been nothing done to date that I'm aware of that looks at how removing litter and removing pollution, being physically involved, and actively removing those from the environment might impact upon these more positive outcomes". Cleaning up our trails Trash Free Trails was born in 2017 with a simple aim: to (re)connect people with nature through the simple act of removing single-use pollution from places they love. This community-led, not-for-profit organisation wanted to 'bring the beach clean mentality in-land'– particularly given that studies show there could be up to 23 times the amount of plastic waste released on land in the UK as in the sea. From the start, they wanted to generate the evidence that would prove that what they were doing could bring about real change, explains Rich Breeden, Associate Director of Trash Free Trails. "There are lots of organisations out there removing pollution, but something that sets us apart is a scientific backing to the work that we do. We don't just go and pick up pollution; we go and pick it up in very specific places for very specific reasons with very specific people." And this evidence base has the ability to generate real solutions, that can then be scaled up and even adopted by other organisations. "We want to have a long-term impact and the only real way to do that is to work with places like Edinburgh Napier and people like Tom and Hollie." Creating a model for the future The 30-month project will seek to define the correct approach by understanding the feel-good factors for participants, then designing a framework to measure that impact on wellbeing. Working with Trash Free Trail's communities of volunteers, they'll develop a pilot then adapt it as needed. The hope, according to Rich, is for the evidence to form a 'social prescribing model', something NHS Scotland describes as 'helping you to find the right support when you need it, connecting you with activities, groups and services in your local community that can help address some of the challenges and issues that you may be struggling with'. "It's also about strengthening our offer to make us more attractive to corporate funders or for trust and grants funding, which enables us to have more impact because that's what we're about: Ultimately, we need more support to have a greater impact, and this is how we will achieve that," he adds. And lastly, they want to develop a nature connection training model, one "that is ratified, proven and delivered by a really engaging organisation like ourselves to allow businesses to increase their nature connection". "Plus, our volunteers, who are the most important people in this whole conversation, can participate in the research in one way or another, they can actively benefit from it and, if it's something that they want to deliver with their communities, then that will be freely available to them as well." Lending academic expertise to firms and groups "Removing litter is a simple act, but actually it's so complex in terms of the mechanisms underlying that – and we're trying to evidence the benefit, to understand how that very simple thing actually extends into potentially massive benefits, especially for the social groups that don't currently engage in all this,' says Tom. 'That's the really powerful approach of the knowledge transfer partnerships:they enable projects with real world impact." Funded by UKRI for the past 50 years, Knowledge Transfer Partnerships like this one connect organisations with academics to facilitate access to the expertise they need to achieve strategically important objectives. "Often it's linked to increasing turnover and financial viability by developing a new product or a new service that allows you to employ more people," explains Maggie. 'But in this case, it's allowing an organisation like Trash Free Trails to demonstrate the societal impact element to their funders and therefore increase their funding in the future. "As well as the economic benefits to their organisation, whether that is to secure future funding or increase turnover, there is access to expertise, resources, facilities, people that they would not have access to. It's about building a partnership as well with the university which can really offer you a competitive advantage, because your services and products are underpinned by research." 'Knowledge Transfer Partnerships are all about impact – economic, academic, social, and environmental – and innovation,' adds Dr Anne-Marie Haughey, East of Scotland KTP Centre Manager. 'This collaboration between TFT and ENU academics will provide TFT with the capabilities to evidence and increase their impact, empowering them to have greater reach and deliver more of the activities central to their mission. The KTP project will enable development of a green social prescription model which is projected to have significant UK economic and social value, as a result of improvements in individuals' wellbeing.' Want to get involved?
