MRS Exhibiting at Fruit Focus

MRS will be exhibiting at Fruit Focus at East Malling in Kent on July 21st. Nikki Jennings, our rsapberry breeder, will be on hand to answer any questions you may have regarding new varieties from our breeding programmes.

MRS at Potato Europe 2010

MRS will have a stand at Potato Europe 2010 near Hannover, Germany on September 8th and 9th. You will find us on the British Potato Pavillion and we would be happy to answer any questions you may have.

Mylnefield Isotope Signatures invests in new instrumentation

In order to increase capacity and to be able to offer shorter turn-around times to clients, Mylnefield Isotope Signatures have recently purchased a new EA-IRMS system from Thermo-Fisher for bulk isotope analysis. This new instrument is comprised of a Delta V Advantage coupled via a ConFlo IV module to a Flash Elemental Analyser (EA). One of the key features of this new instrument is its high abundance sensitivity, which will benefit applications and research areas where sample amount can be a limiting factor. Owing to the new instrument’s increased sensitivity, typical sample amount for organic materials required for a single analysis is 0.2 – 0.3 mg. Furthermore, the Flash EA is equipped with a Thermal Conductivity Detector (TCD) permitting concurrent generation of relative elemental abundance data in 15N values.13C and addition to

New technology for extending shelf life of fresh produce

Mylnefield Research Services Ltd are pleased announce the development of a new technique for extending the shelf life of minimally processed fresh fruit and vegetables. A patent application has been filed to protect the technique and we would be delighted to discuss any opportunities from fruit or vegetable processors for the commercial development of this exciting new technology.

Immersing cut produce in warm water is a proven and effective method of extending shelf life but one that relies largely on empirical studies for deciding the optimum immersion time and temperature. These studies can be time consuming, making them impractical for a fast moving, constantly changing processing line. Mylnefield Research Services Ltd have developed a biomarker based system for rapidly determining the optimum heat treatment for a given batch of produce. In tests, this method has been shown to give results within 24 hours, turning warm water immersion into a commercially feasible method of extending shelf life.

Stable Isotopes in historical research

Thursday 6th May at 9.00pm sees the transmission of the first in a four part BBC2 documentary series “History Cold Case” filmed at the University of Dundee - Centre for Anatomy and Human Identification and at the Stable Isotope Forensic Laboratory based at SCRI.

The programmes, each dealing with an individual skeleton, follow the work of forensic scientists (including Drs Meier-Augenstein and Kemp from Mylnefield Isotope Signatures) as they apply cutting-edge techniques, including stable isotope profiling to investigate human remains in an attempt to shed light on their life histories.
From a mummified child found in a cellar to a medieval knight buried underneath a Scottish castle, the team apply their expertise in what promises to be a ground-breaking documentary series.
Further transmission dates, Thursday 13th, 20th and 27th May BBC2 at 9.00pm

“History Cold Case”

The programmes, each dealing with an individual skeleton, follow the work of forensic scientists (including Drs Meier-Augenstein and Kemp from Mylnefield Isotope Signatures) as they apply cutting-edge techniques, including stable isotope profiling to investigate human remains in an attempt to shed light on their life histories.
From a mummified child found in a cellar to a medieval knight buried underneath a Scottish castle, the team apply their expertise in what promises to be a ground-breaking documentary series.
Further transmission dates, Thursday 13th, 20th and 27th May BBC2 at 9.00pm

Stable Isotopes in Environmental Forensics.

Dr S.M Mudge and Dr Wolfram Meier-Augenstein have co-authored a chapter for the recently published “Environmental Forensics – Proceedings of the 2009 Annual Conference” (R.D. Morrison & G. O’Sullivan [eds.], Royal Society of Chemistry (2010), ISBN 1-84755-258-7).

The chapter deals with stable isotope techniques for tracking and evaluating sewage wastes and includes compound specific isotope data made available by the Mylnefield Isotope Signatures hybrid GC-MS/IRMS system. Developed by Dr Meier-Augenstein, this equipment permits the simultaneous recording of GC-MS and compound specific IRMS data.

The science of environmental forensics aims to solve the problems associated with environmental contamination of all kinds. “Environmental Forensics – Proceedings of the 2009 Annual Conference” is the first in a series of publications that will which will archive key presentations from the annual conferences sponsored by the Society of Environmental Forensics.

http://www.rsc.org/Shop/books/2010/9781847552587.asp

Dr Bill Christie wins AOCS Research Award.

Dr Bill Christie, consultant and non-executive chairman of Mylnefield Lipid Analysis, has been awarded the American Oil Chemistry Society''s (http://www.aocs.org/) Research Award for 2010. This is one of the most prestigious awards in the field and recognises "outstanding original research in fats, oils, lipid chemistry, or biochemistry.” The award is presented in the form of a plaque and an honorarium of $10,000. Bill has been invited to the US in May to receive the award and make a presentation. Professor Frank Gunstone, also a consultant for Mylnefield Lipid Analysis was a previous recipient of this award.

Stable Isotopes provide clues to mystery skeleton

Human remains found in a shed in Hedgerley Woods in Berkshire in 2007 could not be identified despite forensic tests and international appeals. Hair and nail samples from the corpse were sent to Dr. Wolfram Meier-Augenstein, senior lecturer at Dundee University and principal scientist at Mylnefield Isotope Signatures.



Stable isotope analysis of the samples revealed that the man had arrived in the UK one month or less prior to death and that his diet was consistent with somebody who came from Iceland, northern Scandinavia, Hungary, Poland, Romania or parts of the Ukraine. This led the coroner to find that the man was probably an illegal immigrant, although his exact identity remains unknown



For local press coverage see:


www.bucksfreepress.co.uk

New Book from Dr. Wolfram Meier-Augenstein - Stable Isotope Forensics: An Introduction to the Forensic Application of Stable Isotope Analysis

“Stable Isotope Forensics: An Introduction to the Forensic Application of Stable Isotope Analysis” by Dr Meier-Augenstein provides a comprehensive overview and guide to forensic isotope analysis. Underlying principles of isotope analysis are illustrated by practical real-life examples of their application in forensic case work.



Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell

ISBN 978-0-470-51705-5

To be published March 2010

Latest News

MRS at Potato Europe 2010 more>

MRS Exhibiting at Fruit Focus more>

Mylnefield Isotope Signatures invests in new instrumentation more>

New technology for extending shelf life of fresh produce more>

Stable Isotopes in historical research more>

“History Cold Case” more>

Stable Isotopes in Environmental Forensics. more>

Dr Bill Christie wins AOCS Research Award. more>

New Book from Dr. Wolfram Meier-Augenstein - Stable Isotope Forensics: An Introduction to the Forensic Application of Stable Isotope Analysis more>

Stable Isotopes provide clues to mystery skeleton more>