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Other Norwich events

What have plants ever done for us?

This event takes place in an accessible venue with step free access.
Past event - 2019
22 May Doors 7pm
Event 7:30-9:30 pm
Mitre, 131 Earlham Rd,
Norwich NR2 3RF
Since the beginning of time, we have relied on plants for everything from food, to building materials, to medicine. Join us as local scientists reveal potential new uses for starch and answer the question: how did broccoli get the 'superfood' label? 

A Starch Is Born

Erica Hawkins (Postdoctoral Scientist at the John Innes Centre)
Starch is all around us- it’s in the food we eat, the paper we write on, and the glue we stick up wallpaper with. The different uses of starch are all down to its unique structure. This leads us to the question: how do plants make this complex structure? If we answer this, could we change how starch is made in plants, and ‘tailor’ make starch production for different uses?

The science of super broccoli

Mikhaela Neequaye (Postgraduate Researcher at the Quadram Institute and the John Innes Centre)
Love them or hate them, cruciferous vegetables like broccoli or Brussels sprouts have a reputation for being good for our health. Some have even been given the label of superfoods, but what is the science behind these claims? Mikhaela Neequaye is studying some of the beneficial sulphurous compounds that give these greens their characteristic taste and smell, including a “super” broccoli with an added boost. By combining traditional breeding and the latest genetic technologies, scientists are retuning our food composition, but does this mean they now earn the title of superfoods?
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