14 December 2023
By Tom Collins
tom@TheCork.ie
Winner announced for the UCC Musgrave Award for Excellence in Food Microbiology
The 2023 winner of the Musgrave Award for Excellence in Food Microbiology has been announced for this year. The award, which recognises excellence in the MSc Food Microbiology course at the School of Microbiology in UCC, has been in place for the last ten years with the aim of recognising and awarding emerging talented food microbiologists. The Musgrave Award for Excellence in Food Microbiology was inaugurated in 2013 and has since been awarded to the highest scoring Masters student in Food Microbiology in the graduating class of that year.
This year’s winner, Gearoid Dillane, completed a research study aimed at tackling spoilage of fermented beverages including beer. His project aimed to identify and isolate novel and natural compounds that specifically kill spoilage yeasts. Gearoid’s research is the first step in a long journey towards the improvement of sustainability in food production systems.
Speaking about Musgrave’s partnership with UCC, Ray Bowe, Director of Food Safety & Quality at Musgrave said: “Firstly, I would like to congratulate Gearoid on his fantastic results this year and on receiving the Musgrave Award for Excellence in Food Microbiology. Our partnership with UCC goes all the way back to 2013 and it has blossomed ever since, giving us the opportunity to recognise those who excel in their field. I would like to pass on my congratulations to the other students who received their results from UCC for the MSc Food Microbiology course and applaud the bright new talent beginning their exciting careers within the food industry.”
Speaking about the Musgrave Award for Excellence in Food Microbiology, Professor of Molecular Food Microbiology, Jennifer Mahony said: “Gearoid Dillane is highly deserving of this award and we extend our warmest congratulations to him on his wonderful achievement. Our partnership with Musgrave has allowed us to truly celebrate the wonderful students that undertake the course each year. It is great to see a research project which can benefit the food industry and sustainability as a whole recognised in this way.”
Over the last ten years, Musgrave has recognised excellence in the MSc Food Microbiology course at UCC and looks forward to continuing its partnership with UCC into the future.
Ray Bowe, Musgrave; Gearoid Dillane, UCC Student; Prof. Jennifer Mahony, Professor of Molecular Food Microbiology, School of Microbiology, UCC