As new immigrants continue to boost Canada’s population, a UBCO researcher is looking at citizenship education and how Canadians feel about their country.

Two weeks ago, according to Statistics Canada, Canada’s population reached 40 billion.

And thanks to immigration numbers, 2022 was the first year since the mid-1950s that the population—with a growth rate of almost three per cent—increased by more than one million people.

Dr. Catherine Broom, an Associate Professor with the Okanagan School of Education, studies local and global citizenship. Last fall she launched a survey asking Canadians their opinions on their country, the nation’s identity and citizenship education. So far, more than 500 people—predominantly young adults between the ages of 19 and 25 in Western Canada—have responded.

“As we approach Canada Day, some Canadians are celebrating and perhaps some are reflecting on the nature and form of citizenship and identity,” says Dr. Broom. “This survey could be a way to move forward in our understandings of who we are as a nation.”

Dr. Broom explains her early findings and encourages more Canadians to participate in the survey.

What does it mean to be Canadian?

Participants said they identify the maple leaf, nature, freedom, health care, inclusion and multiculturalism as images or symbols of Canada.

Given recent polls last month during the coronation of King Charles, it’s perhaps unsurprising that the Monarchy was less associated as a symbol of Canada.

Fifty-five per cent of respondents said they feel a sense of belonging and 36 per cent somewhat feel a sense of belonging to Canada. While 40 per cent are proud of Canada, and 43 per cent are somewhat proud of Canada, they associated more with their regional identity, rather than with a national identity.

What kind of society do participants envision for Canada?

They feel that a good Canadian should be kind, a good neighbour and work to improve society. The participants have strong visions and hopes for Canada and say that anti-racism education, inclusion, protecting the environment and addressing Indigenous reconciliation can bring Canadians together. Participants in the study envision an inclusive Canada that cares for all its citizens and its natural environment.

What are the main issues facing Canadians?

Participants suggest the main problems to address in Canada are housing, economic instability, climate change and racism. They are supportive of immigration, and 53 per cent feel that immigrants face challenges.

They identify issues related to citizenship as those addressing racism, the unmarked graves of children found at Residential Schools, low participation rates in social institutions and events like volunteering, and the need to have bonds that unite Canadians.

What do they feel should be taught in schools?

While the participants have broad views of citizenship, they believe that education in schools teaches about political citizenship, rights, nationhood and the environment. They want these areas to be taught, but strongly emphasize attention to social citizenship and being part of an inclusive community.

Can people still participate in your survey?

Yes, we are still collecting data and I’d like to hear from as many Canadians as possible. People can learn more about this research, find resources on citizenship education or fill out the survey at citizenshipeducation.ok.ubc.ca.

The survey is open to adults across Canada and is available in English and French. It has been funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.

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Should people with inflammatory bowel disease re-introduce fibre into their diets? A UBCO researcher suggests maybe it’s time they do.

A UBC Okanagan researcher wants to turn the tables on the long-held practice of restricting fibre completely for people living with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).

Dr. Natasha Haskey, a registered dietitian who works with UBC Okanagan’s Centre for Microbiome and Inflammation Research, focuses her research on nutrition for people with digestive diseases. Her most recent paper examines whether it’s time to re-think what people living with certain conditions—including Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis—should eat

Both Crohn’s and colitis cause inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract. Still, Dr. Haskey says, while millions of North Americans live with the symptoms of the disease and daily discomfort, scientists don’t know the exact cause of IBD.

“I wanted to work with the Centre for Microbiome and Inflammation Research to look a bit deeper into how we can help people manage their disease using diet therapy because we don’t have all the answers,” she says. “We believe it’s due to a combination of factors which could be genetic, changes in the function of the immune system or changes in a person’s microbiome, along with their diet.”

Adopting westernized eating habits—consuming more highly processed, high sodium and sugary foods—has led to a significant reduction in fibre consumption and is linked to an increased prevalence of digestive diseases such as IBD, partially through alterations in microbial composition, she explains.

In the past, when a patient was diagnosed with IBD, doctors would recommend a low-fibre diet to help with their symptoms and manage their condition. But as more research has emerged around the importance of fibre to a healthy microbiome, Dr. Haskey says the issue of whether to consume fibre or not has swung the other way.

“We know that in healthy individuals, when we increase fibre it benefits the digestive tract,” she says. “Here we’ve been telling these patients for the longest time to avoid fibre. Maybe that’s not the right answer.”

There is limited knowledge about what fibre is optimal and in what form and quantity it should be consumed to benefit patients with IBD. Part of the answer, she suggests, is learning about the various fibre sources, and also slowly introducing fibre into the diet.

“It’s a real shift in the mindset,” she adds. “If you lived with a disease for a long time, you’ve figured out what works. And in all likelihood, you’re scared to introduce these foods because you don’t want to end up back where you used to be.”

For example, if a person has been told to avoid leafy greens, she suggests some could be blended into a smoothie or another example might be to remove the peel from an apple. These foods can then be added to the diet if there is no increase in symptoms.

As more research about the gut microbiome takes place, more detail about how the gut bacteria digests and breaks down foods is coming to light.

And it’s as individual as a fingerprint, Dr. Haskey adds.

Individual microbiomes, she says in her paper published recently in Nutrients, play a strong role in determining how we respond to diet treatments and require a more personalized nutritional approach to implementing dietary changes.

“The pendulum has swung because of our increased understanding of the importance of fibres in maintaining a health-associated microbiome. Preliminary evidence suggests that dietary fibre can alter the gut microbiome, improve IBD symptoms, balance inflammation and enhance health-related quality of life,” she adds. “Therefore, it is now more vital than ever to examine how fibre could be used as a therapeutic strategy to manage and prevent disease relapse.”

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Dr. Kristine Spekkens will discuss how galaxies evolve and form and the connection between galaxies, dark matter and cosmology.

What: Helen Sawyer Hogg Prize Lecture: Galaxies, Cosmology and the Radio Telescope Revolution
Who: Astrophysicist Dr. Kristine Spekkens
When: Tuesday, June 13 at 7 pm, doors open at 6 pm
Venue: Ballroom at Penticton Lakeside Resort and Conference Centre, 21 Lakeshore Dr.

It’s a thought that crosses many of our minds as we look up to the sky on a starry night: where do we fit in the universe?

The community is invited to Galaxies, Cosmology, and the Radio Telescope Revolution, a public talk from Dr. Kristine Spekkens, a Professor in the Department of Physics and Space Science at Royal Military College and Queen’s University, and Canadian Science Director for the Square Kilometre Array.

In her talk, Dr. Spekkens will discuss how galaxies form and evolve within a standard cosmological framework that describes the universe and why gas-rich, star-forming nearby galaxies are key to this picture—both because they resemble the Milky Way and because they make up the bulk of galaxy population in most cosmic environments.

Dr. Spekkens will also explain the connection between galaxies, dark matter and cosmology by discussing in what ways atomic gases in galaxies are powerful cosmological probes.

Finally, she’ll discuss how a revolution in our view of these objects and others in the night sky is underway with a new generation of telescopes, and how these facilities are paving the way for groundbreaking discoveries with the Square Kilometre Array telescope—an international mega-science project in which Canada will soon be a full member.

This is a free event, open to all community members. No registration is required to attend in person. However, pre-registration is required for people interested in attending via Zoom. To find out more, visit: events.ok.ubc.ca/event/helen-sawyer-hogg-prize-lecture-galaxies-cosmology-and-the-radio-telescope-revolution.

This talk is presented by the Canadian Astronomical Society with partial funding from the University of British Columbia and other sponsors.

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New research suggests a low-carb breakfast can help people with Type 2 diabetes control blood levels throughout the day.

An international team, led by UBC Okanagan researchers, suggests a simple tweak to the first meal of the day might help people living with Type 2 diabetes (T2D) better control their blood sugar levels.

Dr. Barbara Oliveira conducts research with Dr. Jonathan Little’s Exercise, Metabolism and Inflammation Lab in UBCO’s Faculty of Health and Social Development. Their latest study, published this week in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, confirms that switching from a traditional western-style low-fat breakfast, like oatmeal, toast and fruit, to a low-carb meal higher in protein and fat, like eggs with bacon or cheese, can help people with T2D better manage their blood sugar for most of the day.

In fact, changing just one meal helped keep the blood sugar in check.

“We’re not talking about a complete diet overhaul,” says Dr. Oliveira. “One of many complications for people living with T2D is rapid or large increases in blood glucose levels after a meal. Our research indicates a low-carbohydrate meal, first thing in the morning, seems to help control blood sugar throughout the day.”

Controlling glucose levels is critical for reducing the complications of T2D including inflammation and cardiovascular disease—the major cause of morbidity in patients with T2D.

“Treatment strategies that can help lower post-meal glucose swings and rapid changes in glucose are crucial to managing this condition,” she adds. “We’ve determined that if the first meal of the day is low-carb and higher in protein and fat we can limit hyperglycemic swings.”

Low-carb diets have become trendy in recent years and have been recognized as a dietary strategy to improve glucose control, Dr. Oliveira explains. However, similar to all diets, it’s tough to follow, especially long term. Instead of asking patients to commit to every meal being low-carb, she and Dr. Little examined the idea of making just the first meal of the day low-carb to see how that impacts diet adherence, and more importantly, blood glucose levels.

Their 12-week study had 121 participants split into two groups. One was advised to eat from a selection of low-carb breakfasts containing approximate amounts of 8g of carbohydrate, 25g of protein and 37g of fat while the other was advised to eat from a selection of low-fat higher-carb options containing about 56g of carbohydrates, 20g of protein and 15g of fat. All the breakfast options in both groups provided 450 calories.

Participants had a variety of breakfast choices and were required to upload a photo of their meal, which was reviewed by a study dietitian to confirm compliance.

All participants were provided with a continuous glucose monitoring device they wore throughout the study and also undertook A1C blood tests, before and after the 12 weeks, to measure their average blood sugar levels. They also measured their weight and waist circumference at the beginning and end of the trial. As the study continued they reported feelings of satiety, energy and activity levels.

Dr. Oliveira notes while there were no significant differences between the low-carb and other group for weight, body mass index or waist circumference, the low-carb group did see a reduction in blood sugar levels and some were able to reduce their glucose-lowering medication. The upward and downward swings in blood glucose levels, known as glycemic variability, with the low-carb group was also significantly lower, suggesting the benefits of a low-carbohydrate breakfast for stabilizing blood sugars throughout the day.

One additional interesting finding was that people who had the low-carb breakfast self-reported lower calorie and carbohydrate intake at lunch and during the remainder of the day. This could suggest that a breakfast rich in fat and protein, while lower in carbs, can impact daily eating habits.

“Having fewer carbs for breakfast not only aligns better with how people with T2D handle glucose throughout the day, but it also has incredible potential for people with T2D who struggle with their glucose levels in the morning,” she adds. “By making a small adjustment to the carb content of a single meal rather than the entire diet, we have the potential to increase adherence significantly while still obtaining significant benefits.”

The research was conducted in collaboration with the University of Wollongong in Australia and was funded, in part, by peer-reviewed grants from the Egg Farmers of Canada and the American Egg Board.

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UBC experts will discuss the importance of good nutrition and exercise when it comes to chronic disease prevention.

What: The Southern Medical Program presents MEDTalks: Building muscle, building health
Who: UBC Assistant Professor Dr. Sarah Purcell and UBC Clinical Assistant Professor and gastroenterologist Dr. Sarah Robbins
When: Wednesday, June 7 from 7 to 8 pm
Venue: UBC Clinical Academic Campus in Kelowna General Hospital, 2312 Pandosy St.
How: In-person with virtual option available

Up to roughly one-third of Canadians have low muscle mass, even in those with higher body weight.

As people age, low muscle mass can lead to poor quality of life, complications during surgery or longer hospital stays. It can also significantly impact how long a person might live.

The public is invited to hear from health experts about how the intersection of nutrition, exercise and chronic disease prevention can improve overall health.

Dr. Sarah Purcell is an Assistant Professor with the UBC Faculty of Medicine’s Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism and UBC Okanagan’s Faculty of Science. She is also a researcher with the Centre for Chronic Disease Prevention and Management based at UBC Okanagan. Dr. Purcell completed a Bachelor of Science in Dietetics and a Master of Science in Clinical Nutrition at Florida State University followed by a PhD in Nutrition and Metabolism at the University of Alberta.

Dr. Purcell’s research aims to improve the understanding of the unique dietary requirements of people with chronic diseases and reduce obesity in people with chronic diseases by implementing nutrition and exercise interventions.

Dr. Sarah Robbins is a gastroenterologist, a nutrition specialist and the founder of Well Sunday Health Corporation, an online education platform that offers cutting-edge nutrition information to improve people’s health and quality of life. She is also a Clinical Assistant Professor with the UBC Faculty of Medicine’s Division of Gastroenterology. With expertise in gut health, nutrition and lifestyle medicine, Dr. Robbins provides easy-to-digest, science-backed courses about a wide range of gastrointestinal illnesses to help people achieve vibrant health.

MEDTalks is a health education lecture series exploring current and emerging trends in medicine. Hosted by the Southern Medical Program at UBC Okanagan, researchers and health professionals share their insights and expertise.

The event is free and open to the public with in-person and virtual options available but registration is required. To register or find out more, visit: events.ok.ubc.ca/event/medtalks-3

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A UBCO researcher cautions poor eating habits established while at univeristy can lead to health challenges later in life.

A UBC Okanagan researcher is cautioning that a person’s poor eating habits established during post-secondary studies can contribute to future health issues including obesity, respiratory illnesses and depression.

Dr. Joan Bottorff, a Professor with UBCO’s School of Nursing, is one of several international researchers who published a multi-site study looking at the eating habits of university students. Almost 12,000 medical students from 31 universities in China participated in the study that aimed to determine the association between eating behaviours, obesity and various diseases.

The point, says Dr. Bottorff, is that many poor eating habits begin at university and can continue for decades.

“We know many students consume high-calorie meals along with sugary foods and drinks and there is lots of evidence to show those kinds of eating behaviours can lead to obesity,” says Dr. Bottorff. “These are not the only habits that lead to obesity, but they are important and can’t be ruled out.”

The study, published recently in Preventive Medicine Reports, was led by Dr. Shihui Peng with the School of Medicine at China’s Jinan University. While there is well-established research that links unhealthy diets to many chronic diseases, this study aimed to show a relationship between poor eating habits and infectious diseases including colds and diarrhea.

Dr. Bottorff notes, due to the nature of the study, it was not possible to show cause and effect but the relationship between poor eating habits, obesity and respiratory illnesses were well supported.

“There has been biomedical research that also supports this link between obesity and infectious diseases, and most recently this has been related to COVID-19,” she adds. “We know from some of the recent publications related to COVID-19, obese people were more likely to have severe conditions and outcomes. Reasons that have been offered for this increased vulnerability include impaired breathing from the pressure of extra weight and poorer inflammatory and immune responses.”

A typical student diet of high-sugar or high-calorie foods can become a long-term issue as these habits can lead to obesity. Dr. Bottorff says there is evidence to show that stress and anxiety can cause overeating, but overeating can also lead to stress and depression.

“The bottom line here is that we shouldn’t be ignoring this risk pattern among young people at university. It is well documented that a significant portion of students have unhealthy diets,” she adds. “The types of foods they are eating are linked to obesity. And this can lead to other health problems that are not just about chronic disease but also infectious diseases.”

While Dr. Bottorff says students should be taught about healthy eating while at university the onus should be on the school to provide healthy, and affordable, food options for all students.

“We need to think about the food environment that we provide students. We need to ensure that in our cafeterias and vending machines, there are healthy food options so that they can eat on the go but also make healthy food choices.”

It’s not an issue going unnoticed. UBC Student Wellness and Food Services work together to address food security and food literacy and recognize that a lack of affordable food options, coupled with the stress of university life, can negatively impact students’ food choices.

Food insecure students have access to a low-barrier food bank and a meal share program. Meanwhile, UBCO Food Services’ culinary team prioritizes local, organic and sustainably-sourced ingredients, and works with a registered dietitian to ensure a wide variety of food options are available to all diners.

Dr. Bottorff agrees there have been improvements to food options in cafeterias and notes the drinks in many vending machines have been rearranging so healthier items are at eye-level and sugary choices are lower down.

“I know many post-secondary schools are trying to figure out how we can do better and are trying to address these problems,” she adds. “It’s great, because four or five years ago, we weren’t. So, I think we’re on the right road, but I think we’re a long way from finished.”

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A UBCO researcher is looking into whether intermittent fasting can help people living with Crohn’s or colitis.

Intermittent fasting, where a person restricts the intake of any calories for a select time period, has become a trendy and popular method of controlling weight and improving overall health.

And while it may not be for everyone, a UBC Okanagan researcher wants to know if intermittent fasting could help people who live with Crohn’s disease.

Dr. Natasha Haskey is a registered dietitian and a researcher with UBC Okanagan’s Centre for Microbiome and Inflammation Research. She wants to recruit study participants who live with Crohn’s and would be willing to try intermittent fasting for a select time period.

Can you explain the benefits of intermittent fasting?
Intermittent fasting has become a very popular weight loss method; however, its benefits have been shown to extend beyond weight loss. For example, recent research has found that intermittent fasting can improve metabolism, lower blood sugar levels and lessen inflammation.

Although there are many different types of fasting, we plan to study a 16:8 plan, which means you consume your food in an eight-hour window and avoid eating for the remaining 16 hours of the day. Much of the 16-hour fast is when we are sleeping so it is a feasible plan for everyone.

What do you hope to accomplish with your study?
Crohn’s disease is an inflammatory bowel disease that causes chronic inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract. While symptoms can vary among patients, common symptoms—which are very debilitating—include persistent diarrhea, rectal bleeding, abdominal cramps and pain. In addition to medication, diet is recognized as a way to help manage symptoms.

There is no research that exists at this time on how intermittent fasting will impact Crohn’s disease making this study novel and exciting. If we can demonstrate the ability to help people with Crohn’s, it could provide another option for Crohn’s patients who are overweight to help manage their disease, reduce the likelihood of a disease flareup, and prevent other complications.

And you’re specifically looking for study participants with Crohn’s?

• We are looking for participants in the Okanagan and Calgary area
• Between the ages of 18 to 75 years
• With a body mass index of above 25, so someone who is overweight

What can participants expect from the study?

• This is a 12-week study
• We require two in-person study visits, and the remainder of the study requirements can be completed from home. Participants will have personalized access to a registered dietitian for 12 weeks
• The opportunity for a dual x-ray absorptiometry test, known as a DEXA scan which examines body composition including overall body fat, visceral fat, lean tissue, bone weight

To find out more:

Okanagan area:
Natasha Haskey
250-258-7455
natasha.haskey@ubc.ca

Munazza YousefCalgary area:
Calgary: 403-592-5231
ASCEND@ucalgary.ca

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Research from UBCO demonstrates a mobile app can help motive people living with a spinal cord injury who can walk keep active.

A UBC Okanagan researcher has been testing the effectiveness of a mobile app that encourages people living with a spinal cord injury—but can walk—to get active.

Dr. Sarah Lawrason, a researcher in the School of Health and Exercise Sciences, has focused her career on working with people who live with a spinal cord injury (SCI) but are ambulatory. She describes this population as an isolated, often misunderstood group of people because while they live with an SCI, they may not rely on a wheelchair all of the time for mobility.

“When people think of someone with an SCI, they picture a person who might be a paraplegic or quadriplegic—and that’s a person who has had a complete spinal cord injury,” she explains. “But a person who has had an incomplete spinal cord injury—who might be able to walk some of the time or with a device—can be ambulatory with an SCI. And this group is often marginalized.”

Dr. Lawrason, who conducts research with Centre for Chronic Disease Prevention and Management based at UBCO, says about half of spinal cord injuries are incomplete. The ambulatory SCI population is often seen as different from others and not a lot of research has been conducted with this cohort.

Her latest study, completed while working on her doctorate, investigates the potential of a mobile health intervention app called SCI Step Together. Some participants were provided with the app to help set goals, track activity, connect or chat with fellow participants, as well as access an online coach and weekly educational components. The other participants did not use the app.

None were prescribed specific exercises, but they were encouraged to do activities that bring them joy. Participants were also provided The Physical Activity Guidelines for Adults with Spinal Cord Injuries, established by UBCO’s Dr. Kathleen Martin Ginis, Dr. Lawrason’s faculty supervisor.

To achieve essential cardiorespiratory fitness and muscle strength benefits, the guidelines recommend adults with an SCI engage in at least 20 minutes of moderate to vigorous aerobic exercise and strength training on functioning muscle groups twice per week.

During the eight-week study, Dr. Lawrason checked weekly with participants to determine if they were accomplishing goals or facing barriers. Those with the app said they had greater fulfillment of basic psychological needs—including a sense of independence, competence and belonging—and knowledge than those without the app. And general results suggest the program is feasible, well-accepted and engages participants. The program significantly improved the satisfaction of basic psychological needs, knowledge and self-monitoring for leisure-time physical activity.

“This study is important because it’s the first exercise intervention for people with an SCI who walk, and one of the first mobile health programs for people with SCI in general,” Dr. Lawrason adds. “It is also indicative of a great partnership. SCI Step Together was developed in collaboration with Curatio Inc. to provide the mobile health platform. We also worked with several ambulators with SCI to make sure the content, delivery and format of the program met their needs.”

The study, published recently in the Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, was supported by a doctoral fellowship with the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada and a WorkSafe BC Doctoral Research Training Award.

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Drs. Heather Gainforth, Greg Gerard and Isaac Li are UBCO’s 2023 researchers of the year.

UBC Okanagan is celebrating six outstanding researchers with one of its most prestigious research awards—Researcher of the Year.

The award recognizes the ways in which UBCO researchers—three faculty and three graduate student or postdoctoral fellows—are making the world a better place through excellence in research and scholarly activity.

The 2023 Researcher of the Year awards ceremony honoured faculty winners Dr. Heather Gainforth for health research, Dr. Greg Garrard for social sciences and humanities and Dr. Isaac Li for the natural sciences and engineering category.

Alongside her teaching in the School of Health and Exercise Sciences, Dr. Gainforth’s research in the area of spinal cord injury (SCI) is focused on helping people with SCI live better lives. She engages directly with people living with SCI and invites the SCI community to help direct her work, in order to focus on the community’s high-priority needs that have historically received little research attention. Dr. Gainforth is dedicated to getting her results to those who need it most.

Dr. Garrard researches how humans’ activities and their perceptions of their environments shape the physical landscapes they inhabit. As a Professor of Environmental Humanities in the Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies, he’s a globally respected voice in sustainability who is focusing on the Okanagan region. His work asks people to interrogate their own perspectives on issues such as climate change or wildfires and helps individuals understand other perspectives to combat cultural polarization.

Immersed in the study of the physical interactions between cells, Dr. Li, Assistant Professor in the Irving K. Barber Faculty of Science, is an emerging leader in his field. His interdisciplinary lab builds specialized, DNA-based molecular tools to visualize these interactions at the scale of single molecules and opens opportunities for controlling these interactions, which can lead to a variety of future impacts, including disease treatments.

“UBC Okanagan’s vibrant research community continues to foster top-notch talent, which is clearly evident from this year’s Researcher of the Year recipients,” says Dr. Phil Barker, Vice-Principal and Associate Vice-President, Research and Innovation. “I’m so pleased to share and recognize the success of our incredible researchers and their important work.”

Three graduate or postdoctoral researchers were also recognized for their excellence in scholarly activity and highlighted as researchers to watch in the coming years:

• Postdoctoral Fellow Researcher of the Year
  Dr. Femke Hoekstra, Faculty of Health and Social Development
• Doctoral Student Researcher of the Year
  Melanie Dickie, Irving K. Barber Faculty of Science
• Master’s Student Researcher of the Year
  Hanna Paul, Irving K. Barber Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences

“It’s inspiring to see the breadth of subject matter and the quality of research conducted by our students and postdocs,” says Dr. Peter Simpson, Dean of the College of Graduate Studies. “These researchers are changemakers—conducting research to investigate some of the world’s most challenging problems and producing creative work that addresses the human condition.”

The distinguished award honours leaders at UBCO who have reached across disciplines to have major impacts in their fields, says Dr. Barker.

“Here at UBC Okanagan, we know that working together across traditional boundaries is key to helping advance discovery,” he adds. “These researchers epitomize that call to action and I look forward to seeing where it will lead their fields in the years to come.”

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UBCO researchers are looking at ways to convert rotting fruit into energy. Photo by Joshua Hoehne on Unsplash

When Doc Brown fed his DeLorean food scraps in Back to the Future as fuel, it seemed like crazy science fiction.

Now science is taking over that fiction as UBC Okanagan researchers are looking at the potential of using fruit waste—both solid and leachate—to power fuel cells.

While the energy extracted from food scraps still pales in comparison to solar or wind power, researchers are working towards purifying and improving the energy output of discarded food, particularly fruit waste—an item that is in abundance in the agricultural belt of the Okanagan Valley.

According to the BC Government, organic waste represents 40 per cent of material in provincial landfills. In particular, food waste is an increasing problem for urban areas around the world. This is partly the impetus behind a push to harness this waste and turn it into energy, explains UBCO researcher Dr. Hirra Zafar.

“Today food waste is a sustainability challenge with detrimental environmental, economic and social implications,” says Dr. Zafar. “Current waste treatment methods, such as landfills and incineration, are associated with a wide range of adverse environmental impacts, including acidic waste leachate, air pollution, methane production and the release of harmful pollutants that result in environmental degradation and health risks.”

Dr. Zafar, who conducts research in the School of Engineering, says microbial fuel cells convert fruit waste into electrical energy using an anaerobic anode compartment. In this compartment, anaerobic microbes—those that can survive without oxygen—utilize organic matter to convert it into energy.

The electroactive microbes consume organic matter in the anode compartment and release electrons and protons. The electrons combine with protons and oxygen at the cathode to produce water, generating bioelectricity in the process.

Dr. Zafar, says different types of fruits provide different results when processed through a microbial fuel cell—mostly because of their individual biochemical characteristics.

“Carbohydrates are first degraded into soluble sugars and smaller molecules such as acetate, which is then consumed by electroactive bacteria to produce electricity in the process of electrogenesis,” she explains.

Dr. Zafar and her supervisors Drs. Nicolas Peleato and Deborah Roberts, a researcher at the University of Northern British Columbia, are working towards increasing the bioconversion efficiency of fruit which they hope will result in higher voltage outputs.

Unlike in the fictitious approach in Back to the Future where Doc Brown tosses in peels at random, the researchers found that the process worked more efficiently with better output when the food waste was separated, and ground into small particles before processing.

Though challenges remain in converting food waste into bioenergy on a commercial scale, Dr. Zafar says this study reinforces the great possibilities of microbial fuel cells. And turning waste into green and renewable energy serves a dual environmental purpose.

“Microbial fuel cells are really at their developmental stage and they have so much potential,” she adds. “At this point, the voltage remains low, but I am excited to investigate how to improve their power output and apply these practices on a commercial scale.”

The research was a collaboration between UBC Okanagan and the University of Northern British Columbia. It was published in the latest edition of Bioresource Technology.

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