Gluten free cereal products and beverages Application of starter cultures in brewing, meat, fish and cereal technology Shelf-life extension of cereal products (frozen and part-baked products) Application of dairy-derived ingredients in cereal products Use of functional ingredients in cereal products Use of enzymes in brewing technologySince becoming a College Lecturer, I have closely observed the emerging issues in food science and the needs of the food consumer and the Irish industry in general. In doing so, many research opportunities and research needs could be identified resulting from recent developments in this sector. Notably, over last 10 years, the Irish consumer and Industry had become more interested in food products, which were traditionally not widely produced or sold in Ireland (e.g. convenience foods, specialty foods, many of which involved a fermentation process) and the demand for these products required that a research program was established. Recent trends have also pointed in the direction of food products with improved nutritional value and which are suitable for people with specific dietary needs. The complexity of these research areas required state-of-the-art facilities to validate and demonstrate the results of such research. The particular areas in which opportunities were available for me included cereal, malting technology and beverage technology as well as fermented meats and speciality foods. I had a major interest and role in generating the funding for fundamental and applied research in these areas and as a result, sections of the UCC processing hall were appropriately equipped to satisfy the research requirements. The results of this research on lactic acid bacteria in food/beverage systems not only lead to a fundamental understanding of the involvement of these bacteria in food systems it also provided the Irish Industry with information to improve food-safety, improve processing procedures, and develop new products. The rese