Personal profile
Biography
Dr. Tom O’Callaghan is a Senior Lecturer of Sustainable Dairy Processing in the School of Food and Nutritional Sciences at UCC. Tom graduated from UCC with a BSc in Food Science in 2014 and PhD in Science in 2018. Tom carried out his PhD in Teagasc Moorepark Food Research Centre, examining the effects of cow feeding system on the quality and constituents of raw milk, dairy products and the rumen.
During his PhD Tom was the recipient of a Teagasc Overseas Training Award which facilitated him to conduct a portion of his studies at The Metabolomics Innovation Centre in the University of Alberta.
In 2017, Tom took up the role of permanent Research Officer responsible for dairy chemistry research with Teagasc, in the Dept of Food Chemistry and Technology before joining UCC in 2020. Tom's multi-disciplinary research crosses over several domains including food chemistry, nutrition, processing technologies, analytics and sustainability, with particular emphasis on the quality, nutritional and functional characteristics of milk and dairy products.
Tom is the Founder and PI of the Food Chemistry and Production Research Group in UCC situated in the Dairy Science Centre of Excellence in FNS - see more from the Food Chemistry & Production Research Group
Tom's research is focused on examining the impact of agricultural practices on the quality and characteristics of dairy across the supply chain with interests on Grass-Fed dairy, the rumen and milk metabolome, PAT tools for prediction and authentication of food products, and understanding the changes occurring to milk during manufacture, for more sustainable dairy processing.
Tom is a Principal Investigator with the Dairy Processing Technology Centre and a Funded Investigator with Research Ireland Centre's VistaMilk and the Co-Centre for Sustainable Food Systems
Research Interests
Teaching Activities
Currently lecturing on modules:
FS2003 Introductory Food Chemistry - Physical Chemistry (Module Coordinator) FS2005 Principles of Food Science and Technology
FS3015 Dairy Processing and Preservation (Module Coordinator)
FS3016 Ingredient Recovery from Milk, Whey and their Co-Products FS3020 Methods of Food Processing and Analysis
FS3021 Professional Skills for Food Scientists
FS4026 Food Factory Design, Utilities and Services
NT2023 Animal Nutrition
FS3023 Milk Production and Quality for Processing (Module Coordinator)
NT4012 Sports and Exercise Nutrition
FS6103 Novel Processing Technologies and Ingredients
FS6212 Technologies for Fractionation, Concentration and Drying in Dairy Processing (Coordinator)
FITU- Production Supervisory Training Course
FITU – Concentration and Drying (Academic Director) (2 day training course)
Current PhD Students
- Richard Page
- Nisha Suthar
- Paula Rojas Gomez
- Mathilde Chaize
- Eoin Wims
- Wishmore Gwala
- Tim Hoaekstra
- Ihsaan Panapparambil Sooraj
- Prachi Punetha
- Subani Anandavadivel
- Linda Adu-Kumi
- Ailbhe Gammell
- Emilija Nedanovska
Research Grants
| Title | Funding Source | Start | End | Funding € |
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ProWin UCC - Development of novel functional foods to meet the protein requirements in weight management and ageing cohorts | Irish Department of Agriculture | September 2026 | September 2030 | €335,800 |
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Milkybiotics: Priming the Gut for Good Bacteria | Teagasc/VistaMilk Research Centre | September 2026 | September 2030 | €123,000 |
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Effects of grass-based diets on milk fat composition, functionality and quality of Irish butter | Teagasc/VistaMilk Research Centre | September 2026 | September 2030 | €123,000 |
| Dairy-Fem- Development of dairy based high protein ingredient enriched in target nutrients for women’s health and welfare | Research Ireland - VistaMilk | April 2026 | March 2030 | €200,400 |
| Valorisation and value enhancement of buttermilk as a dairy ingredient platform enriched in beneficial nutrients for targeted cohorts such as vulnerable elderly populations | Science Foundation Ireland | 01-Oct-25 | 30-Sep-29 | €227,700.00 |
| Thermo-Reversing Advanced Nutritional Structures as Fortification Option in Recipes for Malnutrition | Department of Agriculture Fisheries & Forestry (DAFF) | 01-Jan-25 | 31-Jan-29 | €553,692.00 |
| Sustainable and Resilient Food Systems | Science Foundation of Ireland | 01-Jan-24 | 31-Dec-29 | €185,188.00 |
| Influence of casein ingredient type and process design on properties of protein hydrogels | Teagasc | 02-Sep-24 | 01-Sep-28 | €124,000.00 |
| Uncovering Alternative Protein Potential via Fermentation Technology | Department of Agriculture Fisheries & Forestry (DAFF) | 01-Jul-24 | 30-Jun-28 | €295,000.00 |
| Assessing nitrogen conversion factors for milk proteins | Teagasc | 01-Oct-23 | 30-Sep-27 | €124,000.00 |
| The impact of methane-reducing feed additives on milk composition and quality. | Teagasc | 01-Sep-23 | 31-Aug-27 | €122,500.00 |
| Impact of red-clover inclusion into perennial ryegrass silage swards on animal performance, product quality and environmental efficiency | Teagasc | 01-Sep-22 | 30-Sep-26 | €116,250.00 |
| Examination of the Irish milk metabolome for improved prediction of milk processability | Department of Agriculture Fisheries & Forestry (DAFF) | 01-Oct-22 | 30-Sep-26 | €475,381.00 |
| Investigating the effect of including white clover into perennial ryegrass swards | Teagasc | 01-Jan-22 | 20-Feb-26 | €161,167.00 |
| PASTURE-NUE: A multidisciplinary approach to increasing the nitrogen use efficiency of pasture-based systems | Department of Agriculture Fisheries & Forestry (DAFF) | 01-Dec-21 | 31-Oct-26 | €202,400.00 |
| Research Start Up Fund. | Miscellaneous | 01-Sep-21 | 31-Aug-26 | €7,500.00 |
| Development of strategies to reduce methane in dairy cows | Teagasc | 01-Oct-21 | 30-Sep-25 | €96,000.00 |
| Consequences of the grazed pasture diversity on annual variability of nutritional value and technological properties of milk, and nutritional status of Holstein-Friesian and Jersey Holstein-Friesian crossbred dairy cows. | Teagasc | 01-Oct-21 | 30-Sep-25 | €109,250.00 |
| Examination of the factors affecting the composition, quality and vitality of bovine colostrum | Teagasc | 01-Oct-20 | 29-Sep-24 | €96,000.00 |
| The Investigation of Milk Fat Depression in Dairy Cattle. | Teagasc | 01-Oct-20 | 31-Dec-24 | €108,500.00 |
| Dairy Processing Technology Centre Phase 2 | Enterprise Irl | 01-Aug-20 | 31-Jul-25 | €238,875.00 |
| Examination of the impacts of the typical Irish pasture dairy system on the composition and quality of milk and dairy products | Teagasc | 01-Oct-19 | 30-Sep-23 | €127,500.00 |
| Food For Health Ireland 3: Grass Fed Pilar | Enterprise Ireland | 01-Oct-19 | 30-Nov-24 | €1,330,000.00 |
| Comprehensive review of the advantages and disadvantages of pasture feeding | Department of Agriculture, Fisheries & Food (DAFF) | 01-Nov-18 | 31-Oct-19 | €67,000.00 |
| Understanding the fate of N-(n-butyl) thiophosphoric triamide (NBPT) and other inhibitors during milk processing | Department of Agriculture, Fisheries & Food (DAFF) | 01-Oct-18 | 30-Sep-22 | €112,500.00 |
| The fate of chlorate in dairy processes | Teagasc | 01-Oct-17 | 30-Sep-21 | €112,000.00 |
UCC Futures (primary)
- Food, Microbiome and Health
PhD Supervision
- Available for PhD supervision
Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):
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SDG 4 Quality Education -
SDG 12 Responsible Consumption and Production -
SDG 15 Life on Land
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Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
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Effect of proportion of pasture in the cow diet and seasonality on the milk metabolome as determined by 1H-NMR
Rojas-Gómez, P., Pariyani, R., Bateman, L. M., Lynch, D., Timlin, M., Dineen, M., McCarthy, N. A., Brodkorb, A., Maguire, A. R., O'Donovan, M., Hennessy, D., Murphy, T. B., O'Mahony, J. A. & O'Callaghan, T. F., May 2025, In: Journal of Dairy Science. 108, 5, p. 4659-4673 15 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open Access -
Bovine lactoferrin and its potential use as a functional ingredient for tackling the global challenge of iron deficiency
McCarthy, E. K. & O'Callaghan, T. F., Oct 2024, In: Current Opinion in Food Science. 59, 101211.Research output: Contribution to journal › Review article › peer-review
Open Access -
Milk fat globule membrane ingredients and their potential applications for human health and performance
O'Callaghan, T. F., McCarthy, E. K. & Carey, C. C., Jun 2025, In: Current Opinion in Food Science. 63, 101302.Research output: Contribution to journal › Review article › peer-review
Open Access -
The milk metabolome and its potential utilisation for enhanced dairy processing
Rojas-Gómez, P., Pariyani, R., McCarthy, N. A., Bateman, L. M., O'Mahony, J. A. & O'Callaghan, T. F., 1 Jul 2025, In: International Journal of Dairy Technology. 78, 3, e70058.Research output: Contribution to journal › Review article › peer-review
Open Access -
A tool for predicting pH and temperature effects on porcine and human pepsin activity during <i>in vitro</i> gastric digestion
Fitzpatrick, C. J., Freitas, D., Comi, I., Vegarud, G. E., Roseth, A. G., Hayes, E., O'Callaghan, T. F., O'Mahony, J. A. & Brodkorb, A., 15 Feb 2026, In: Scientific Reports. 16, 1, 12 p., 9176.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Prizes
Press/Media
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Reports from Fermoy Co. Add New Data to Research in Food Chemistry (Impact of pasture feeding cows and seasonality on the concentration of selected fat-soluble compounds in milk and their ability to be used as biomarkers of "Grass-Fed" dairy)
Hennessy, D. & O'Callaghan, T.
5/12/24
1 item of Media coverage
Press/Media
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-University College Cork: UCC researcher to lead project on reducing food waste using new sustainable packaging materials
Cryan, J. F., O'Callaghan, T., Morrissey, J., Kerry, J. & Morrissey, J.
18/07/24
2 items of Media coverage
Press/Media
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UCC researcher to lead project on reducing food waste using new sustainable packaging materials
Cryan, J. F., O'Callaghan, T., Morrissey, J., Kerry, J. & Morrissey, J.
17/07/24
1 item of Media coverage
Press/Media