Researchers at McGill University have found that briefly treating peanuts with cold plasma, an ionically charged gas that triggers chemical changes, reduces their potential to cause allergic reactions. The researchers say this is probably because the process causes changes to the protein structure, the part of the peanut that can trigger an immune response. The technology was also shown to improve functional properties important for food manufacturing.
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Published on: 22 Apr 2026
McGill University has officially opened a new teaching greenhouse and advanced plant phenotyping facilities at its Macdonald Campus, marking a major investment in climate-focused agricultural education and research. Designed for hands-on undergraduate and graduate training, the sustainable greenhouse features controlled growing bays, teaching labs, tissue culture facilities and classrooms, giving students direct experience with modern, climate-smart production systems.
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Published on: 13 Apr 2026
McGill University’s annual Three Minute Thesis (3MT) and Ma thèse en 180 secondes (MT180) competitions showcased the diversity of graduate research, with finalists presenting complex topics in just three minutes to a general audience. Held on April 1 at the Faculty Club, the event highlighted research ranging from neuroscience and mental health to musicology and ecology.
Published on: 13 Apr 2026
McGill University today inaugurated state‑of‑the‑art teaching greenhouse and plant phenotyping research facilities at its Macdonald Campus in Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue. These represent major investments in teaching and research focused on food security, crop resilience and sustainable agriculture.
Published on: 9 Apr 2026
McGill’s Department of Food Science and Agricultural Chemistry is celebrating an outstanding achievement by its students: all three McGill teams entered into this year’s Institute of Food Technologists Student Association (IFTSA) competitions have been selected as finalists. The teams will represent McGill at the IFT Annual Meeting & Food Expo in Chicago in July 2026—one of the largest and most influential gatherings in the global food science community.
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Published on: 31 Mar 2026
A new NSERC CREATE initiative, MIXCHEM, is reshaping how Canada prepares researchers to confront the growing challenge of complex chemical mixtures in the environment. Prof. Stéphane Bayen, a leading voice in Food Science and Agricultural Chemistry, is helping drive this interdisciplinary program, which blends cutting‑edge analytical training with hands‑on experience across industry, government, and academia.
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Published on: 12 Mar 2026
Researchers at McGill University have improved the efficiency of a method for converting human urine into clean energy.
The method employs microbial fuel cells (MFCs), which use bacteria to turn organic waste into electricity, providing a sustainable and low-cost means of treating wastewater while generating energy from an abundant source. The McGill research provides insights into which urine concentrations are optimal for this process.
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Published on: 16 Feb 2026
Microbes across Earth’s coldest regions are becoming more active as glaciers, permafrost and sea ice thaw, accelerating carbon release and potentially amplifying climate change, according to a new international review from McGill University.
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Published on: 26 Jan 2026
McGill University engineers have developed new ultra-thin materials that can be programmed to move, fold and reshape themselves, much like animated origami. They open the door to softer, safer and more adaptable robots that could be used in medical tools that gently move inside the body, wearable devices that change shape on the skin or smart packaging that reacts to its environment.
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Published on: 23 Jan 2026
An interdisciplinary team including researchers at McGill University has found a range of unexpected chemical contaminants in human milk samples from Canada and South Africa. The chemicals include traces of pesticides, antimicrobials and additives used in plastics and personal-care products. The findings were published across five papers.
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Published on: 20 Jan 2026
Ebenezer Miezah Kwofie, based at Macdonald Campus, will work to advance food sustainability in Africa
Ebenezer Miezah Kwofie, Assistant Professor in the Bioresource Engineering Department, has been awarded one of eight science diplomacy chairs newly created by the Fonds de recherche du Québec (FRQ).
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Published on: 16 Dec 2025
A new international study led by McGill University in collaboration with Jefo Nutrition shows that supplementing dairy cow diets with microencapsulated B-vitamins can significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions while increasing milk yield and quality. The use of the feed additive cut global warming potential, an internationally standardized measure of climate impact, by up to 18 per cent across seven countries.
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Published on: 11 Dec 2025
Researchers have cracked one of agriculture’s most complicated genomes, revealing long-hidden DNA rearrangements that could help scientists breed oats that are more resilient, nutritious and sustainable.
The study, by an international consortium that included researchers from McGill University and published in Nature, presents the first-ever “pangenome” and “pantranscriptome” of oats. These map all known oat genes and track how they behave across 33 varieties that grow around the world.
Published on: 28 Nov 2025
Patrick Cortbaoui, Senior Managing Director of McGill’s Margaret A. Gilliam Institute for Global Food Security, has been appointed Vice Chair for Outreach and Partnership for the United Nations Academic Impact (UNAI) SDG 2 Hub for the 2025–2027 term. This appointment recognizes Patrick’s ongoing leadership in advancing SDG 2 (Zero Hunger) through global academic collaboration.
Published on: 5 Nov 2025
Food bank use in Quebec in 2025 has hit record numbers, surpassing 3 million assistance requests, according to Food Banks Canada's HungerCount 2025 recent report. Employed people and students are among the fastest growing user groups, with food banks struggling to keep up with demand.
McGill experts are available to comment on this topic:
Published on: 30 Oct 2025
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