Making bread and beer, sugar and biofuel from plants at the Cambridge Science Festival

10 Mar 2010

Turning plants into food to eat, beer to drink and even fuel for our cars is the focus of an interactive demonstration at the Cambridge Science Festival on Saturday 13th March.

“Our ‘Crops for Food-Crops for Fuel’ exhibition will show how all the crops in fields surrounding Cambridge and across East Anglia are turned into bread, sugar, beer, cooking oil and biodiesel,” explains Dr Lydia Smith from Cambridge-based plant research organisation NIAB.

“Our aim is to show where our food comes from and how it is produced and to explain how new technology is transforming some UK-grown crops into environmentally-friendly biofuel for cars and buses.”

The demonstration includes interactive games, information and scientific tests for visitors of all ages. Attempt grinding wheat into flour and baking it into bread and crushing oilseed rape seed into cooking oil, or examine fermenting barley and test the sugar levels in sugar beet.

NIAB’s ‘Crops for Food-Crops for Fuel’ display is part of the ‘Seeds of Diversity demonstration on Saturday 13th March at The University of Cambridge’s Department of Plant Sciences Downing Street site, and runs from 10.00am to 4.00pm. The event is a three-way collaboration between NIAB, The University of Cambridge plant sciences and The Botanic Gardens, as part of National Science Week and the Cambridge Science Festival.

For further information contact:
Dr Lydia Smith, NIAB
T: 01223 342242
E: lydia.smith [at] niab.com ()

Issued by:
Ros Lloyd,
Front Foot Communications
T: 01487 831425
E: ros.lloyd [at] frontfoot.uk.com ()