Publications
NIBIOs employees contribute to several hundred scientific articles and research reports every year. You can browse or search in our collection which contains references and links to these publications as well as other research and dissemination activities. The collection is continously updated with new and historical material.
2026
Authors
Anna Amberntsson Dina Moxness Konglevoll Annika Eliassen Mari Mohn Paulsen Anne Lise Brantsæter Marianne Hope Abel Lene Frost AndersenAbstract
Abstract Purpose: Alternatives to animal-sourced foods (Alt-ASFs) are processed plant-based products that mimic animal-sourced foods. This study aimed to describe the consumption of Alt-ASFs in the Norwegian dietary survey (Norkost 4) and compare population characteristics and nutritional intake in regular consumers. Further, to compare the nutritional quality of Alt-ASFs consumed and describe the distribution of the Nutri-Score and NewTools-score - a proposed revised version of Nutri-Score, among these products. Methods: Dietary data were collected from 1,815 adults in Norkost 4 using 2*24-h recalls and a food frequency questionnaire. Alt-ASFs were identified and compared with corresponding ASFs. Nutritional quality was assessed and products were scored using Nutri-Score and NewTools-score. Results: Overall, the consumption of Alt-ASF was low (mean: 0.3 energy %, SD: 1.6). 8% ( n = 147) reported consuming one or more Alt-ASFs regularly, defined as ≥ 2 times/week, with dairy alternatives being most frequently consumed. Regular consumers were typically younger, female, and more likely to report a vegetarian diet. Most Alt-ASFs contained lower levels of the assessed micronutrients except for meat and fortified milk, whose micronutrient content was similar or higher than ASFs. There was a wide variation in nutritional scores for Alt-ASFs. Unfortified Alt-ASFs typically had a low micronutrient content but could still achieve favourable Nutri-Scores if low in salt, sugar and saturated fat. Conclusion: Our findings indicate that only a minor part of Norwegian adults regularly consumes Alt-ASFs and consumption is low. Shifting from ASFs to Alt-ASFs may have some nutritional benefits and some disadvantages, largely dependent on the chosen products.
Abstract
Abstract Algal cultures are widely used to study algae–bacteria interactions, yet the relative roles of algal taxonomy, culturing environment, and historical contingency in shaping bacterial communities of long-maintained monoalgal cultures remain unclear. In a two-stage experimental design, we used 16 S rRNA metabarcoding to first profile the bacterial communities of 14 filamentous freshwater algal strains from three orders (Chaetophorales, Oedogoniales, Zygnematales) maintained in two distinct culture collections, and then, in a second experiment to test community mixing using a co-culture and re-isolation design with two algal strains ( Stigeoclonium sp. and Oedogonium sp.). The 14-strain profiling showed that bacterial communities were broadly similar at higher taxonomic ranks, with many shared orders within Pseudomonadota, whereas composition at the ASV level was largely algal-strain-specific. Ordination of phylogeny-aware UniFrac distances showed that culture collection of origin explained more variation in community composition than algal order, an effect reduced but not eliminated after standardizing the culture medium. The co-culture and re-isolation experiment showed that the two algal strains exchanged many bacterial community members, yet algal strain identity remained detectable after re-isolation. These results support a framework where culture history results in strain-specific ASV-level composition within recurrent higher-rank structure, and where algal-strain-specific effects on bacterial community composition become evident when cultures are exposed to a shared bacterial pool. Co-culture followed by algal re-isolation offers a practical approach to examine the persistence of algal-culture bacterial communities under mixing and may help identify candidate bacterial partners with potentially strong host-specific interactions without requiring axenic hosts.
Abstract
Abstract Single-date UAV vegetation indices are widely used to assess potato crop performance and estimate yield. However, whether their biological interpretation remains consistent across cultivars and growth stages is rarely examined. This study investigated how the relationships between UAV-derived multispectral and thermal canopy indicators and potato yield changed during crop development under contrasting irrigation in two cultivars with contrasting maturity classes (Anouk and Celandine). UAV surveys were conducted in July and August, and canopy metrics were related to final yield and tuber traits. The relationship between NDVI and yield differed markedly between cultivars and growth stages. In the early-maturing cultivar Anouk, July NDVI showed a strong positive correlation with yield ( r = 0.87, p = 0.002), whereas August NDVI was not informative. In the late-maturing cultivar Celandine, the relationship reversed from a positive correlation in July ( r = 0.56) to a strong negative correlation in August ( r = −0.80, p = 0.009), indicating that greater late-season canopy greenness was associated with lower yield. Exploratory LOOCV Random Forest models achieved the highest yield prediction accuracy using July features for Anouk ( R 2 = 0.72) and August features for Celandine ( R 2 = 0.47), while multi-temporal features provided similar predictive performance. Greater temporal declines in NDVI were associated with higher yield in both cultivars, consistent with the change in canopy greenness acting as a phenological indicator of the transition from vegetative growth to tuber bulking. These results demonstrate that the interpretation of UAV-derived vegetation indices is strongly dependent on cultivar maturity and growth stage. A single UAV acquisition may therefore provide misleading assessments of crop performance when canopy phenology is not considered. Rather than serving as fixed proxies for yield, canopy vegetation indices should be interpreted within cultivar-specific and temporal contexts when used for potato monitoring and agronomic decision-making.
Abstract
Understanding how soil porosity varies across environmental gradients is critical for interpreting land–surface processes, including water storage, flow pathways, gas exchange, and carbon cycling. While organic carbon (OC) and soil texture are important influences on soil structure, their combined influence on porosity at landscape to continental scales remains incompletely resolved. Here, we compile topsoil datasets from Great Britain, Wales, the European LUCAS survey, and the USDA-NRCS NCSS database (n = 6335) to quantify relationships between porosity, OC, and clay content across diverse environmental conditions. Focusing on minimally disturbed soils, we evaluate individual and combined controls using generalized additive models. We develop and test simple empirical descriptors of OC:clay ratio, including a signed metric (NonCOCC) representing deviation from a reference ratio of 1 g OC to 10 g clay, positioning soils along a continuum from clay excess to OC excess. Across all regions, OC has the strongest relationship to porosity, explaining substantially more variation than OC:clay ratio metrics. NonCOCC provided a modest improvement in model performance when combined with OC and clay. Across regional datasets, the steepest portions of the fitted NonCOCC partial responses generally occurred at low positive values, suggesting a region of elevated porosity sensitivity. In a subset with aggregate-size data, this range of NonCOCC values also corresponds to a shift towards larger aggregates. This may suggest a structural pathway linking organic enrichment, aggregation, and porosity, but requires testing using data with measured OC partitions. The findings confirm importance of OC for predicting porosity and identify added value of simple metrics (NonCOCC) from widely available soil observations.
Authors
J. A. Woolliams M. Janes H. Tumas J. J. Ilska Paul McLean J. E. Cottrell J. Mackay G. GorjancAbstract
Abstract Genomics is advancing estimation of breeding values for selective breeding. Traditional pedigree information used in the estimation of breeding values can still be competitive to genomic information when markers do not adequately capture genetic variance or genomic datasets are not sufficiently large. Using the UK Sitka spruce breeding population as a study system, we assessed the accuracy of estimated breeding values using pedigree or genomic information. Nine phenotypic traits associated with growth and wood quality were measured across 1295 individuals in 50 full-sib families replicated across two plantation sites. Pedigree-based estimation was compared to genome-based estimation using identity by state (IBS) or identity by descent (IBD) information from 4123 SNPs. Accuracy of estimated breeding values was assessed using model-based standard errors, which assumes the fitted model and parameters are correct, and more objective 12-fold cross-validation by withholding some phenotypes from the model fitting. Accuracies obtained directly from the model were very similar across different types of information, but cross-validation showed genomic information gave highest accuracies for all but one of the traits. No bias was observed for any of the trait- information combinations. Results demonstrate that the estimation of breeding values with genomic information in this study system is already competitive with the pedigree information, despite evidence that the marker panel did not capture the full genetic variance. Furthermore, accuracies with genomic information have the potential to significantly improve, unlike pedigree, by increasing the size of the training set and marker density.
Abstract
No abstract has been registered
Authors
Misganu Debella-Gilo Diress Tsegaye Alemu Richard Adade Deo D. Shirima Belachew Gizachew ZelekeAbstract
Remote sensing is essential for mapping mangrove forest ecosystems, yet accuracy and spatial resolution remain limited, particularly in Africa, where mangroves are fragmented, reference data and cloud-free images are scarce. The state-of-the-art of mangrove forest mapping relies on native-resolution imagery using machine learning. This study evaluates deep learning methods using aggregated multi-date satellite imagery to improve mangrove mapping and national-scale area estimation. Super-resolution and semantic segmentation techniques were applied to Sentinel-2 (S2) and Sentinel-1 (S1) images, with training data derived from field observations and high-resolution drone and satellite imagery. Coastal regions of Tanzania and Ghana were used as representative study areas for eastern and western Africa, respectively. Results show strong classification performance, with S2 imagery alone achieving an Intersection over Union (IoU) of 85.8%. Adding S1 provided modest gains (IoU 86.3%), while super-resolution significantly improved the accuracy (IoU 88.5%). The combined super-resolved S2 and S1 dataset yielded the highest performance (IoU 89.2%). Wall-to-wall mapping and statistically rigorous validation and area estimation produced accurate results with quantified uncertainty. Tanzania showed high consistency (F1 = 96%; 1207 km2, 95% CI [1151.7, 1263]), while Ghana exhibited slightly higher uncertainty (F1 = 92%; 92.6 km2, 95% CI [87.5, 97.7]). Integrating deep learning with multi-date, multi-sensor fusion and super-resolution enables accurate mangrove mapping and area estimation for improved coastal management and restoration.
Abstract
Solid-state anaerobic digestion (SS-AD) offers a promising route for treating lignocellulosic biomass, yet challenges remain regarding process stability, limited understanding of microbial dynamics under leachate recirculation, and insufficient integration of digestate valorization pathways. This study investigated the thermophilic co-digestion of coffee husk (CH) with avocado and flower wastes at proportions of 90:5:5 (CH + 10%) and 80:10:10 (CH + 20%) on a dry weight basis, using a leachate-recirculated SS-AD system for biogas production, while the resulting digestate was utilized for bio-briquette. The 20% co-substrate mixture (CH + 20%) produced the highest methane yield at 263 mL CH4 g−1 VS, representing a 40% improvement over mono-digested CH. The recirculated leachate maintained relatively stable pH (7.6–8.1), supported hydrolysis and prevented volatile fatty acid buildup, thereby maintaning methanogenic activity. Microbial analysis indicated that the enrichment of Firmicutes and Proteobacteria fermenters, together with Methanosarcina-dominated acetoclastic‑hydrogenotrophic methanogenesis, improved system stability during the co-digestion process. The BMP tests demonstrated that CH + 20% showed the highest methane production at 390 NmL CH₄ g−1 VS. The digestate generated from SS-AD was subsequently valorized into bio-briquettes, producing calorific values of 16.4–17.1 MJ kg−1 and improved mechanical properties that meet solid biofuel standards. This integrated approach enhances overall energy recovery from biomass residues, demonstrating the effectiveness of leachate-recirculated SS-AD for circular bioresource management.
Authors
Dammen, Maren VedvikAbstract
Veterinære parasittmidler er avgjørende for god dyrehelse og lønnsomhet i dyreproduksjonen. Samtidig kan de utgjøre en økotoksikologisk risiko, ettersom de ofte skilles ut umetabolisert og fortsatt er biologisk aktive i miljøet. Konsentrasjonene i avføring overstiger ofte giftighetsterskler for ikke-målarter, som for eksempel gjødselbiller. I tillegg gjør mangelen på lett tilgjengelige data om bruken av slike midler i Norge, og om deres nedbrytning under nordiske klimaforhold, risikovurderinger krevende. Hovedmålet med denne oppgaven var å vurdere de potensielle miljørisikoene knyttet til bruk av parasittmidler i Norge. Dette ble gjort ved å undersøke hvordan tilførselsmåte (spiking vs. naturlig utskillelse), temperatur, og varmkompostering påvirker nedbrytningshastigheten, uttrykt som halveringstid (DT50). Tre eksperimenter (A, B og C) ble gjennomført, og disse omfattet 11 ulike parasittmidler fra gruppene isoxazoliner, benzimidazoler og makrosykliske laktoner. Analysene ble utført ved hjelp av en modifisert QuEChERS-protokoll og LC-MS/MS. Metodevalideringen som ble gjort i Eksperiment A, viste ingen betydelige forskjeller i nedbrytningshastighet mellom ivermectin tilført via naturlig utskillelse fra hest og ved spiking. Dette gir støtte til bruk av spiking som en gyldig eksperimentell metode. Eksperiment B undersøkte nedbrytning i en blanding av jord og gjødsel ved tre temperaturer (6 °C, 12 °C og 20 °C) over 100 dager, for å representere typiske norske jordtemperaturer. Studien viste at nedbrytningen nesten stoppet opp ved lave temperaturer. Ved 6 °C var den estimerte halveringstiden for flere midler over 10 000 dager, noe som indikerer at de forblir stabile i miljøet gjennom vinterhalvåret. I Eksperiment C viste varmkompostering seg å være et effektivt virkemiddel. Halveringstiden for ivermectin ble redusert til 28 dager under varmkomposteringsforhold, sammenlignet med 56 dager i jord ved 20 °C. Lotilaner ble også nesten fullstendig nedbrutt under de samme forholdene, med en DT50 på 1 dag. Oppgaven gir også de første estimatene for halveringstid (DT50) i jord for afoxolaner, lotilaner og praziquantel. Resultatene indikerer at parasittmidlenes persistens i nordisk klima sannsynligvis er underestimert, fordi nedbrytningen er tilnærmet stanset i store deler av året, fra oktober til april. Varmkompostering fremstår som en lovende strategi for å redusere den økotoksikologiske risikoen før gjødsel spres på jordbruksarealer. Resultatene understreker behovet for systematisk overvåking av både bruk og resistensmønstre for å kunne foreta risikovurderinger i fremtiden.
Authors
Heidi Udnes Aamot Shiori Koga Katherine Ann Gredvig Nielsen Ulrike Böcker Guro Brodal Ruth Dill-Macky Anne Kjersti Uhlen Ingerd Skow HofgaardAbstract
The breadmaking quality of wheat depends on the viscoelastic properties of the dough, largely determined by gluten quality. The latter is influenced by wheat genetics and environmental factors. To identify whether fungal infection can compromise gluten quality, greenhouse-grown spring wheat was inoculated with Fusarium graminearum or Fusarium avenaceum at flowering. Grain harvested at maturity was analysed for fungal infection (concentration of fungal DNA), thousand-grain weight (TGW), size distribution of glutenin polymers (proportion of un-extractable polymeric proteins, %UPP), gluten-degrading protease activity, and viscoelastic properties of gluten (maximum resistance towards stretching [RMAX] and extensibility). Fusarium graminearum caused severe infections, and strong negative correlations were observed between F. graminearum-DNA and TGW, %UPP and RMAX. Significant reductions in %UPP and RMAX were observed even when only 10% of the flour-blend originated from infected grain. The degradation of gluten proteins was attributed to both enzymatic activity and disrupted grain maturation. In contrast, F. avenaceum infections were less severe, with only slight reductions in TGW, %UPP, and RMAX, though signs of gluten-degrading enzyme activities were observed in the most infected samples. In summary, F. graminearum significantly compromised gluten quality through protein degradation and reduction in the proportion of large glutenin polymers. While F. avenaceum had a lesser impact on gluten quality, the risk of compromised grain entering the food chain may be greater than with F. graminearum, as neither F. avenaceum nor its associated mycotoxins are regulated. These findings highlight the importance of further research on how fungal infection influences the breadmaking quality of wheat.