Robert H Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment, Rehovot

24/09/2026

A new study published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), by Oded Hollander, Dr. Yair Mau and Dr. Niv DeMalach presents a mathematical model explaining why trees can support grass growth in dry environments but suppress it as rainfall increases.
By separating the effects of canopy shade and tree roots, the researchers show when interactions shift from facilitation to competition, offering practical insights for afforestation, ecosystem restoration and land management.

Trees can help grass in dry places by reducing water loss, but the relationship can change as rainfall rises.

16/09/2026

Ice is abundant and surprisingly strong, but it breaks easily when cracks form. A new material called BioPykrete, developed by Prof. Ido Braslavsky and colleagues at the Institute of Biochemistr, Food Sciencs and Nutrition, reinforces ice with plant-based crystals and a specially designed protein, making it up to 10 times stronger and far more resistant to fracture.

Ice is cheap, abundant and surprisingly strong. But it has one major weakness: Cracks can race through it, causing it to shatter without warning. Now, scientists have developed a new material that could overcome that problem. Called BioPykrete, the reinforced ice is about 10 times stronger than ordi...

15/09/2026

New research shows how brain cells work together to process touch with remarkable speed and precision. The brain’s ability to detect and respond to even the faintest sensory signals depends on a finely tuned partnership between the structure of neurons, the timing of surrounding brain activity, and the electrical properties of the cells themselves. The researchers, Dr. Omer Revah from the Koret School of Veterinary Medicine and Prof. Michael J. Gutnick from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, in collaboration with Prof. Fred Wolf and Dr. Andreas Neef from the Max Planck Institutes in Germany, found that these factors work together to allow groups of neurons to transmit information with extraordinary speed and precision, helping explain how the brain can process touch and other sensory input almost instantly, despite the constant “noise” of ongoing brain activity.

Link to article:

How do cellular properties influence information coding among cortical populations? This study shows that cell number, cell size, the correlation time of the background noise and the neurophysiological properties determine how accurately inputs are encoded in barrel cortex excitatory neurons.

09/09/2026

This Rosh Hashanah, the Carp on Your Table Comes with Some Good News 🐠
New research by Prof. Lior David and his team, together with researchers from Michigan State University, finds that while common carp are highly vulnerable to a devastating virus, their close relatives help stop its spread—offering hope for fish farmers and freshwater ecosystems.

Common carp are among the world's most widely farmed freshwater fish, providing food and livelihoods for millions of people. But across fish farms and freshwater ecosystems, they face a formidable threat: a highly contagious virus capable of causing devastating outbreaks and wiping out entire popula...

06/09/2026

What gives dairy fat its distinctive texture, flavor release and functionality - and why is it so difficult to reproduce?

The answer begins with its unusual fatty acid composition. Dairy fat is particularly rich in short- and medium-chain fatty acids, and understanding how these molecules are produced could help guide the development of alternative systems that more accurately recreate its properties.

In his first PhD paper published in Biochimie, Bar Sutker, together with Roni Tadmor-Levi, under the supervision of Prof. Nurit Argov-Argaman and Prof. Maggie Levy, explored how fatty acid synthase (FASN) controls the length of the fatty acid chains it produces.

The researchers examined the roles of the different catalytic domains within FASN and compared protein sequences across 13 ruminant and non-ruminant mammalian species.

Their analysis suggests that the distinctive fatty acid profile of ruminant milk is not determined by a single modification in the enzyme. Instead, it likely emerges from the interplay between subtle variations distributed across FASN, tissue-specific regulation in the mammary gland and the unique metabolic environment of ruminants.

By revealing the mechanisms behind dairy fat composition, this research provides a scientific foundation for modifying its nutritional and functional properties and for designing alternative systems that more closely reproduce them - supporting the development of high-quality solutions for more sustainable food systems.

We were pleased to support Bar’s research through his fellowship as a Kennedy Leigh-Lavin Scholar and to see his work contribute to the advancement of safe, secure and sustainable food systems.

Full article >>
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0300908426001720

03/09/2026

Every tomato begins with a flower. But before a fruit can grow, an intricate sequence of events must happen in perfect order. The flower's male and female organs must develop together, pollen must be released at exactly the right time, and fertilization must occur. 🍅
Many things can disrupt this delicate process, including genetic changes and environmental stress. Temperature extremes are a major challenge: cold can reduce pollen viability and prevent fertilization, while previous research has shown that heat can also interfere with fruit set.
Now, a study led by Prof. Naomi Ori and doctoral researcher Nave Man, in collaboration with researchers from the Leibniz Institute of Plant Biochemistry in Germany and Israel's Agricultural Research Organization (Volcani Institute), have uncovered a genetic system that keeps this process synchronized. Their findings could eventually help scientists develop tomato varieties that produce fruit more reliably during challenging growing conditions, including colder seasons.

Every tomato begins as a flower, but producing a ripe fruit requires a precisely timed biological sequence. The male and female reproductive organs must develop in coordination, pollen must mature and

18/08/2026

What if the plants growing in a field could one day produce the same proteins that give milk its nutrition, texture, and cheese-making properties?
A new study brings that possibility a step closer by revealing an unexpected way plant seeds can manufacture and store one of milk's most important proteins. The discovery could help overcome a major hurdle in producing real dairy proteins without cows, paving the way for more sustainable dairy ingredients and alternative food production.

The study is led by Prof. Oded Shoseyov together with lead author Almog Ozeri, Mai Shamir, Miron Abramson, Barak Cohen, Amir Rudich, in collaborators with Miruku a New Zealand based company.

Photo: Almog Ozeri with the Safflower plants. The future of dairy proteins | Credit: Mai Shamir

Hebrew University researchers engineered safflower plants to produce cow-free milk proteins inside seeds, opening pathways for sustainable dairy alternatives.

11/08/2026

🌾 Israeli and Palestinian researchers have spent the past five years working together to develop new wheat varieties capable of withstanding extreme heat and drought across the Middle East.

The joint initiative produced "Ufuq" (Arabic for horizon), a climate-resilient wheat line engineered to thrive in shorter, drier growing seasons, securing future food supplies in an increasingly harsh climate.

The project was led by Prof. Zvi Peleg from Hebrew University’s Faculty of Agriculture alongside his colleague, Prof. Ziad Abdeen from the Al-Quds Public Health Society, with support from Wageningen University and funding from the Dutch Friends of Hebrew University.

Read the full story: https://international.huji.ac.il/news/international-partnership-yields-climate-resilient-wheat-hotter-drier-middle

09/08/2026

Two PhD candidates from the Robert H Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment, Rehovot have received international recognition at NUTRITION 2026, the annual meeting of the American Society for Nutrition, after being selected for two of the conference’s most prestigious student competitions.

Or Avishai-Ofer, RD, and Alexandra Venger, RD, MPH, both doctoral candidates at the Institute of Biochemistry, Food Science and Nutrition at the Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment, conduct their research under the supervision of Prof. Aron Troen and Prof. Eyal Ert.

Or Avishai Ofer was selected as one of only six finalists worldwide in the ASN Student Interest Group (SIG) Three-Minute Thesis (3MT) Competition, chosen from nearly 300 entrants. The competition recognizes exceptional early-career researchers for their ability to communicate complex scientific research clearly and compellingly in just three minutes.

Her research investigates how consumers perceive and respond to front-of-package nutrition labels in real-world food environments. Using eye-tracking technology, she examines how packaging design influences attention to nutrition labels and ultimately affects healthier food choices.

In addition to presenting at NUTRITION 2026, Or Avishai-Ofer participated in an Israel-US Binational Agricultural Research and Development Fund (BARD)-supported workshop held in Washington, DC, in conjunction with the ASN annual meeting. Organized by Prof. Aron Troen in partnership with the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and the University of Vermont, with additional support from the Hebrew University's Sheldon Lavin Center for Safe, Secure and Sustainable Food Systems, headed by Prof. Zvi Hayouka, the workshop convened scientific and institutional leaders from Israel and the United States to advance collaboration in food innovation, nutrition, and sustainable food systems. Avishai-Ofer presented her research as part of the workshop, which aims to develop new binational research partnerships, training opportunities, and BARD-supported seed grant proposals.

Alexandra Venger was selected as a finalist in ASN’s Emerging Leaders in Nutrition Science Poster Competition, which recognizes the highest-scoring research presented by students and early-career investigators at NUTRITION 2026. Nearly 750 abstracts were submitted by students and postdoctoral fellows, with finalists representing approximately the top 10% of submissions following peer review by more than 650 nutrition scientists.

Her research evaluates the impact of Israel’s front-of-package food labelling policy at the national retail level. By analyzing nearly 7,900 food products from two major supermarket chains, she examined how mandatory warning labels, voluntary healthy-choice labels, nutrient composition, and pricing have shaped the Israeli food environment following the implementation of the national labelling policy.
“Having two of our doctoral students recognized in highly competitive international ASN competitions is a remarkable achievement,” said Prof. Aron Troen. “These recognitions reflect the quality of their research, their scientific creativity, and the growing international impact of nutrition research at the Hebrew University.”

Together, the two projects address complementary aspects of nutrition policy. While Avishai-Ofer’s research focuses on how consumers visually process nutrition labels and make purchasing decisions, Venger’s research evaluates how food manufacturers and the retail food environment have responded to Israel’s front-of-package labelling policy. Together, they contribute new evidence on the effectiveness of nutrition policy from both the consumer and food system perspectives.

The two distinctions highlight the Hebrew University’s leadership in nutrition research and its commitment to advancing evidence-based public health policy through innovative interdisciplinary research.

NUTRITION 2026 is the flagship scientific meeting of the American Society for Nutrition and one of the world’s premier conferences in nutrition science. The meeting brings together researchers, clinicians, public health professionals, and policy experts from around the world to present cutting-edge research and address major challenges in nutrition and health.

Photo credit: Prof. Aron Troen

27/07/2026

Climate change isn't just changing how much rain falls, it is also changing when it falls, and that timing can dramatically reshape entire plant communities. A new study led by PhD. students Barel Tsafon and Or Gross, under the guidance of Prof. Niv DeMalach shows that droughts occurring at different points in the growing season have very different effects on when plants flower and how they compete with one another, revealing that the timing of rainfall may be a better predictor of ecosystem change than total rainfall alone.

Climate change isn't just changing how much rain falls, it is also changing when it falls, and that timing can dramatically reshape entire plant communities. A new study shows that droughts occurring at different points in the growing season have very different effects on when plants flower and....