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2026
New Study Shows: Standard Tests Do Not Always Detect All Gluten Residues in Barley Beer
Freising, June 8, 2026 – Some barley beers labeled as “gluten-free” contain small amounts of gluten residues that may trigger celiac disease, which are not detected by the standard antibody-based tests currently in use. This is the conclusion of a study by the Leibniz Institute for Food Systems Biology at the Technical University of Munich. In the study, researchers compared two antibody-based testing methods with a mass spectrometric detection method newly developed at the Institute. The study results show that modern food analytical methods could help further improve the safety of gluten-free products in the future.
Bitter Tasting Herbal Extracts Stimulate Gastric Cells
Freising, May 11, 2026 - Bitter-tasting herbal extracts have traditionally been used to support digestion, yet the molecular basis of their effects has remained largely unclear. The Leibniz Institute for Food Systems Biology at the Technical University of Munich has now gained new insights into this mechanism. Using a cellular model, its researchers demonstrated that herbal extracts can stimulate proton secretion in human gastric cells as key mechanism of gastric acid production, with combinations of extracts showing particularly strong effects. Extracts rich in polyphenols proved especially potent. The study further identified three human bitter taste receptor subtypes as key mediators of this response.
How Food Works and Tastes: New Junior Research Group Develops Predictive Models
Freising, April 30, 2026 – A new junior research group began its work on April 15, 2026, at the Leibniz Institute for Food Systems Biology at the Technical University of Munich. Led by Dr. Nikolai Köhler, the Integrative Food Systems Analysis group is dedicated to developing computer-based predictive models for the sensory and physiological effects of food compound systems.
New Research Approach Improves the Flavor Stability of Flaxseed Oil and Extends Its Shelf Life
Freising, April 20, 2026 - How can the mild flavor of flaxseed oil be preserved for longer? A research team led by Roman Lang from the Leibniz Institute for Food Systems Biology at the Technical University of Munich has investigated this question. As the team demonstrates in its latest study, natural precursors of bitter-tasting compounds can be gently removed from the oil using bleaching earth (magnesium-aluminum silicate). This results in significantly fewer bitter-tasting compounds formed during storage, and the flaxseed oil remains flavor-stable for longer. The particular advantage: The high content of health-beneficial fatty acids as well as the oil’s typical character are preserved despite the purification process.
Ceremonial handover at Leibniz-LSB@TUM: Prof. Dr. Corinna Dawid officially honored
Freising, February 6, 2026 – With a ceremony in the lecture hall of the Alte Akademie in Freising, the Leibniz Institute for Food Systems Biology at the Technical University of Munich (Leibniz-LSB@TUM) yesterday, February 5, 2026, celebrated the handover of office to its Scientific Director Prof. Dr. Corinna Dawid. The event honored the change in leadership that took place in May 2025 and also marked an important institutional moment following the completion of the latest institute evaluation.
Bitter Taste Receptors at the Interface Between Nutrition, the Endocrine System, and Health
Freising, January 28, 2026 – A bitter taste has always been considered a warning signal, devoted to protecting us from ingesting potentially harmful substances. But bitter taste receptors can apparently do much more than just evaluate the taste of food. A recent study by the Leibniz Institute for Food Systems Biology at the Technical University of Munich now shows that certain human bitter taste receptors also respond to steroid hormones. They could therefore play a previously underestimated role in physiological processes.