The Institute of Animal Reproduction and Food Research in Poland was established in 1988. Research tasks of the Institute are being accomplished in its two Divisions: Division of Reproductive Endocrinology and Pathophysiology (5 Departments) and Division of Food Science (5 Departments and 2 Laboratories).

The main fields of scientific activities of the Division of Reproductive Endocrinology and Pathophysiology include

• investigations of reproductive functions, mainly in pigs, cows and sheep, at a level of central, local and cellular regulations of hormonal, neural and vascular system
• analyses of immunoendocrine changes accompanying uteritis; reproductive biochemistry and biotechnology of fish as well as mammal and bird males.
  

The key achievements of the Division include:

• discovering unknown mechanisms of hormones and neurohormones transport in a female organism
• first ever demonstration of an immediate effect of gonadotropic hormones (and not of exclusively ovarian hormones, as claimed thus far) on uterus
• discovering the significance of the noradrenergic system and oxytocin in the regulation of ovary functions
• establishing the Fish Semen Bank at the Institute and improving the technology for fish semen cryopreservation.
  

Division of Food Science conducts basic and applicatory investigations in the area of chemistry, microbiology, basics of food technology, physical-, functional- and biosensory properties of food as well as allergens and biological analysis of food.
The key achievements of the Division include:

• demonstrating a positive to humans activity of favourable bacteria of the gastrointestinal tract and implementation of food with their addition into the production process, including foodstuffs with reduced allergenic properties
• demonstrating that genetic modification of potatoes, that increases resistance of stems to some viral infections, did not affect safety of consumption, nor nutritive value or culinary usability of tubers
• patent specification of a method for obtaining dietetic starch preparations with increased resistance to amylolytic enzymes
• elaboration a method for the isolation and identification of bioactive compounds of plant origin indispensable for the monitoring of their transformations in food production processes and in consumer’s body after ingestion.
  

The Institute is authorized to confer the academic degrees of PhD and DSc in agricultural sciences, in two disciplines: animal reproduction and food sciences. It employs 75 scholars.
Publications: The Institute publishes two international journals: Polish Journal of Food and Nutrition Sciences and Reproductive Biology.

Scientist involved in COST Action Feed for health: Jerzy Juskjewicz