Australian food and beverage manufacturers have long had an appetite for fast-track product development. Now, a $16 million upgrade of the Queensland University of Technology (QUT) Mackay Renewable Biocommodities Pilot Plant (MRBPP) is bridging a critical gap in Australia’s manufacturing capability.
Established in 2010 as Australia’s first and only publicly accessible pilot scale biorefining facility, the decision to expand capability by investing in large scale precision fermentation is expected to result in a game-changing transformation for the food and beverage sector.
For more information about the upgrade, and the implications for the food and beverage sector in Australia, you can read the article written by Sally Wilson in food australia for the Australian Institute of Food, Science and Technology (AIFST). A pdf version of the article can be read online.
About the Mackay Renewable Biocommodities Pilot Plant
The Mackay Renewable Biocommodities Pilot Plant (MRBPP) is pioneering research and innovation in biorefining. By turning agricultural carbon sources such as sugars and biomass into cleaner bioproducts, MRBPP supports an increased uptake of renewable processes and helps create a more profitable and sustainable agriculture sector.
Our Bioprocessing and Food Innovation researchers are creating future foods, biofuels, green chemicals and other bioproducts using sugarcane-based feedstocks, as well as and other agricultural products like cotton, grains and horticultural wastes. We’re developing the innovative and clean products and processes integral to a greener future.
Our team
- Professor Ian O’Hara
- Associate Professor Mark Harrison
- Adjunct Professor Robert Speight
- Dr Jo Blinco
Find out more about MRBPP.