(Image, inset top: Luis Quijano, Professor Ian O’Hara, Dr Zeyu Lu. From left: Dr Carlos Horacio Luna-Flores, Dr Ali Jahanian, Dr Shahrooz Rahmati.)
Dr Ali Jahanian has received a $1,150,922 AEA Innovate grant for the project Advanced manufacturing of high-value organic fragrances from sugarcane byproducts through precision fermentation with industry partner Bio10 Agrobiotech.
Dr Jahanian said the project aimed to commercialise high-value fragrances from sugar cane raw materials using synthetic biology and precision fermentation technology to take advantage of the rapidly growing global fragrance market worth currently worth US$50 billion.
“Extracting fragrances from plant materials is inefficient and costly and chemical fragrances produced from petroleum-based raw materials can cause health issues like asthma, allergies, and neurological problems,” Dr Jahanian said.
“This project will use precision fermentation, a revolutionary method to deliver safe, cost-effective and high-quality products using engineered microbes for scaling up the synthesis of premium products from sugar feed stocks.”
The QUT research team comprises Dr Ali Jahanian, Dr Zeyu Lu, Dr Carlos Luna-Flores, Professor Ian O’Hara, Luis Quijano and Dr Shahrooz Rahmati.
CAB congratulates Ali and the research team and looks forward to the outcomes of this important research project.