Our research in food-focused multi-product biorefineries develops novel functional food, ingredient, and feed products. The research aims to add value to relatively low value agricultural products or residues to increase total agricultural profitability.
Core research
We research the development of new food products throughout the entire production pipeline from characterising a raw material, to pretreatment, fermentation, extraction, concentration, purification and stabilisation. Products are assessed with various analytics and screening assays and can even be assessed in clinical trials. Economic viability and sustainability are determined inhouse by our modelling experts.
Feedstocks that we have researched include but are not limited to:
- Agricultural and horticultural products such as barley grains, and chillies
- Agricultural, horticultural and food industry processing residues such as sugarcane tops, grape pomace, apple pomace, brewers’ spent grains, citrus peel, and avocado residues
- Algae, microbial and fungal biomass such as mushrooms
- Liquids such as fermentation broth, enzymatic hydrolysates, molasses
The types of functional food (and feed) ingredients that we produce include but are not limited to:
- Nutritional and functional proteins and peptides
- Prebiotics from plant biomass and fungal biomass (fructo-oligosaccharides, beta-glucan, insoluble dietary fibres)
- Functional fatty acids
- Plant-derived polyphenols such as anthocyanins
- Plant-derived essential oils
- Pectins and pectin hydrolysates
- Carotenoids such as astaxanthin
We also develop technologies for advanced product formulation and delivery systems. These include but are not limited to:
- Drying technologies
- Emulsions and Pickering emulsions
- Liposomes
- Encapsulation
We also collaborate with microbiologists and nutritionists to understand the functionalities of food and feed ingredients.
Commercial research
- Fibre modification to enhance digestibility in ruminants and non-ruminants
- Production of soluble sugar products from plant biomass
- Value-adding opportunities to upcycle brewing by-products
- Developing sucrose utilisation capability for precision fermentation investment in Queensland
- Solid state fermentation and nutraceutical product from avocado and chilli tissues
- Utilising advanced manufacturing to expand the Australian exotic mushroom industry
- Development of extraction technologies to produce functional food ingredients from food industry waste
- Development and characterization of oil-based oleogels for healthy food applications
- Development of anthocyanin-rich food ingredients from banana inflorescence
