Australian native plant species as models for understanding the regulation and roles of betalain pigment synthesis. This project will have triple bottom line benefits. Economic: new cultivars developed from understanding betalains will sell worldwide, generating returns, incomes and employment in urban, peri-urban and rural Australia. Social: Novel Ptilotus and Calandrinia cultivars will adorn parks and gardens around Australia, thereby enhancing quality of life. Environmental: Ptilotus and Cala ....Australian native plant species as models for understanding the regulation and roles of betalain pigment synthesis. This project will have triple bottom line benefits. Economic: new cultivars developed from understanding betalains will sell worldwide, generating returns, incomes and employment in urban, peri-urban and rural Australia. Social: Novel Ptilotus and Calandrinia cultivars will adorn parks and gardens around Australia, thereby enhancing quality of life. Environmental: Ptilotus and Calandrinia are inherently drought resistant. Novel ornamental cultivars will have high water use efficiency and contribute to water conservation in urban Australia in the face of drought and global warming. Moreover, understanding their synthesis and roles could yield new strategies for enhancing stress tolerance in other species, including crop plants.Read moreRead less
Topical peptide delivery for cosmetic and therapeutic benefits. Milk is a major Australian agricultural commodity and is now used in a number of topical products for the management of various skin conditions including chafing in babies, eczema and ageing skin. Hence, this work hopes to contribute to promoting and maintaining good health of Australians.
In addition, there is considerable research being conducted on peptide development for a range of diseases and there may be a possibility of ....Topical peptide delivery for cosmetic and therapeutic benefits. Milk is a major Australian agricultural commodity and is now used in a number of topical products for the management of various skin conditions including chafing in babies, eczema and ageing skin. Hence, this work hopes to contribute to promoting and maintaining good health of Australians.
In addition, there is considerable research being conducted on peptide development for a range of diseases and there may be a possibility of delivering these by the skin.
This work, in seeking to understand some of the fundamental determinants governing how exogenously applied peptides distribute in the skin, is also contributing to the development of Australian pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries.Read moreRead less
The Molecular Mechanism of Protein Instability in Dairy Powder Systems. Dairy is the fourth largest rural industry sectors in Australia, directly involving more than 13,000 farms and a large number of dairy factories. Most of Australia's 10 billion litre milk flow is converted to powder form for exports, with an annual value exceeding $1billion. The anticipated improvements in the performance and shelf-life of the dried dairy powder systems to be investigated in this project have the potential ....The Molecular Mechanism of Protein Instability in Dairy Powder Systems. Dairy is the fourth largest rural industry sectors in Australia, directly involving more than 13,000 farms and a large number of dairy factories. Most of Australia's 10 billion litre milk flow is converted to powder form for exports, with an annual value exceeding $1billion. The anticipated improvements in the performance and shelf-life of the dried dairy powder systems to be investigated in this project have the potential to generate significant economic impacts in both the dairy production and processing sectors. This work will also benefit the wider scientific community in dairy- and food-related areas, particularly in relation to the novel multidisciplinary approach involving a combination of material science and protein chemistry.Read moreRead less
Markers of milk quality in commercially produced UHT milks and milk powders. Efficient production of safe, wholesome food relies on the application of the best available knowledge of the food material and the processing technologies involved. This project applies proteomics, the most advanced protein analysis technique, to determine the changes that occur in milk during high heat treatment and subsequent storage of the heat-processed milk product. Armed with such knowledge, the dairy processin ....Markers of milk quality in commercially produced UHT milks and milk powders. Efficient production of safe, wholesome food relies on the application of the best available knowledge of the food material and the processing technologies involved. This project applies proteomics, the most advanced protein analysis technique, to determine the changes that occur in milk during high heat treatment and subsequent storage of the heat-processed milk product. Armed with such knowledge, the dairy processing industry will be able to make informed decisions about processing and storage conditions to ensure the final products provided to the consumer are of the highest possible quality. Read moreRead less
Cystine flux and hydrogen peroxide breakdown in reuteri group lactobacilli. We have discovered, and aim to fully dissect a novel function of reuteri group lactobacilli. These microbes inhabit the surfaces of the gastrointestinal and reproductive tracts of humans and are also used as probiotics, and in the dairy industry. This function mediates the production and breakdown of large amounts of hydrogen peroxide, cystine and thiols. These are highly bioactive and affect human cells and other bacter ....Cystine flux and hydrogen peroxide breakdown in reuteri group lactobacilli. We have discovered, and aim to fully dissect a novel function of reuteri group lactobacilli. These microbes inhabit the surfaces of the gastrointestinal and reproductive tracts of humans and are also used as probiotics, and in the dairy industry. This function mediates the production and breakdown of large amounts of hydrogen peroxide, cystine and thiols. These are highly bioactive and affect human cells and other bacteria at the surfaces of the gastrointestinal and reproductive tracts, and thiols are also flavourants in dairy products. Our research will inform the rational development of probiotics, the management and treatment of unpleasant conditions such as Crohn's disease and bacterial vaginosis, and innovation in dairy fermentations.Read moreRead less
Surface Modification of Spray-Dried Powders By Surface-Active Proteins. Internal wall deposits in spray dryers lead to product degradation and pose fire hazards. This situation has limited the manufacturing of high value bio-food powders by the Australian bio-food and dairy industry, which exports 13% of the milk powder in the world. The specific economic benefits to Australia from this project arise from innovative surface modification of powder particles by proteins, development of scientific ....Surface Modification of Spray-Dried Powders By Surface-Active Proteins. Internal wall deposits in spray dryers lead to product degradation and pose fire hazards. This situation has limited the manufacturing of high value bio-food powders by the Australian bio-food and dairy industry, which exports 13% of the milk powder in the world. The specific economic benefits to Australia from this project arise from innovative surface modification of powder particles by proteins, development of scientific instruments and predictive tools based on Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD). These outcomes will lead to production of free flowing powders from bio-food materials.Read moreRead less