Applications of probiotics in yoghurt, soy yoghurt and Cheddar cheese. The main goal of this study is to develop probiotic yoghurt and Cheddar cheese using selected strains of probiotic bacteria and examine their survival and effects on proteolysis and sensory attributes of these products. Research aimed at enrichment of suitable probiotic adjunct starter in these products provides the potential to markedly improve both the health status and quality of products. Optimum conditions for survival o ....Applications of probiotics in yoghurt, soy yoghurt and Cheddar cheese. The main goal of this study is to develop probiotic yoghurt and Cheddar cheese using selected strains of probiotic bacteria and examine their survival and effects on proteolysis and sensory attributes of these products. Research aimed at enrichment of suitable probiotic adjunct starter in these products provides the potential to markedly improve both the health status and quality of products. Optimum conditions for survival of probiotic bacteria and processing conditions that guarantee high levels of probiotic bacteria for health benefits will be known. The results will provide critical information for improving survival of probiotic bacteria and quality of probiotic yoghurt, and Cheddar cheese.Read moreRead less
Stability of bioactive isoflavone aglycones and probiotic bacteria in soy based food during processing and storage. The aims of this study are to ascertain the optimum conditions for bioconversion of inactive isoflavone glucosides to bioactive isoflavone aglycones by bifidobacteria and assess the stability of bioactive aglycones during processing and storage. Studies have shown that dietary phytoestrogen an important role in prevention of cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis and breast and prost ....Stability of bioactive isoflavone aglycones and probiotic bacteria in soy based food during processing and storage. The aims of this study are to ascertain the optimum conditions for bioconversion of inactive isoflavone glucosides to bioactive isoflavone aglycones by bifidobacteria and assess the stability of bioactive aglycones during processing and storage. Studies have shown that dietary phytoestrogen an important role in prevention of cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis and breast and prostate cancer (Nagata et al., 1998). Optimum conditions for production of bioactive isoflavones and processing conditions that guarantee high levels of bioactive isoflavones for health benefits will be known. The results will provide critical information for creating market potential for a range of health based functional foods.Read moreRead less
New fermentation and purification production technologies for menaquinone-7 for promoting bone and cardiovascular health. We will develop a significantly more cost-efficient and environmentally friendly process for the production of vitamin K (menaquinone-7, or MK7) to manufacture food supplements for humans and animals. MK7 will increase bone regeneration and minimise the risk of cardiovascular disease. It has the potential to reduce the costs of these conditions for the community, and to incre ....New fermentation and purification production technologies for menaquinone-7 for promoting bone and cardiovascular health. We will develop a significantly more cost-efficient and environmentally friendly process for the production of vitamin K (menaquinone-7, or MK7) to manufacture food supplements for humans and animals. MK7 will increase bone regeneration and minimise the risk of cardiovascular disease. It has the potential to reduce the costs of these conditions for the community, and to increase the quality of life for Australia's ageing population. Orthopaedic diseases are also a major veterinary issue, and our advance should make MK7 a more widely used available supplementary food for animals such as horses and dogs. Read moreRead less
Ex vivo production of neutrophils. Relentless infections frequently occur in patients receiving intensive chemotherapy treatment. Chemotherapy is toxic to the bone marrow where blood cells are produced. A low white blood cell count and in particular a low neutrophil count is linked with infection in these patients. Unlike red cells and platelets, neutrophils are difficult to collect from blood donors and hence are not routinely available. In this project, we will develop a practical, cost effic ....Ex vivo production of neutrophils. Relentless infections frequently occur in patients receiving intensive chemotherapy treatment. Chemotherapy is toxic to the bone marrow where blood cells are produced. A low white blood cell count and in particular a low neutrophil count is linked with infection in these patients. Unlike red cells and platelets, neutrophils are difficult to collect from blood donors and hence are not routinely available. In this project, we will develop a practical, cost efficient process for the production of neutrophils from cord blood. Transfusion of these neutrophils should reduce the chance of patients suffering serious infection, allow them to recover faster from their chemotherapy, and reduce the need for admission to intensive care.Read moreRead less
EX VIVO PRODUCTION OF MATURE RED BLOOD CELLS FOR TRANSFUSION. This project aims to establish a practical, cost efficient biotechnology platform for the expansion and maturation of blood stem cells to produce blood transfusion products. Red blood cell production will be used as the prototype model. It is envisaged that blood bioreactors will initially supplement and ultimately replace the current blood donor based process, thus overcoming the on-going donor recruitment, retention and safety issue ....EX VIVO PRODUCTION OF MATURE RED BLOOD CELLS FOR TRANSFUSION. This project aims to establish a practical, cost efficient biotechnology platform for the expansion and maturation of blood stem cells to produce blood transfusion products. Red blood cell production will be used as the prototype model. It is envisaged that blood bioreactors will initially supplement and ultimately replace the current blood donor based process, thus overcoming the on-going donor recruitment, retention and safety issues associated with collection of single units of blood. This project is focused on providing solutions to two key technical and economical challenges: (a) achieving full maturation of red blood cells and (b) achieving at least a 100-fold intensification of the expansion and maturation process through perfusion.Read moreRead less
Fungal Biomass Protein, a Bioproduct Derived from a Treatment Process of Winery Waste Streams. The Australian wine industry produces a substantial quantity of wastewater containing high levels of organic materials that are both highly polluting and costly to treat. This research aims to develop a biotechnological treatment process integrated with fungal biomass protein (FBP) production from the winery waste streams. The outcomes of this project are i) the production of fungal biomass for use as ....Fungal Biomass Protein, a Bioproduct Derived from a Treatment Process of Winery Waste Streams. The Australian wine industry produces a substantial quantity of wastewater containing high levels of organic materials that are both highly polluting and costly to treat. This research aims to develop a biotechnological treatment process integrated with fungal biomass protein (FBP) production from the winery waste streams. The outcomes of this project are i) the production of fungal biomass for use as a protein-rich animal feed; ii); the treatment of waste water to allow reuse for farm irrigation; and iii) reduced pollution of watercourses. The research will develop a novel technology that is environmentally friendly and adds value to the Australian winery industry via pollution reduction and FBP production.Read moreRead less
Development of a new micro-encapsulation system using a novel falling-film technology for bio-encapsulation of synbiotic functional dairy products. The inclusion of probiotic (beneficial) bacteria in foods is linked to positive health benefits by suppressing harmful micro-organisms in the gastro-intestinal tract (GIT). Prebiotic ingredients stimulate the growth of these bacteria. Since dairy products containing both probiotic and prebiotic ingredients ("synbiotic") are gaining importance globa ....Development of a new micro-encapsulation system using a novel falling-film technology for bio-encapsulation of synbiotic functional dairy products. The inclusion of probiotic (beneficial) bacteria in foods is linked to positive health benefits by suppressing harmful micro-organisms in the gastro-intestinal tract (GIT). Prebiotic ingredients stimulate the growth of these bacteria. Since dairy products containing both probiotic and prebiotic ingredients ("synbiotic") are gaining importance globally, new protective measures are needed to preserve the activity and viability of these ingredients. This project aims to develop a new micro-encapsulation system to encapsulate bacteria within foods for safe delivery to GIT, to encapsulate enzymes for accelerated cheese ripening, that will significantly enhance the development of a new generation of healthy foods.Read moreRead less
Development of mature and intense flavours in low-fat cheeses using micro-encapsulated enzyme technology. Obesity related diseases are escalating in Australia. Consumers, although encouraged to favour low-fat alternatives in their diet to combat obesity, find low-fat alternatives unpalatable and continue to select full-fat alternatives. There is a need to provide consumers with a full-fat flavoured low-fat cheese. The aim of this project is to develop low-fat cheese products with flavours compar ....Development of mature and intense flavours in low-fat cheeses using micro-encapsulated enzyme technology. Obesity related diseases are escalating in Australia. Consumers, although encouraged to favour low-fat alternatives in their diet to combat obesity, find low-fat alternatives unpalatable and continue to select full-fat alternatives. There is a need to provide consumers with a full-fat flavoured low-fat cheese. The aim of this project is to develop low-fat cheese products with flavours comparable to fully ripened, mature, full-fat cheeses using microencapsulation technology. The outcome will be a rise in demand for low-fat cheese products that will reduce dietary fat intake while maintaining the positive nutritional benefits associated with cheese.Read moreRead less
The microbiology and biotechnology of rum production. Rum is an alcoholic beverage produced by microbial fermentation of molasses waste from the sugar industry. The microbial species responsible for the process determine rum flavour and quality by production of specific aroma compounds. The rate and extent of fermentation determine process efficiency. Several yeast and bacterial species contribute to rum fermentation but this ecology is poorly defined. Through a combination of ecological stu ....The microbiology and biotechnology of rum production. Rum is an alcoholic beverage produced by microbial fermentation of molasses waste from the sugar industry. The microbial species responsible for the process determine rum flavour and quality by production of specific aroma compounds. The rate and extent of fermentation determine process efficiency. Several yeast and bacterial species contribute to rum fermentation but this ecology is poorly defined. Through a combination of ecological studies, controlled fermentations and distillation, chemical and sensory analyses, this project will determine the impact of particular microbial species on rum flavour and process efficiency. This information will be used by the industrial partner to enchance product quality and process efficiency.Read moreRead less
Exploiting novel yeast attributes to produce industrial strains with better fermentative and processing qualities. Food and beverage fermentations are problematic processes, largely due to limitations of the yeast being used. This laboratory has indentified in individual yeast strains highly desirable fermentative characteristics or else the ability to over-produce compounds that benefit product processing. Pursuing the commercial potential of these findings is the specific objective of this pro ....Exploiting novel yeast attributes to produce industrial strains with better fermentative and processing qualities. Food and beverage fermentations are problematic processes, largely due to limitations of the yeast being used. This laboratory has indentified in individual yeast strains highly desirable fermentative characteristics or else the ability to over-produce compounds that benefit product processing. Pursuing the commercial potential of these findings is the specific objective of this proposal. Thus we will extend our collaboration with Coopers Brewery through this new project area with the aims of a) producing optimised, hybrid (non-GMO) strains with combinations of desirable fermentation properties, b) develop novel processing or quality-enhancing treatments while c) generating a high caliber PhD graduate with extensive industry experience.Read moreRead less