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
Special Research Initiatives - Grant ID: SR0354787
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$10,000.00
Summary
Research Network for Biotechnological and Environmental Applications of Microalgae (BEAM). The network will facilitate inderdisciplinary and collaborative research into the limitations on microalgal growth leading to the development of new, commercial-scale microalgae culture systems, the production of fine chemicals, bioactive compounds and renewable fuels (hydrogen), as well as environmental applications such as monitoring the physiological state of phytoplankton in the environment, CO2 biorem ....Research Network for Biotechnological and Environmental Applications of Microalgae (BEAM). The network will facilitate inderdisciplinary and collaborative research into the limitations on microalgal growth leading to the development of new, commercial-scale microalgae culture systems, the production of fine chemicals, bioactive compounds and renewable fuels (hydrogen), as well as environmental applications such as monitoring the physiological state of phytoplankton in the environment, CO2 bioremediation and algal/bacterial systems for the bioremediation of contaminated soils. This will be achieved by applying research on photosynthetic light utilisation efficiency and carbon fixation, chlorophyll fluorescence, biochemistry of secondary metabolites, molecular biology and photobioreactor design and engineering, informed by an understanding of the ecology of these algae.Read moreRead less
Maximising Bioenergy Recovery from Sewage Sludge. Sewage treatment is producing large amounts of sewage sludge, which represents a substantial, but largely untapped, energy source. This project aims to develop and demonstrate an innovative, economically attractive and environmentally friendly technology, and the underpinning science, to maximize bioenergy recovery from sewage sludge. The technology is based on the treatment of sludge using free ammonia, a by-product of sewage treatment. This pro ....Maximising Bioenergy Recovery from Sewage Sludge. Sewage treatment is producing large amounts of sewage sludge, which represents a substantial, but largely untapped, energy source. This project aims to develop and demonstrate an innovative, economically attractive and environmentally friendly technology, and the underpinning science, to maximize bioenergy recovery from sewage sludge. The technology is based on the treatment of sludge using free ammonia, a by-product of sewage treatment. This project is expected to benefit Australia by substantially reducing the reliance on fossil fuels and accelerating a shift to affordable renewable energy. The outcomes of the project would provide significant energy, economic, environmental and social benefits for Australians. 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
Metabolic engineering of Zymomonas mobilis for higher value fermentation products. This project will provide an opportunity to revolutionise the Australian chemical and sugar industries. Unlike the traditional methods of the petrochemical industry, bioconversion of carbohydrates to chemicals such as succinic acid via fermentation is cosiderably environmental friendly. For the sugar industry this project will provide an opportunity to produce not only conventional sugar products but also high val ....Metabolic engineering of Zymomonas mobilis for higher value fermentation products. This project will provide an opportunity to revolutionise the Australian chemical and sugar industries. Unlike the traditional methods of the petrochemical industry, bioconversion of carbohydrates to chemicals such as succinic acid via fermentation is cosiderably environmental friendly. For the sugar industry this project will provide an opportunity to produce not only conventional sugar products but also high value commodities via the process integration of succinic acid production using agricultural residues such as bagasse. This will contribute to significant levels of job creation in Australia, and further benefits will be that such products will be important both for import replacement and export potential.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
Metabolic engineering to develop recombinant Zymomonas mobilis for the production of fuel ethanol and fermentation chemicals. This project will provide an opportunity to revolutionise the Australian chemical and sugar industries. Unlike the traditional methods of the petrochemical industry, bioconversion of carbohydrates to chemicals, such as succinic acid via fermentation is more considerably environmentally friendly. For the sugar industry this project will provide an opportunity to produce no ....Metabolic engineering to develop recombinant Zymomonas mobilis for the production of fuel ethanol and fermentation chemicals. This project will provide an opportunity to revolutionise the Australian chemical and sugar industries. Unlike the traditional methods of the petrochemical industry, bioconversion of carbohydrates to chemicals, such as succinic acid via fermentation is more considerably environmentally friendly. For the sugar industry this project will provide an opportunity to produce not only conventional sugar products but also high value commodities via the process integration of succinic acid production using agricultural residues, such as bagasse. This will contribute to significant levels of job creation in Australia, with the further benefit that such products will be important for both import replacement and export potential.Read moreRead less
A Green Technology for Enhancing Resource Recovery from Sewage Sludge. This project aims to develop an innovative technology to recover valuable resource from sewage sludge by enhancing transformation of sewage sludge into high-value medium chain fatty acids and methane. Wastewater treatment generates large amounts of resource-rich sewage sludge. However, the poor biodegradability of sewage sludge is a key barrier that impedes the efficient resource recovery. By advancing the underpinning scienc ....A Green Technology for Enhancing Resource Recovery from Sewage Sludge. This project aims to develop an innovative technology to recover valuable resource from sewage sludge by enhancing transformation of sewage sludge into high-value medium chain fatty acids and methane. Wastewater treatment generates large amounts of resource-rich sewage sludge. However, the poor biodegradability of sewage sludge is a key barrier that impedes the efficient resource recovery. By advancing the underpinning science and introducing a novel technology that innovatively harnesses a human waste, the project expects to remove the barrier. Expected project outcomes will turn sewage sludge from an undesirable waste to a valuable resource. This should provide significant benefits for Australia’s renewable energy and resource sectors.Read moreRead less
Overcoming microplastics induced inhibition on waste-to-energy conversion . This project aims to develop an innovative technology and the underpinning science to achieve stable and efficient mitigation of emerging microplastics induced inhibition that is becoming a key barrier hindering waste-to-energy conversion in anaerobic digestion. Anaerobic digestion is a low-cost technology widely used to divert sewage sludge to renewable energy production. However, the increasing levels of microplastics ....Overcoming microplastics induced inhibition on waste-to-energy conversion . This project aims to develop an innovative technology and the underpinning science to achieve stable and efficient mitigation of emerging microplastics induced inhibition that is becoming a key barrier hindering waste-to-energy conversion in anaerobic digestion. Anaerobic digestion is a low-cost technology widely used to divert sewage sludge to renewable energy production. However, the increasing levels of microplastics captured in sludge leads to low methane yield and process failure due to their small size and specific characteristics. The outcome of the project will remove the emerging barrier to enhance energy recovery that can be applied in existing anaerobic digestion infrastructure for addressing Australia’s increasing energy demand.Read moreRead less