A Brisbane-based start-up food technology company says it has developed the world’s first non-fermented, multi-strain probiotic milk and juice and is ready to introduce it to the market. The company, Progel, used a AU$250,000 Commercialisation Australia grant to commercialise an encapsulation technology developed by Professor Bhesh Bhandari at University of Queensland‘s School of Agriculture and Food Sciences. Progel says the technology will also enable the creation of omega-3 milk and juice... ...Read more »

A growing need for more food science and technology graduates in Australia will be addressed by a landmark new partnership between The University of Queensland (UQ) and the Australian Food and Grocery Council (AFGC).Under the industry-first, five year agreement, UQ will partner with AFGC to help overcome a national skills shortage in food science and technology roles following the appointment of the AFGC Chair in Food Science and Technology early next year. AFGC Deputy Chief Executive Dr Geoffrey... ...Read more »

The recently launched Health and Food Sciences Precinct at Coopers Plains opens the door to a new era of food science research that spells good news for Queensland’s fruit and vegetable lovers. The new precinct provides a ‘Centre of Excellence’ that will take Queensland food research to new heights as both State Government and Federal Government (CSIRO) scientists join forces at the new centre. With major collaborations on a number of projects already in place before the centralised move, the... ...Read more »

The prestigious Keith Farrer Award of Merit has been awarded to Stuart Andrews, Associate Professor at the University of South Australia (UniSA) by the Australian Institute of Food Science and Technology (AIFST). The award, announced at the AIFST’s 43rd Annual Conference ‘Creating the future of food – body, mind, passion’ this week, is made for outstanding achievements in and contributions to food science and technology in the wide areas of research, industry and education, and recognizes... ...Read more »

This week Dr Stuart Andrews, Associate Professor at the University of South Australia (UniSA) was announced as the winner of this year’s Keith Farrer Award of Merit, awarded by the Australian Institute of Food Science and Technology (AIFST). Dr Andrews’ contribution to the Australian food industry, food science community, academic community and the AIFST is prolific and is well deserving of the award. Some of his career highlights include: During the 1980s he was instrumental to the development... ...Read more »

Internationally recognised food scientist and science leader, Professor Martin Cole, will start as the Chief of CSIRO’s Division of Food and Nutritional Sciences (FNS) in January 2010. Professor Cole is currently Director of the National Centre for Food Safety and Technology (NCFST) in the United States and Research Professor of Biology at Illinois Institute of Technology. With many years of experience in food policy and the development of international food safety standards, Professor Cole... ...Read more »

The European Food Safety Authority’s (EFSA) Scientific Committee has concluded that current international approaches to risk assessment can also be applied to engineered nano materials (ENM) in food, with a case-by-case approach necessary. Given current data limitations and a lack of validated test methodologies, risk assessment of specific nano products remains very difficult and subject to a high degree of uncertainty, they added. Their opinion focussed specifically on the use of nanotechnologies,... ...Read more »

New Zealand scientists have reported that heavily processed foods with a high glycaemic index (GI) could be addictive in a similar way to drugs. Simon Thornley, from the Auckland Regional Public Health Service, noted that foods with a high GI caused blood-sugar levels to escalate suddenly, with the resultant sugar rush stimulating the same areas of the brain associated with addiction to drugs such as nicotine. Low-GI foods, on the other hand, provide a more steady release of sugar. He believes that... ...Read more »