Find a supervisor
The following staff are available to supervise honours and masters research in the Food Science research group.
Professor Ling Zhi Cheong
Ling-Zhi's research interest focuses on the development of new and advanced processes for the production of functional and healthful ingredients and food products. She is also interested in unveiling the relationship between the physicochemical, functional and nutritional properties of ingredients and food products. She is also passionate about circular economy in the agri-food sector and providing value-adding and sustainable solutions to agrifood processing side streams.
Project topics:
- Bioprocess and advanced technology for the production of functional and healthful ingredients and food.
- Structure, function and nutritional properties of ingredients and food products (digestibility, gut health, antioxidative and anti-inflammatory). Food for different stages of life (early life nutrition).
- Novel food matrices (emulsion, emulgel, oleogel).
- Biosensing and biodetection of food contaminants and strategies to mitigate food contamination.
- Alternative food ingredients.
Prof Kate Howell
Kate's research examines microbes, especially yeasts and bacteria and their activity in food and humans. Of particular interest are interactions between these microbes that alter the activity of the biome, and lead to changes in aroma, flavour and health-associated properties. Kate's group investigates food fermentation (including bread, wine, beer, and chocolate), and microbes in the oral and gut cavities in humans.
Project topics:
- Interactions between yeasts and bacteria in cereal fermentations, including sourdough.
- Modelling oral microbes and interactions with food components.
- Identifying novel yeasts and bacteria for use in food production.
- Dietary patterns and formation of oral and gut microbial communities in humans.
A/Prof Said Ajlouni
Said’s principal research interests focus on food safety, quality, and functionality. He is passionate about probiotics/prebiotics, minimally processed foods, and functional ingredients and their impact on human microbiota and general health.
Project topics:
- Metabolites biomarkers in some fresh produce and their impact on in vitro gut microbiota.
- Prebiotic functions and health benefits of the dietary fibre Glucomannan (the root of the konjac plant) and the water-soluble Chitooligosaccharide in non-dairy foods.
- Antioxidant, antimicrobial, and antidiabetic activities of raw and pasteurized camel milk enriched with curcumin, an In vitro study.
- Studies of some Aboriginal Australian Plants and their therapeutic effects and antimicrobial function.
- Improving quality and safety of ready-to-eat foods
using probiotics metabolites biomarker.
Project 1: Microbial community and their functional properties in fermented Queso Blanco cheese enriched with beer
Introduction: Queso Blanco (QB) is a broad term for soft, white, creamy and mildly flavoured, Latin American cheeses made with bovine full cream or skim milk, and salt (Farkye et al.; 1995, Hnosko et al., 2009). QB is normally made using vinegar, citric acid, lemon juice, etc., in sufficient quantity to lower the milk pH to 5.2 while at a temperature of ~80-90oC. After acid-heat treatment, the milk coagulates and forms a gelled matrix of casein and whey proteins. The addition of salt to QB cheese enhances flavour and texture while extending its storage potential (Donnelly, 2016; Guinee & Fox, 2004).
However, the inclusion of different freeze-dried beer and its impact on microbial community and functional properties have not been investigated.
A few students can be involved in this investigation to explore the effect of different types and concentrations of freeze-dried beer on the microbial, organoleptic, and functional properties of QB cheese.
Project 2: Microbial community and functional properties of plant-based yoghurt
Introduction: Probiotic yoghurt will be prepared using milk blend containing pumpkin seeds, almonds and soybean
The milk blend with the ratios of 1:1:1 (almond, soybean and pumpkin seeds) will be freshly prepared and pasteurized at 70oC for 30 min. The pasteurized milk will be cooled down to 45oC before inoculating it with a starter culture (Lactobacillus bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophiles), transferring into the fermentation jar and incubating anaerobically at 45oC until a pH 4.8 is achieved. The prepared yoghurt will be stored in a refrigerator at 4oC for 21 days, and analysed for microbial, physical and organoleptic properties.
Prof Zhongxiang Fang
Zhongxiang researches how food processing and preservation influence food quality and safety. He explores the application of new food resources and emerging food processing technologies to produce innovative food products with health benefits while reducing food waste.
Project topics:
- Food quality and safety
- Food fermentation
- New plant protein resources
- Functional foods
- Food encapsulation and active packaging
A/Prof Ken Ng
Ken Ng researches how polyphenols and dietary fibre interact in affecting bacteria growth and the type of metabolites produced impacting gut health and finding and characterizing potent polyphenolic alpha-glucosidase inhibitors from plants in the context of diabetic management.
Project topics:
- Understanding the interplay between polyphenols and dietary fibres in affecting bacteria growth and the phenolic and fibre metabolites produced, provides insights for a more comprehensive access of their health roles.
- Studying the structure-activity relationship of flavonoids that specifically target the intestinal alpha-glucosidases rather than the pancreatic alpha-amylse in inhibiting starch digestion, for application as specific alpha-glucosidase inhibitors.
- Studying the structure-activity relationship of phenolic antioxidants, and their antioxidant mechanisms.
A/Prof Hafiz Suleria
Suleria's research focuses on food science and nutrition, specifically the screening of phytochemicals and bioactive compounds from plant, marine, and animal sources. He is passionate about advancing functional foods and nutraceuticals by addressing challenges related to their extraction, purification, characterisation, formulation, stabilisation, and product development. His work also emphasises improving bioaccessibility, bioavailability, targeted delivery systems, and navigating marketing strategies and regulations, aiming to enhance health outcomes through effective utilisation of these bioactive compounds.
Project topics:
- Understanding the bioaccessibility and bioavailability of bioactive compounds, along with their absorption and metabolism, is essential for optimising their health benefits. By employing targeted delivery systems, researchers can significantly enhance the effectiveness of these compounds in functional foods and nutraceuticals, ultimately contributing to improved health outcomes.
- Investigate the interactions of bioactive compounds with the gut microbiome, their role in strengthening gut barrier function, and their influence on nutrient absorption to develop dietary strategies that optimise health benefits and promote overall well-being.
- Exploring novel and advanced strategies to enhance the bioaccessibility and bioavailability of bioactive compounds to optimise their health benefits.
- Optimising innovative methods for utilising food waste by transforming it into value-added products, such as functional ingredients, animal feed, or bioenergy, thereby reducing environmental impact, enhancing resource efficiency, and promoting sustainable food systems.
- Utilisation of food bioactives in the development of novel food products, focusing on enhancing nutritional value, functionality, and health benefits while addressing consumer demand for healthier and more sustainable food options.
A/Prof Senaka Ranadheera
Senaka's research interests focus on probiotics and prebiotic food applications and their interactions with human gut microbiome using in vitro techniques. He investigates probiotic gastrointestinal tolerance, their adhesion to gut epithelium, colonic fermentation and the production of postbiotic compounds aiming to improve gut health.
Project topics:
- Synbiotic nature and functionality of probiotic-prebiotic interactions.
- Novel probiotics for improved gut health and product development.
- Probiotic-food interactions with human gut microbiome.
- Food fermentation.
- Food waste utilisation.
Professor Robyn Warner
Experience in meat science research, including on-farm, pre-and post-harvest aspects of animals, carcasses and meat, in relation to product quality, novel products, and consumer acceptability. She has a passion for fundamental research on the biochemistry, biology and biophysics of muscle and food in determining quality.
Project topics:
- Changes in muscle structure during thermal protein denaturation to understand the texture of meat and sensory properties.
- Understanding meat flavour through chemistry and consumer sensory experience.
- Mitigating effects of genetic selection on pork quality.
Dr Pangzhen Zhang
Pangzhen Zhang is a viticulturist and biochemist. His primary research interests focus on the biological functions of natural and AI de novo–designed molecules, particularly their sensory attributes and their impacts on human health.
In viticulture and horticulture, his work examines microbial terroir, grapevine rootstocks, root–soil–microbe interactions, biofertilizer development, and the effects of horticultural practices on the sensory and nutritional quality of horticultural products.
In food science, he investigates the biochemistry of natural food-derived molecules and AI de novo–designed peptides, their anti-inflammatory properties, and their regulatory effects on antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
Project topics:
- Horticulture: Grapevine rootstock – influences on grapevine physiology and grape quality.
- Horticulture: plant root-soil-microbe interactions, microbial terroir and biofertilizer development.
- Food Science: AI-driven functional peptide design and their biological functions.
- Food Science: Effects of natural food-derived and AI-designed molecules on antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
- Food Science: Anti-inflammatory effects of natural food-derived and AI-designed molecules.
- Food Science: Flavour chemistry and sensory evaluation of food products.
Billy Xynas
Billy Xynas is a Viticulturalist and Oenologist. His key research focus is on wine production in a changing climate. Interests include wine sensory analysis and recently his research has focused on developing water addition/substitution into Vitis vinifera cv. Shiraz wine grape must as an accepted fermentation strategy to lower ethanol production and maintain wine quality.
Project topics:
- Oenological approaches for reducing alcohol levels in wine.
- Oenology: Wine sensory analysis and perceptions.
- Accentuated Cut Edges (ACE) as an innovative vinification technique.
- Consumer perceptions of novel wine products.
- Winemaking in a changing climate. Adaptation strategies.
Dr Melindee Hastie
Focused on sustainable food production and quality, with an emphasis on linking objective measures of quality and consumer acceptance. Her research couples qualitative and quantitative sensory and consumer science methodologies with a wide range of enzymatic, chemical, and physical analysis techniques.
Project topics:
- Sustainability certification systems for Australian agrifood export products and consumer acceptance thereof.
- The development of blended meat products and meat analogues.
- The development of meat flavour.
- Pre- and post-harvest factors influencing meat quality.
Dr Sophie Selby-Pham
Sophie’s research looks at how compounds in foods—like polyphenols and peptides—can support better health. She’s especially interested in how these bioactives behave in the body, and uses cell culture models to study their effects on conditions like diabetes, gut disorders, and neurodegenerative diseases. Her work combines lab-based screening of functional foods with techniques like statistical modelling, cell culture models and animal studies to understand how these compounds work and how we can use them in everyday diets.
- Studying how food bioactives affect diabetes, gut health, and brain function using cell models.
- Investigating antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity of plant peptides and polyphenols.
- Exploring how bioactive compounds are absorbed and used by cells (bioavailability).
- Developing functional foods and testing their health effects in the lab.
- Using computer modelling to predict how food compounds interact with cells.
Dr Phuong Nguyen
Phuong’s research focuses on developing advanced and cost-effective processes to enhance the functionality, texture, and health benefits of food products. She is particularly interested in exploring the relationships between food structure, texture, rheology, tribology, and oral processing. This work enables the prediction of mouthfeel and sensory perception through instrumental analysis.
Project topics:
- Application of nanobubbles in food processing
- Rheological and tribological behaviour of food colloidal and gel systems
- Correlation between food texture, rheology, tribology, and sensory mouthfeel
- Advanced food processing technologies
Professor Chibuike Udenigwe
Chibuike’s research takes the chemical sciences approach in exploring various fundamental and applied aspects of proteins. This includes sustainable processing and production systems, bioactive peptides, food matrix interactions, bioaccessibility and bioavailability, colloidal systems for delivery functions, novel biomaterials (hydrogels and edible films), nutritional quality, and health benefits. His research goal is to transform sustainable proteins into value-added products that foster a healthy society and to create bio-based solutions to food systems challenges.
Project topics:
- Bioactive peptides in health and diseases (using in silico, in vitro, cell-based, and in vivo approaches)
- Novel functional protein-based biomaterials (delivery systems, edible films, self-assembling peptides and hydrogels)
- Food matrix interactions of proteins and peptides (biomolecular interactions, digestibility, bioaccessibility, bioavailability, and gut environment effects)
- Alternative proteins (production systems, (bio)processing, functionality and applications)
- Sustainable food innovation and societal benefits