Food Science

Academic staff

The following staff are available to supervise honours and masters research in the field of food science.

Associate Professor Said Ajlouni

Principal research interests focus on food safety, quality, and functionality, with special emphasis on minimally processed foods. Research topics cover the mode of action of natural antioxidants, fibers, and probiotics, and the effect of various processing and preservation techniques on safety, quality, nutritional value, and physio-chemical properties of foods. Current and future research areas include:

Current project topics:

• Metabolite biomarkers and their association with microbial growth.
• Health benefits and functional properties of selective agro-industrial waste by-products.
• Improving quality and safety of fresh-cut produce using biomarker techniques.
• Survival of free vs encapsulated probiotics in camel milk yoghurt.
• Survival of free vs encapsulated probiotics in some fruit juices during refrigerated storage.
• Improving sprout quality and safety using ozonation and/or peracetic organic compound (CH₃CO₃H).
• Comparing between dry and fresh yeast starter cultures and their role as probiotics.

Future project topics:

• Using hurdle technology to preserve and extend the shelf life of fresh produce.
• Antioxidants and their antimicrobial and health benefit.
• Probiotic, prebiotic, synbiotic, and postbiotic technologies and human health.
• Food safety and food security.
• Exploring legume fibre for enhanced essential element bioaccessibility.
• Improving curcuminoids in vitro bioaccessibility and health benefits.
• Impact of some plant fibre by-products on human microbiota.

Email: said@unimelb.edu.au

Professor Ling Zhi Cheong 

• Developing green and sustainable bioprocessing technology for valorization of food waste and agricultural waste.
• Catalytic behavior of lipases and metal organic frameworks based catalyst
• Understanding of the structural- function of human milk fat globule membranes and the impact of MGFM on early life gut microbiome.
• Understanding the structure-function of food lipids (dairy lipid, marine lipid, plant based lipid etc.) and developing technologies to enhance the quality and nutritional properties of food lipids.

Email: lingzhi.cheong@unimelb.edu.au

Professor Frank Dunshea and Associate Professor Sigfredo Fuentes

Sensory Analysis: Incorporating new tools in sensory analysis to enable experiments that manipulate the environment to answer questions of sensory influence of culture, behaviour and mood, informing product development.

Email: fdunshea@unimelb.edu.au and sigfredo.fuentes@unimelb.edu.au

Associate Professor Zhongxiang Fang

Project topics:

• Effect of food processing and preservation on food quality and safety
• Analysis of food bioactive compounds (e.g., peptides, polyphenols, and polysaccharides) and their functionalities
• Encapsulation of food bioactive compounds
• Active and intelligent packaging, and edible film/coating
• Emerging food technologies such as food 3D/4D printing and plant protein based meat analogues

Email: zhongxiang.fang@unimelb.edu.au

Associate Professor Sigfredo Fuentes

Project topics:

• Climate change impacts and adaptation in fruit trees (including grapevines) - Fruit trees are particularly vulnerable to future climate change due to their permanence and longevity. Understanding both impacts and potential adaptation options for the fruit tree requires combining physiology, climatology and management options. Research projects in this space include modelling analysis looking for climate trends, relating climate to physiology and overlaying adaptive responses to consider their benefit in minimising risks. A recent example of project work was an investigation into differences in flower bud types in response to different temperature conditions.
• Sensory science – analysis and practice - Semester-long minor research projects are available involving sensory science of food and brewages, such as: chocolate, wine, beer, cheese. It is also possible to have a matching food and wine project. For completion of a project, students will need to select the specific topic, organise and train a sensory panel, gather data, analyse the data using multivariate data analysis tools and present their findings. Supervisory meetings will be held fortnightly, which will provide guidance to students in their sensory projects and analysis.

Email: sigfredo.fuentes@unimelb.edu.au and claudia.gonzalez@unimelb.edu.au

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 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

Email: melindee.hastie@unimelb.edu.au

Associate Professor Kate Howell

Project topics:

• Understanding the growth and physiology of wild yeasts in a wine fermentation

Email: khowell@unimelb.edu.au

Dr Ken Ng

Research focus on the chemistry and biochemistry of phenolic acids and polyphenols, with emphasis on their applications in health.

Project topics:

• Interaction of dietary fiber and polyphenol in promoting better gut health
• Identification and characterization of α-amylase, α-glucosidase, lipase and angiotensin inhibitors from plant in the context of developing functional foods for the management of diabetes
• Identification and characterization of acetylcholine and butyrylcholine esterase inhibitors from medicinal herbs or plant relevant to Alzheimer’s diseases

Email: ngkf@unimelb.edu.au

Dr Senaka Ranadheera

Project topics:

• Probiotics & prebiotics – the gastrointestinal tolerance and colonic fermentation in various food substrates in vitro
• Nutrient bioaccessibility of probiotic food products in vitro
• Food substrates and their influence on human gut microbiome in vitro
• Dairy proteins
• Food quality, safety & design of healthy foods

Email: senaka.ranadheera@unimelb.edu.au

Dr Hafiz Suleria

Major research focus on food science and nutrition particularly in the screening of phytochemicals and bioactive molecules from different plants, marine and animal sources. His research interest includes isolation, purification and characterization of bioactive compounds using various cutting-edge technologies followed by their in vitro bioactivity, in vivo, cell culture and animal studies.

Projects topics:

• Functional foods, phytochemicals and their potential bioactivities
• Screening of bioactive compounds from food and food waste streams using advanced analytical techniques
• The effect of food matrix and food processing on in vitro simulated gastrointestinal digestion, polyphenol bioaccessibility and bioactivity
• Impact of polyphenols on gut health; gut microbiome modulation

Email: hafiz.suleria@unimelb.edu.au

Professor Robyn Warner

Fundamental and applied research on muscle oxidation and cytoskeletal proteins in relation to muscle quality and nutritional value.

Email: robyn.warner@unimelb.edu.au

Dr Pangzhen Zhang

Research focus on viticulture, flavour chemistry and biochemistry of terpenoids, phenolics, phenolic amides, alkaloids and lactones, their influence on the sensory attributes of food and human health.

Project topics:

• Horticulture: Grapevine rootstock – influences on grapevine physiology and grape quality
• Horticulture: Grapevine root-soil-microbe interaction
• Food Science: Influences of food on antibiotic resistant bacteria
• Food Science: Carcinogenic/Anticarcinogenic effect of food products
• Food Science: Development of novel wine products and optimising their sensory attributes

Email: pangzhen.zhang@unimelb.edu.au