Kai Zhao

PhD candidate

Automated crop monitoring

This project will provide the foundation research to support Australia’s protected cropping sector in transitioning to advanced high-tech decision support systems through developing and testing novel solutions for an array of real-world applications.

News

Food: Australia’s Hidden Superpower for Industrial Collaboration and National Renewal

When we think about the big levers for Australia’s future prosperity, we often talk about minerals, energy, defence, or digital technology. Yet beneath all these sits something far more fundamental: food. It is not just our oldest industry; it is our most enduring human need. Food anchors communities, supports thousands of businesses, underpins health, attracts…

FFS Publication

Urban food planning in Australia: Enabling and constraining factors

This paper theoretically examines the development of urban food planning and systematically explores the factors that enable and hinder its integration with Australian planning systems

Produce prescription to improve health among adults with type 2 diabetes in Australia: Protocol for a randomised controlled trial

Kimberly Glover, Megan Gow, Kathy Trieu, Liping Huang, Kristy K. Law, Bruce Neal, Jencia Wong, Ted Wu, Stephen Twigg, Amanda Gauld, Maria Constantino, Margaret McGill, Stephanie Noonan, David Simmons, Ian D. Caterson, Dariush Mozaffarian, Claudia Nau, Jing Li, Gian Luca Di Tanna, Vincent Wong, Jason H.Y. Wu

Article

Produce prescription to improve health among adults with type 2 diabetes in Australia: Protocol for a randomised controlled trial

‘Food is medicine’ programs such as Produce Prescription (PRx) aim to integrate food-based nutrition programs into healthcare, for the prevention, management and treatment of diet-related diseases, typically for those experiencing food insecurity. However, the impact of PRx on health indicators in Australia has never been tested in a randomised trial.

Video

SIFT with David Doepel

Dr James Krahe joined FFS Research Program Deputy Lead David Doepel at Murdoch University to discuss SIFT - Sustainable Innovative Food Technology WA, exploring the opportunities for small businesses emerging from the facility, the potential of High Pressure Processing (HPP) technology, and the power of collaboration. David also shares his personal journey in value-adding, crafting cheese at Melville Park with fellow custodian and partner, Barbara Connell.

News

Finding Common Ground: Why Collaboration Matters in Times of Global Trade Uncertainty

In an increasingly unpredictable world, global trade, once seen as a reliable backbone of economic growth, is under pressure. From shifting geopolitical alliances and supply chain volatility to rising protectionism and climate-related disruptions, trade uncertainty has become a defining challenge of our time. For Australia’s food and agriculture sectors, which rely heavily on global markets,…

NMR spectroscopy-derived nutritional quality index differentiates health benefits of extra virgin olive oils based on lipid profiles

Charlotte E. Rowley, Zora Singh, Andrea Steck, Birk Schuetz, Manfred Spraul, Henry Brockman, Yimin Wang, Catherine Itsiopoulos, Jeremy K. Nicholson, Samantha Lodge, Elaine Holmes, Gary Frost, Andres Bernal, Ruey Leng Loo

Article

NMR spectroscopy-derived nutritional quality index differentiates health benefits of extra virgin olive oils based on lipid profiles

The nutritional benefits of Extra Virgin Olive Oils (EVOOs) depend on their chemical composition. Currently, there is no simple way to compare the health benefits of different EVOOs. Samples from Australia, Greece, Italy, Spain and Tunisia (N = 423) were analyzed using proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy to screen against six quality parameters (free acidity, peroxides, K270,…

Video

‘Encapsulation of oil-based extracts for food flavouring applications’ with Dike (Miranda) Yang

Watch Dike (Miranda) Yang talk about the 'Encapsulation of oil-based extracts for food flavouring applications' FFS project

News

From PhD student to Planner

In the following interview, Dr Ripan Debnath, who completed his PhD at UNSW Sydney in 2023, shares his journey from research at the City Futures Research Centre to his role at the NSW Department of Planning, along with advice for PhD students entering the workforce. Discover Ripan’s journey of success.

Unravelling inulin molecules in food sources using a matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization magnetic resonance mass spectrometry (MALDI-MRMS) pipeline

Sung-Tong Chin, Berin A. Boughton, Melvin C.L. Gay, Alyce C. Russell, Yimin Wang, Vimalnath Nambiar, Mark P. McHenry, Elaine Holmes, Jeremy K. Nicholson, Ruey Leng Loo

Article

Unravelling inulin molecules in food sources using a matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization magnetic resonance mass spectrometry (MALDI-MRMS) pipeline

Inulin, a polysaccharide characterized by a β-2,1 fructosyl-fructose structure terminating in a glucosyl moiety, is naturally present in plant roots and tubers. Current methods provide average degrees of polymerization (DP) but lack information on the distribution and absolute concentration of each DP. To address this limitation, a reproducible (CV < 10 %) high throughput (<2…

Video

‘IoT for indoor cropping’ with Mark Cardamis

Watch FFS PhD student Mark Cardamis talk about the 'IoT for indoor cropping' FFS project

Food security: Gauging Australian food security with sustainable food consumption

Lijun Summerhayes

Article

Food security: Gauging Australian food security with sustainable food consumption

Australia is one of the most food-secure nations in the world, capable of feeding 75 million people, nearly three times its population. This abundance of food is attributable to the industrialisation of the agri-food system and advanced technologies, which are long assumed to have solved the atavistic challenge of feeding people adequately.

Video

Optimised fertigation improves yield and quality of cucumbers for resource efficiency and economic return in high-tech greenhouses

In this paper, the research team highlighted the potential benefits of maintained fertigation impacting productivity and quality of greenhouse cucumber varieties, identifying differential expression of key potassium transporter genes, linking fertigation management to plant responses.

Article

Quality and safety of fresh Spirulina (Arthrospira platensis) maintained by bubbling plasma-activated air

This paper highlights an exciting outcome on the potential of Cold Plasma technology for preserving fresh Spirulina. This breakthrough offers a promising alternative to traditional dried Spirulina products, making fresh Spirulina more accessible.

Sonic-induced cellular vibrations unzip intertwined anther cone trichomes to trigger floral self-pollination and boost tomato fruit size

Sidra Anwar, Happy, Angus Dingley, Thailammai Vinoth, Weiguang Liang, Brian M Sindel, Laurel George, Chun H Wang, Christopher I Cazzonelli

Article

Sonic-induced cellular vibrations unzip intertwined anther cone trichomes to trigger floral self-pollination and boost tomato fruit size

In a Future Food Systems project with funding partner Perfection Fresh Australia, led by Western Sydney University, researchers have developed an acoustic-induced pollination solution for protected cropping that uses inexpensive precision photoacoustic technology to enhance horticultural tomato crop production, supporting sustainable production and breakthroughs in pathogen control.

Optimal energy-efficient shade screen and ventilation control settings for a greenhouse covered with light-altering films

Sachin Gorakshnath Chavan, Premaratne Samaranayake, Yi-Chen Lan, Chelsea Maier, Weiguang Liang, Christopher I. Cazzonelli, Zhong-Hua Chen, David T. Tissue

Article

Optimal energy-efficient shade screen and ventilation control settings for a greenhouse covered with light-altering films

Explore the latest findings from an Future Food Systems-supported collaborative project between Western Sydney University, LLEAF and Hort Innovation, focused on optimising glasshouse energy management by investigating energy consumption under different shading, light-altering, and ventilation conditions.

Article

Enhancing volatile retention and storage stability for encapsulated raspberry flavour powder

In this study, the research team of Miranda Yang, Dr Yong Wang, Dr Qianyu Ye, Brad Baker and Professor Cordelia Selomulya, investigate the effect of flavour solvents and surfactants on the encapsulation of raspberry flavour by spray drying and the subsequent storage stability.

Plant pathogens, microbiomes, and soil health

Brajesh K. Singh, Gaofei Jiang, Zhong Wei, Tadeo Saez Sandino, Min Gao, Hongwei Liu, Chao Xiong.

Article

Plant pathogens, microbiomes, and soil health

Healthy soil is vital for ecosystem sustainability and global food security. However, anthropogenic activities that promote intensive agriculture, landscape and biodiversity homogenization, and climate change disrupt soil health. The soil microbiome is a critical component of healthy soils, and increasing evidence suggests that soils with low diversity or homogenized microbial systems are more susceptible to…

News

Take 5 w/ Kezia Yi Ya Hsu

We caught up with Kezia Yi Ya Hsu, a third-year PhD candidate at the School of Built Environment, UNSW Sydney, to explore her research focus, anticipated outcomes, aspirations for the future and her Future Food Systems (FFS) project, Modelling a Sustainable Floor-Space Mix. Please tell us about the Future Food Systems project you are currently…

News

CEO update – March 2025

There’s been an additional amount of chatter recently around manufacturing goods here in Australia. At Future Food Systems (FFS), we continue to assist local industry through initiatives and projects that add value, foster partnerships, and help businesses unlock growth opportunities by developing collaborative ecosystems—contributing to a more sustainable and resilient agrifood sector.

News

Flourishing through collaboration and knowledge sharing: For Food’s Sake 2025

In February 2025, Coffs Harbour became the epicentre of food system innovation and connections as manufacturers, producers, businesses, researchers, and policymakers from across Australia gathered for Future Food Systems annual event, For Food’s Sake. Held from 26–28 February at Pacific Bay Resort, the three-day event featured a dynamic program, including workshops, site visits, a two-day…

The rhizosphere microbiome can sustainably protect field-grown tomato crops against soil-borne pathogens and plant parasitic nematodes

Onyemaechi H. Obiazikwor, Anish Shah, Kirsty Bayliss

Article

The rhizosphere microbiome can sustainably protect field-grown tomato crops against soil-borne pathogens and plant parasitic nematodes

Roots of tomato plants (Solanum lycopersicum) are vulnerable to soil-borne pathogenic fungi, bacteria and nematodes. Current control methods for these biotic stressors have limitations, necessitating the need for new eco-friendly alternatives. The rhizosphere microbiome is an effective natural barrier to invasion by soil-borne pathogens, and there is scope to harness this inherent capacity to improve…

Article

Analyzing the Risk of Short-Term Losses in Free-Range Egg Production Using Commercial Data

The main purpose of this study was to investigate the risk of short-term free-range egg production losses using data derived from a combination of sensing technologies and management activities.

News

For Food’s Sake 2025 – Gallery

View photos from the 2025 For Food's Sake Summit in Coffs Harbour

The Australian truffle industry: History, challenges and opportunities

Mahesh C.A. Galappaththi, Jen McComb, Sarah J. Sapsford, Giles E. St J. Hardy, Treena I. Burgess

Article

The Australian truffle industry: History, challenges and opportunities

Tuber melanosporum was first harvested in Australia in 1999, and exports began in 2007. Australia is now the world’s fourth-largest truffle producer. The main challenges Australian producers face are climate change, obtaining well-mycorrhized seedlings with no contaminants, and preventing entry of the contaminant species T. indicum and T. maculatum to Australia and T. brumale from…

Banana Peels: A Genuine Waste or a Wonderful Opportunity?

Yasin, Mursleen, Shreya Gangan, and Sunil K. Panchal

Article

Banana Peels: A Genuine Waste or a Wonderful Opportunity?

Banana is the second-highest fruit produced in the world and is a staple food for over 400 million people. Only 40% of the crop is utilised, leading to 114 million tonnes of banana waste annually. Banana peel constitutes about ~40% of the whole fruit, and it is considered a domestic and food industry waste. It…

Media Coverage

Bravo™ apple study coverage

Optimal energy-efficient shade screen and ventilation control settings for a greenhouse covered with light-altering films

Sachin Chavan, Premaratne Samaranayake, Yi-Chen Lan, Chelsea Maier, Weiguang Liang , Christopher I Cazzonelli, Zhong-Hua Chen, David T. Tissue

Article

Optimal energy-efficient shade screen and ventilation control settings for a greenhouse covered with light-altering films

Introduction: Energy management in protected cropping is imperative to sustainably produce food. Optimal energy consumption in a protected cropping facility strongly depends on infrastructure control settings and meteorological conditions. This study aimed to optimise glasshouse energy management by investigating energy consumption under different shading, light-altering and ventilation conditions. Methods: We compared energy consumption used in…

Spi-VSTL: Image data collection platform using off-the shelf hardware for vertically supported crops in state-of-the-art glasshouses

Namal Jayasuriya, Malith Weerasekara, Oula Ghannoum, Yi Guo, Wen Hu

Article

Spi-VSTL: Image data collection platform using off-the shelf hardware for vertically supported crops in state-of-the-art glasshouses

Horticulture crop growers are moving from conventional to protected crops, aiming for quality food production utilising fewer resources. Skilled labour for monitoring and maintaining crops in these compact environments has been identified as a major cost and can be reduced using automated image-based crop monitoring. There is a range of protected cropping infrastructures targeting different…

Media Coverage

How will Australia’s food industry change over the next 10, 20 and 50 years

Future Food Systems CEO Dr James Krahe, Research & Commercialisation Director Professor Cordelia Selomulya, and FOODiQ Global CEO Dr Flávia Fayet-Moore discuss the future of food, ecosystems, and value addition at For Food’s Sake in Coffs Harbour with ABC Reporter, Lauren Bohane`

Media Coverage

Looking ahead at the future of Australia’s food industry

ABC Mid and North Coast Rural Reporter, Lauren Bohane talks to CEO, Dr James Krahe about Future Food Systems initiatives and the future of food

Media Coverage

National food summit underway in Coffs Harbour

Alison Paul covers the For Food’s Sake Summit for NBN Mid North News

Media Coverage

New technology makes biosecurity responses easier for fruit growers

$1.7 million Australian Tree Crop Map initiative uses mapping app to boost biosecurity for Australian fruit growers. The Australian Tree Crop Map project is delivered through Hort Innovation and led by an expert team at UNE’s Applied Agricultural Remote Sensing Centre (AARSC) in collaboration with Future Food Systems.

Advancements in atmospheric freeze-drying: Innovations, technology integration, quality and sustainability implications for food preservation

Nikunj Naliyadhara , Francisco J. Trujillo

Article

Advancements in atmospheric freeze-drying: Innovations, technology integration, quality and sustainability implications for food preservation

Atmospheric freeze-drying (AFD) is a method of freeze-drying conducted at atmospheric pressure and low temperatures below the freezing point of water, using dry air for the preservation of foods and pharmaceutical products. AFD shows promise as a cost-effective alternative to traditional vacuum freeze-drying (VFD), particularly for industrial-scale applications. This review aims to explore recent advancements…

Media Coverage

Researchers from Murdoch University are trying to figure out if the burgundy colour of Bravo apples makes them healthier than other varieties.

A former director of grains and innovation at the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development says there are pros and cons for moving DPIRD’s headquarters to Northam, about 100 kilometres north-east of Perth. This follows a pledge from the Nationals WA to spend $176 million to relocate DPIRD headquarters to Northam, if it wins…

Compliance and composition of herbal weight loss supplements and in vitro analysis of their safety using 1H NMR spectroscopy

Emily C Davies

Thesis

Compliance and composition of herbal weight loss supplements and in vitro analysis of their safety using 1H NMR spectroscopy

Herbal weight loss supplements (WLS) have become increasingly popular in recent years, however there is limited evidence to support their use. Regulation of herbal supplements by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) is typically via a trust-based system, raising concerns for product composition, safety and overall quality. A growing number of these products have been implicated…

News

CEO update – December 2024

It has been an action-packed few months here at Future Food Systems (FFS), with new partnerships announced and exciting initiatives in the pipeline.

Media Release

Cook Government applauds Bravo apple research collaboration

Health benefit verification to give Bravo apples competitive market advantage Value-add product development to create new apple snacks and juices Cook Government supporting innovative research throughout the food supply chain The Cook Government is backing research to create fresh opportunities in the wellness and value-add markets for Western Australian Bravo apples – boosting export potential…

Advances in molecular genetics have increased knowledge of Tuber species’ life cycle and population genetic structure, indicating ways to improve yield

Mahesh C. A. Galappaththi, William A. Dunstan, Giles E. St. J. Hardy, Jen McComb, Mark P. McHenry, Alessandra Zambonelli & Treena I. Burgess

Article

Advances in molecular genetics have increased knowledge of Tuber species’ life cycle and population genetic structure, indicating ways to improve yield

Truffles are possibly the only high-value cultivated organisms for which some aspects of the habit and life cycle have only recently been elucidated or remain unknown. Molecular techniques have helped explain the biological basis for some traditional empirical management techniques, such as inoculating soil with ascospores to improve yield, and have enhanced the detection of…

Understanding urban food systems: A spatial and temporal analysis in Sydney, Australia

Yi-Ya Hsu, Hoon Han

Article

Understanding urban food systems: A spatial and temporal analysis in Sydney, Australia

As food is a daily necessity for people, research on urban food systems, targeting urban food-related social issues and highlighting the importance of urban food policies, has increased. Past research has focused on food policies that target various food-related problems in urban areas, such as affordable food, food access equality and other food security related…

News

For Food’s Sake announcement: the Summit program has arrived

The For Food’s Sake Summit program is now live! Explore the future of food and the role of ecosystems, hear about cutting-edge innovations in automation and agritech, learn more about value-adding and native foods, and discover real-world examples of successful collaborations unlocking new economic opportunities, transforming the food landscape.

Video

LLEAF Showcase with Chris Wilkins

Chris Wilkins presenting a showcase from LLEAF (Research Showcase 2024)

Media Coverage

Ancient artichokes helping to unlock the secrets to good gut health

The small Mt Lindesay farm in Denmark is providing some big insights into the health benefits of an ancient vegetable, the globe artichoke.

News

CEO update – November 2024

It has been an action-packed few months here at Future Food Systems (FFS), with new partnerships announced and exciting initiatives in the pipeline.

Video

‘Characterisation of capsaicinoids’ with Mursleen Yasin

Watch FFS PhD student Mursleen Yasin talk about the 'Characterisation of capsaicinoids' FFS project

Media Release

For Food’s Sake: Fostering collaboration for a prosperous and sustainable future

Future Food Systems (FFS) proudly presents For Food’s Sake, an unmissable event poised to spark transformative collaborations in the agrifood sector, empowering both industry and communities to thrive.

Media Release

Flourish through collaboration: For Food’s Sake is heading to Coffs Harbour

Coffs Harbour, renowned for its amazing coastal scenery and vibrant agrifood sector, is set to host the eagerly anticipated third summit, For Food’s Sake in February 2025. The event, organised by Future Food Systems (FFS), will play an important role in promoting key technologies, innovations, partnerships and trends shaping Australia’s food systems along with highlighting the region's commitment to quality and community-centred economic growth through its celebrated local producers, farmers, restaurateurs, brewers, artisans, and manufacturers.

FFS Publication

Background Report for Developing Innovative Agrifood Ecosystems in Sunshine Coast SA4, QLD

This background report provides a comprehensive overview of contextual factors influencing food systems in the Sunshine Coast and Noosa region, also known as the Sunshine Coast SA4 region, in Queensland

A glasshouse light blocking film impacts Capsicum mesophyll ionic homeostasis and stomatal dynamics through altering light conditions

Chenchen Zhao, Sachin Chavan, Rebecca K. Vandegeer, Abu Bakar Siddique, Chelsea Maier, Weiguang Liang, Meixue Zhou, Christopher I. Cazzonelli, Oula Ghannoum, Zhong-Hua Chen & David T. Tissue

Article

A glasshouse light blocking film impacts Capsicum mesophyll ionic homeostasis and stomatal dynamics through altering light conditions

The use of light-blocking film (LBF) is a promising strategy to reduce energy consumption in high-tech glasshouses. However, it also reduces specific light spectra which affect the physiological responses of plants. The LBF reduces 8–25% of canopy-level photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) while targeting a reduction in biologically irrelevant heat-generating light. Here, we investigated the mesophyll…

Energy and fertigation consumption and economic viability of a light blocking film in greenhouse lettuce production

Jing He, Terry Lin, Weiguang Liang, Sachin Chavan, Subbu Sethuvenkatraman, Mark Goldsworthy, David Tissue, Zhong-Hua Chen

Article

Energy and fertigation consumption and economic viability of a light blocking film in greenhouse lettuce production

High-technology greenhouses offer a promising avenue for enhancing global food security, yet their high operational energy costs, associated with cooling, remain a significant barrier to extensive utilisation in crop production, particularly in warm regions. This study evaluates the impact of Light Blocking Film (LBF) and different cooling technologies on lettuce production in high-technology greenhouses in…

Video

‘Characterisation of capsaicinoids’ with Dr Sunil Panchal

Watch Dr Sunil Panchal talk about the 'Characterisation of capsaicinoids' FFS project

Media Coverage

Future Food Systems: connecting clusters, building ecosystems

In this episode, Food & Drink Business editor Kim Berry talks to the CEO of Future Food Systems, Dr James Krahe, discussing the concept of clusters and ecosystems, their importance in the future of successful food systems and how Future Food Systems Cooperative Research Centre (FFS CRC) is fostering their creation.

Video

Program 3 + SIFT overview with David Doepel

David Doepel – Program 3 overview + Sustainable Innovative Food Technologies Centre (SIFT) (Research Showcase 2024)

Trans-Governance and Food Systems (Tr-GaF) for food policy integration: A case study of the Australian food policy landscape

Lijun Summerhayes, Douglas Baker

Article

Trans-Governance and Food Systems (Tr-GaF) for food policy integration: A case study of the Australian food policy landscape

This paper presents the Trans-Governance and Food Systems (Tr-GaF) framework for food policy integration developed to evaluate the Australian food policy landscape.

FFS Publication

Background Report for Food Hub Development in Coffs Harbour, NSW

This background report provides a comprehensive overview of the current food systems in the Coffs Harbour region, NSW, as part of the preparatory work for developing a food and agribusiness innovation hub.

Video

Coffs Agrifood Living Lab (CALL) with Dr Jack Adams

Dr Jack Adams (QUT) – 'Coffs Agrifood Living Lab (CALL)' (FFS Research Showcase 2024)

Leafeon: Towards Accurate, Robust and Low-cost Leaf Water Content Sensing Using mmWave Radar

Hong Jia, Hao Qian, Wenyao Chen, Yihe Yan, Aaron Quigley, Chung Tung Chou

Paper

Leafeon: Towards Accurate, Robust and Low-cost Leaf Water Content Sensing Using mmWave Radar

Plant sensing plays an important role in modern smart agriculture and the farming industry. Remote radio sensing allows for monitoring essential indicators of plant health, such as leaf water content. While recent studies have shown the potential of using millimeter-wave (mmWave) radar for plant sensing, many overlook crucial factors such as leaf structure and surface…

Formulation challenges associated with microbial biofertilisers in sustainable agriculture and paths forward

Ayomide Emmanuel Fadiji, Chao Xiong, Eleonora Egidi, Brajesh K. Singh

Article

Formulation challenges associated with microbial biofertilisers in sustainable agriculture and paths forward

Sustainable increase in agriculture productivity is confronted by over-reliance and over-use of synthetic chemical fertilizers. With a market projection of $5.02 billion by 2030, biofertilizers are gaining momentum as a supplement and, in some cases, as an alternative to chemical fertilizers. Biofertilizers can improve the nutritional supply to the plant and simultaneously can improve soil…

Video

Value-adding to globe artichokes with Andrew Tilley

Andrew Tilley (Murdoch University and FFS PhD student) – 'Value-adding to Globe Artichokes' (FFS Research Showcase 2024)

Food diversity and accessibility enabled urban environments for sustainable food consumption: a case study of Brisbane, Australia

Lijun Summerhayes, Douglas Baker & Karen Vella

Article

Food diversity and accessibility enabled urban environments for sustainable food consumption: a case study of Brisbane, Australia

This paper evaluates 500 online surveys conducted in Brisbane, Australia, to explore public perceptions of food consumption and the underlying challenges and opportunities.

Video

Development of ultrasound and infrared radiation assisted Atmospheric Freeze Dryer with Nikunj Naliyadhara

Nikunj Naliyadhara (UNSW and FFS PhD student) – 'Development of Ultrasound and Infrared Radiation assisted Atmospheric Freeze Dryer' (FFS Research Showcase 2024)

News

Take 5 w/ Dr Ayesha Tulloch, FFS Project Leader

Q&A with Dr Ayesha Tulloch, FFS Project Leader

Video

Optimising blueberry fruit nutritional quality with Dr Richard Thomas and Gareema Pandey

Dr Richard Thomas (WSU and FFS project leader) and Gareema Pandey (WSU & FFS PhD student) – 'Optimising blueberry fruit nutritional quality using controlled spectra and mild stress treatment via polytunnel innovation' (FFS Research Showcase 2024)

Video

How can the attributes consumers value be determined for NSW horticultural products with Dr Lisa Tam

Dr Lisa Tam (QUT and FFS project leader) – 'How can the attributes consumers value be determined for NSW horticultural products' (FFS Research Showcase 2024)

MotionLeaf: Fine-grained Multi-Leaf Damped Vibration Monitoring for Plant Water Stress using Low-Cost mmWave Sensors

Mark Cardamis, Chun Tung Chou, Wen Hu

Paper

MotionLeaf: Fine-grained Multi-Leaf Damped Vibration Monitoring for Plant Water Stress using Low-Cost mmWave Sensors

In this paper, we introduce MotionLeaf , a novel mmWave base multi-point vibration frequency measurement system that can estimate plant stress by analyzing the surface vibrations of multiple leaves. MotionLeaf features a novel signal processing pipeline that accurately estimates fine-grained damped vibration frequencies based on noisy micro-displacement measurements from a mmWave radar. Specifically we explore…

Media Coverage

A farmer from the Great Southern has partnered with Murdoch University to trial different varieties of artichokes

The livestock shipping company Wellard, almost returned to profitability at the end of the 2024 financial year, recording a loss of $US0.8 million, a big improvement on $US15.5 million loss the previous year. A new high yielding oat variety, called Goldie, will be available to growers this summer. A farmer from the Great Southern has…

Video

‘Coffs Agrifood Living Lab’ with Dr Jack Adams

Dr Jack Adams discusses the 'Coffs Agrifood Living Lab' project's background and goals.

Video

‘Improving plant proteins functionality and bioactivity’ with Dr Rishi Naik

Watch Dr Rishi Naik talk about the 'Improving plant proteins functionality and bioactivity' FFS project

From Microbes to Microbiomes: Applications for Plant Health and Sustainable Agriculture

Gwyn A. Beattie, Kirsty L. Bayliss, Daniel A. Jacobson, Richard Broglie, Marleny Burkett-Cadena, Angela Sessitsch, Prasanna Kankanala, Joshua Stein, Kellye Eversole, and Ann Lichens-Park

Article

From Microbes to Microbiomes: Applications for Plant Health and Sustainable Agriculture

Plant−microbe interaction research has had a transformative trajectory, from individual microbial isolate studies to comprehensive analyses of plant microbiomes within the broader phytobiome framework. Acknowledging the indispensable role of plant microbiomes in shaping plant health, agriculture, and ecosystem resilience, we underscore the urgent need for sustainable crop production strategies in the face of contemporary challenges.…

Stakeholder Perspectives on the Acceptability, Design, and Integration of Produce Prescriptions for People with Type 2 Diabetes in Australia: A Formative Study

Jason Wu, Kristy Law, Kathy Trieu, Daisy Coyle, Kim Glover, Jenn Madz

Article

Stakeholder Perspectives on the Acceptability, Design, and Integration of Produce Prescriptions for People with Type 2 Diabetes in Australia: A Formative Study

Produce prescription programs can benefit both individuals and health systems; however, best practices for integrating such programs into the Australian health system are yet unknown. This study explored stakeholders’ perspectives on the acceptability, potential design and integration of produce prescription programs for adults with type 2 diabetes in Australia. Purposive sampling was used to recruit…

PC4C_CAPSI: Image data of capsicum plant growth in protected horticulture

Namal Jayasuriya, Oula Ghannoum, Wen Hu, Norbert Klause, Weiguang Liang, Yi Guo

Article

PC4C_CAPSI: Image data of capsicum plant growth in protected horticulture

Feeding the increasing global population and reducing the carbon footprint of agricultural activities are two critical challenges of our century. Growing crops under protected horticulture and precise crop monitoring have emerged to address these challenges. Crop monitoring in commercial protected facilities remains mostly manual and labour intensive. Using computer vision to solve specific problems in…

Media Release

On the rise: ARYZTA joins Future Food Systems as an industry partner

Future Food Systems (FFS) is proud to announce the inclusion of international bakery company ARYZTA as an industry partner in the Cooperative Research Centre (CRC). This partnership marks a significant step forward in advancing Australia's agrifood sector and fostering innovation in the industry.

Video

‘Atmospheric Freeze-drying’ with Dr Francisco Trujillo & Nikunj Naliyadhara

Watch Dr Francisco Trujillo & Nikunj Naliyadhara (PhD student) talk and give details about the 'Atmospheric Freeze-drying' FFS project

News

CEO update – July 2024

It has been an action-packed few months here at Future Food Systems (FFS), with new partnerships announced and exciting initiatives in the pipeline.

Harnessing co-evolutionary interactions between plant and Streptomyces for combatting drought stress

Hongwei Liu, Jiayu Li & Brajesh K. Singh

Article

Harnessing co-evolutionary interactions between plant and Streptomyces for combatting drought stress

Streptomyces is a drought-tolerant bacterial genus in soils, which forms close associations with plants to provide host resilience to drought stress. Here we synthesize the emerging research that illuminates the multifaceted interactions of Streptomyces spp. in both plant and soil environments. It also explores the potential co-evolutionary relationship between plants and Streptomyces spp. to forge…

News

‘Atmospheric Freeze-drying’ with Dr Francisco Trujillo & Nikunj Naliyadhara (PhD student)

Watch Dr Francisco Trujillo & Nikunj Naliyadhara (PhD student) talk and give details about the 'Atmospheric Freeze-drying' FFS project

Co-working office spaces in Sydney: Spatiotemporal dynamics and industry patterns

Yi-Ya Hsu, Hoon Han, Jinwoo Lee (Brian)

Article

Co-working office spaces in Sydney: Spatiotemporal dynamics and industry patterns

Co-working spaces have emerged as cost-effective office space management solutions for workers from diverse industries who share space, which generates cost savings and facilitates networking opportunities. Past studies have mainly focused on needs for and benefits of co-working spaces and range in emphasis from design preferences to potential social and economic impacts. However, limited attention…

Capsaicinoids from Sustainable Capsicum Production for Nutraceutical Development

Mursleen Yasin, Michelle Donovan-Mak, Zhong-Hua Chen and Sunil K. Panchal

Publication

Capsaicinoids from Sustainable Capsicum Production for Nutraceutical Development

Capsicum genus is enriched with a group of metabolites called capsaicinoids, responsible for the pungency of these plants, along with health-beneficial effects such as analgesic, antimicrobial, anticancer and antiobesity effects. Capsaicinoids are a group of alkaloids that are produced in the placenta of Capsicum fruits (capsicums and chillies) and then travel to other parts like…

FFS Publication

Future Food Systems Company profile

Founded in July 2019, Future Food Systems Cooperative Research Centre partners leading Australian universities with industry and government bodies to deliver impactful research in the food systems domain.

Insights into multi-component digestion and antioxidant release from plant protein-seaweed-based Maillard conjugate-MRP systems

Rishi Ravindra Naik, Qianyu Ye, Yong Wang, Cordelia Selomulya

Article

Insights into multi-component digestion and antioxidant release from plant protein-seaweed-based Maillard conjugate-MRP systems

Maillard conjugation to modify protein functionality results in the formation of a protein-polysaccharide complex. The resultant conjugate mixture is rich in different Maillard reaction products (MRP) and unreacted components. The investigation pertaining to the digestion and intestinal fate of these components is challenging due to the multitude of effects and interactions between different components. This…

Tool

Australian Tree Crop Map

Australian horticultural industries, including avocado, macadamia, citrus, olive, and banana, have collaborated to develop the ‘Australian Tree Crop Map (ATCM) Dashboard’, a national spatial dataset that accurately identifies the location and area of all commercial orchards larger than one hectare. Built to national mapping standards and openly accessible, the ATCM represents a landmark achievement in multi-industry data sharing and coordination. This project will now expand the map’s value by linking each orchard polygon with detailed industry-specific information such as crop variety, planting dates, management practices, and productivity metrics. By enriching the spatial layer with these attributes, the platform becomes a dynamic decision-support tool for stakeholders across the supply chain. The enhanced ATCM will support a wide array of agricultural outcomes, including improved traceability, market access, biosecurity preparedness, yield forecasting, and assessments of carbon storage and drought resilience. It sets a new standard for spatial data use across Australian agriculture, showcasing the power of collaboration and open-access platforms to drive innovation and build resilience across the sector. Ultimately, this initiative bridges the gap between spatial intelligence and on-ground productivity, reinforcing Australia’s global leadership in agri-digital infrastructure.

News

FFS Research & Commercialisation Director elected to American food institute

Prof. Cordelia Selomulya, FFS Research & Commercialisation Director and UNSW professor, has been recognised for her research and leadership in powdered food ingredients.

News

Using robotics to surmount labour challenges in commercial horticulture

From mobile platforms to deliver automated crop-tending services to banana de-handing robots, QUT's Dr Chris Lehnert is helping cut labour costs to Australia’s indoor cropping sector.

News

FFS-backed research recognised in prestigious academic journals

Several Future Food Systems-backed PhD students and project leads have had research papers published this year,

News

FFS project and program leads go global

Future Food Systems Program and Project leads have been travelling in recent weeks, sharing knowledge, forging connections and promoting FFS’s collaborative research.

Future Food Systems eNews issue # 46 – April 2024

Future Food Systems

Newsletter

Future Food Systems eNews issue # 46 – April 2024

Melville Park: a value-adding story David Doepel and Barbara Connell are life partners, serial entrepreneurs and co-custodians of historic Melville Park farm. Here, they’re collaborating with researchers, students and local businesses to add value to premium produce – from herbs and heirloom fruit and veg to the milk of the neighbour’s cows. Read more Agrifood…

Future Food Systems eNews issue # 45 – March 2024

Future Food Systems

Newsletter

Future Food Systems eNews issue # 45 – March 2024

FFS hosts successful For Food’s Sake Summit Our in-person Summit saw more than 120 stakeholders from agrifood, research and government sectors gather at Murdoch University and 6HEAD Perth to engage in spirited discussions around how we can collaborate to create more healthy, resilient, sustainable, productive and profitable food systems. For those of you who didn’t…

Future Food Systems eNews issue # 44 – February 2024

Future Food Systems

Newsletter

Future Food Systems eNews issue # 44 – February 2024

Message from the CEO The excitement is building for a huge week in Western Australia in late February, with Future Food Systems’ (FFS’s) very own For Food’s Sake Summit occurring on February 22, along with a number of agrifood-related events happening in the West. The chance to network and develop new partnerships with industry, research…

Reduced fertigation input sustains yield and physiological performance for improved economic returns and cleaner production of greenhouse eggplant

Islam MM, He J, Yong M, Babla M, Liang W, Li L, Bose J, Donovan-Mak M, Huda S, Tissue D, Ahmed T. Chen ZH

Article

Reduced fertigation input sustains yield and physiological performance for improved economic returns and cleaner production of greenhouse eggplant

Greenhouse horticulture, a sustainable alternative to conventional horticulture, maximises resource use and return for vegetable production. This study evaluated the impact of varying nutrient solution electrical conductivity (EC) levels (EC 1.8, 2.8, and 3.8) on eggplant cultivars (Solanum melongena L. cv. Lydia, and Tracey) performance and economic viability in high-tech glasshouses. We found that morphological…

Video

Chemical Engineering Research Society, UNSW with Prof. Cordelia Selomulya

Video

Bioactive components for value-add to Australian artichokes with Dr Mark McHenry, Dr Ruey Leng Loo and Andrew Tilley

Dr Mark McHenry and his wife, Dr Julia Anwar McHenry grow specialty globe artichokes on Mt Lindesay Farm, near Denmark, WA. As partners in a four-year, Future Food Systems-backed project, they work with researchers at Murdoch University including ANPC scientist Dr Ruey Leng Loo and PhD student Andrew Tilley to quantify beneficial properties in globe artichokes, notably long-chain inulin.

News

Highlighting the Central Coast’s dynamic food, beverage and manufacturing scene

In July. Future Food Systems staff, research leads and PhDs represented FFS, our projects and our mission at conferences and agrifood events nationwide.

Glasshouse films offer energy saving & productivity potential (VG21006)

AUSVEG

Podcast

Glasshouse films offer energy saving & productivity potential (VG21006)

On the western outskirts of Sydney stands a glasshouse a little reminiscent of a cathedral window. Part of the facility glows pink in the afternoon sun, and part a pale blue. The vibrant colours come from special films applied to the glass, which are being trialled for their potential to reduce energy use and increase…

News

Embarking on the journey of economic ecosystems: Paving the way for agrifood prosperity

Australia’s agrifood sector is witnessing the dawn of a powerful solution aimed at dismantling barriers and propelling businesses towards success: economic ecosystems.

News

Meet Romina Rader: insect pollinator expert

UNE Professor Romina Rader’s focus is on plant–animal interactions in natural and human-modified environments - in particular, the role pollinators play in horticultural cropping.

Agronomic Investigations of Australian Native Rice Species to Support Indigenous Enterprise Development in Tropical Northern Australia

Gehan Tarek Eltaher Abdelghany

Thesis

Agronomic Investigations of Australian Native Rice Species to Support Indigenous Enterprise Development in Tropical Northern Australia

Australian native Oryza species have potential for commercial cultivation due to their high nutritional grain profile, and their long association with Australian First Nations peoples. These species exhibit potential as high-value, niche foods, with cultural significance and nutritional benefits, particularly in gourmet cuisine, tourism, dining establishments, and value-added products. Consequently, they are considered promising candidates…

News

Q&A: Nicole McNaughton on cluster gains and growing pains

The CEO of South East Queensland-based Food & Agribusiness Network talks about inspiring, growing and sustaining an agrifood industry cluster in regional Australia.

News

Nurturing growth: Dr James Krahe’s vision for thriving agrifood clusters

Future Food Systems CEO James Krahe, a cluster establishment expert formerly with FIAL, gives his top tips into what clusters should strive for and avoid if they're to succeed long-term.

Future Food Systems eNews issue # 43 – December 2023

Future Food Systems

Newsletter

Future Food Systems eNews issue # 43 – December 2023

Message from the CEO As we approach the end of another remarkable year at Future Food Systems (FFS), I want to take a moment to express my gratitude and appreciation for each one of you. It’s been an extraordinary journey and I’m incredibly proud of what we’ve achieved together. This year has brought its fair…

News

Future Food Systems – Collaborating to foster agrifood clusters across Australia

Collaborative Future Food Systems projects and initiatives are providing powerful tools to help establish and promote successful, sustainable regional agrifood clusters in areas of comparative advantage across Australia.

News

Lijun Summerhayes, PhD: Exploring Aussie agrifood clusters

Future Food Systems’ first graduated PhD has gone from researching urban food policy to a paid role at her alumnus, QUT, exploring agrifood clusters across Australia.

News

Melville Park farm: a value-adding story

David Doepel and wife Barbara Connell are co-custodians of historic Melville Park Farm, where they’re collaborating with researchers and local businesses to add value to primary produce.

News

Scoping the Sunshine Coast agrifood ecosystem

Sunshine Coast cluster FAN is teaming with experts at QUT to ascertain what local agribusinesses need and how they can team up to reduce costs.

News

Take 5 w/ Prof. Brian Sindel, FFS Education Director

A Q&A with FFS Education Director Prof. Brian Sindel

How levies work, more efficient glasshouses, on-farm food waste

Vegalogue

Podcast

How levies work, more efficient glasshouses, on-farm food waste

Vegalogue is a podcast from Australian vegetable peak industry body AUSVEG. Each month we take a look at issues affecting the Australian vegetable, potato and onion sectors, unpacking levy-funded research and meeting some of the incredible people who make up the vegetable industry. 🌱 This month, we discuss: How the Australian horticulture levy system works,…

A light-blocking greenhouse film differentially impacts climate control energy use and capsicum production

Terry Lin, Chelsea R. Maier, Weiguang Liang, Norbert Klause, Jing He, David T. Tissue, Yi-Chen Lan, Subbu Sethuvenkatraman, Mark Goldsworthy and Zhong-Hua Chen

Article

A light-blocking greenhouse film differentially impacts climate control energy use and capsicum production

High-tech protected cropping holds great potential to improve global food security, but high cooling energy costs in warm climates pose difficulties in propagating the industry. Emerging technologies, such as diffuse glasses fitted with photoselective thin films, have interactions with crops and other cooling technologies which are not well-characterized for warm-climate glasshouses. A light-blocking film (LBF)…

Machine vision based plant height estimation for protected crop facilities

Namal Jayasuriya, Yi Guo, Wen Hu, Oula Ghannoum

Article

Machine vision based plant height estimation for protected crop facilities

The increasing demand for quality, year-round food production in limited space has led to the widespread adoption of protected cropping. Effectively monitoring and maintaining crops within these facilities requires substantial labour and expertise. Traditional manual monitoring is labour intensive and time consuming. Therefore, non-destructive image-based techniques, particularly those utilising 3D structural data, have gained attention.…

News

Future foods facility to fast-track new product development in WA

Murdoch University is the first Western Australian university to partner with the state government in a new commercial food factory that will help food and beverage businesses develop value-added food products for local consumption and global export. The Sustainable Innovative Food Technologies (SIFT) Centre – the result of a WA Government partnership with Future Food…

News

FFS PhD student finds cost-effective hands-free way to estimate plant height in protected cropping facilities

Namal Jayasuriya’s research at Western Sydney University using machine vision to estimate crop-height, a proxy for vegetative growth, has been published in Computers and Electronics in Agriculture.

News

For Food’s Sake Summit tours: SIFT opening and Melville Park farm

Guests who joined our recent day tours of the new SIFT facility at FIPWA and Melville Park farm glimpsed the collaborative future of food innovation and value-adding in WA

News

FFS hosts successful Summit: For Food’s Sake – fostering collaboration and innovation in WA’s agrifood sector

The recent For Food’s Sake Summit hosted by Future Food Systems at Murdoch University, Perth, was a testament to the vibrancy and potential of Western Australia’s agrifood industry. Supported by Murdoch University, the event convened stakeholders from diverse sectors to delve into the critical role of collaboration in driving innovation. Prof. Len Collard, an Indigenous…

News

evokeAG 2024 takeaways: Sideline events

This year's evokeAG conference was a mix of plenary and panel sessions. with sessions covering the spectrum of hot topics in ag-tech, from AI to indigenous IP.

News

evokeAG 2024 takeaways: Conference sessions

This year's evokeAG conference was a mix of plenary and panel sessions. with sessions covering the spectrum of hot topics in ag-tech, from AI to indigenous IP.

News

evokeAG 2024 takeaways: The Exchange

The exhibition floor was ‘connect central’ at evokeAG Perth, with Future Food System’s shared Hospitality Pavilion providing a natural meeting-point.

Media Coverage

Banana industry turns to robots and AI for ‘dangerous’ packing-shed task of cutting fruit from stem

It’s often top of the list of Australia’s most popular fruit, finding its way into lunch boxes and smoothies across the country every day. But it takes a bit of effort to get bananas from the farm to the fruit bowl, with growers relying on a significant workforce to pick and pack each harvest. Now,…

Media Coverage

Robotic arm under development to automate banana de-handing

The A$2m research programme will use computer vision and machine learning to find an automation solution Australian scientists are researching and developing new technology to build a robotic arm that will automate the repetitive and intensive parts of banana processing. The research will be delivered through Hort Innovation and led by the Queensland University of Technology…

Media Coverage

Value-add food production gets boost with new plant

A new $12.2 million food and beverage manufacturing centre in Western Australia will be open to all food and beverage businesses that are looking for low-risk environment to scale up production. The Sustainable Innovative Food Technologies Centre (SIFT) will offer common use of manufacturing equipment at a subsidised rate. SIFT is based at the Food…

Media Coverage

Sustainable, Innovative Food Technologies (SIFT) Centre at Food Innovation Precinct of WA opening Friday

Business owners are urged to enjoy a taste of the benefits of a new food and beverage manufacturing centre set to open in the Peel region this Friday. The Sustainable, Innovative Food Technologies (SIFT) Centre is opening in the Food Innovation Precinct of WA (FIPWA) at the Peel Business Park to give businesses without access…

News

Empowering smarter food consumption with sensors

By creating colour-changing sensors that detect spoilage in real time, nanotech experts at UNSW hope to change the way we consume everyday food products, reducing food waste.

Media Release

Collaborating for the future of food

Representatives spanning Australia's agrifood, research and governmental sectors are set to converge on Western Australia this week for Future Food Systems’ pinnacle event, For Food's Sake.

Media Coverage

Multi-million-dollar food manufacturing centre open in WA

A new innovative food manufacturing centre, which is set to open in Western Australia, will help boost local food and beverage manufacturing, as well as drive growth in the state’s value-added food production. The WA government has invested $12.2 million into the establishment of the Sustainable, Innovative Food Technologies (SIFT) Centre located within the Food…

Media Coverage

Banana industry turns to robots and AI for ‘dangerous’ packing-shed task of cutting fruit from stem

News

Robots to make banana processing more a-peeling

Hort Innovation, QUT, ARM Hub and Australian Hydraulics Services are collaborating with Future Food Systems in a $2M project to automate the labour-intensive job of de-handing bananas.

Impacts of biostimulants on crop yield and biological activity under drought conditions

Jenendra Wadduwage, Eleonora Egidi, Brajesh K. Singh, Catriona A. Macdonald

Article

Impacts of biostimulants on crop yield and biological activity under drought conditions

Biostimulants are proposed to have a role in sustainable food production and are being increasingly used strategies to limit the negative effects of drought stress on crop yield and soil health. However, how different biostimulants used alone, or in combination with conventional management approaches affect soil health and crop yield under drought in different soils…

News

Q&A with Mei Yong, CEO – My PlantCo

As we approach the end of another remarkable year at Future Food Systems, I want to take a moment to express my gratitude and appreciation for each one of you. It's been an extraordinary journey, and I'm incredibly proud of what we've achieved together.

Autonomous robotic platforms for greenhouses

https://research.qut.edu.au/

Reference Material

Autonomous robotic platforms for greenhouses

The goal of this project is to research and develop a fully autonomous robotic crop management system for protected cropping systems that will help the horticulture industry reduce the risk of crop loss and improve productivity by having the right information to make better decisions. A new crop monitoring and automation robot is currently being…

Assessing the effect of Maillard reaction products on the functionality and antioxidant properties of Amaranth-red seaweed blends

Rishi Ravindra Naik, Qianyu Ye, Yong Wang, Cordelia Selomulya

Article

Assessing the effect of Maillard reaction products on the functionality and antioxidant properties of Amaranth-red seaweed blends

Rishi Naik’s research paper investigates alternative ways to utilise the Maillard conjugation process (used to ‘brown’ food and enrich its flavour) to develop nutraceutical and functional foods with enhanced health benefits. This research paper is in collaboration with UNSW Professor Cordelia Selomulya, Dr Qianyu Ye and Dr Yong Wang.

Image based Crop Monitoring Technologies in Protected Horticulture: A Review

Eranda Namal Jayasuriya, Yi Guo, Wen Hu, Oula Ghannoum

Paper

Image based Crop Monitoring Technologies in Protected Horticulture: A Review

Future food security is a major concern of the 21st century with the growing global population and climate changes. In addressing these challenges, protected cropping ensures food production year-round and increases crop production per land area by controlling environment conditions. Maintaining the growth and health of crops in these facilities is essential to ensure optimum…

An integrated computational and collaborative approach for city resilience planning

Debnath, Ripan

Thesis

An integrated computational and collaborative approach for city resilience planning

Given the rise in climate change-related extreme events, there is an urgent need for cities and regions to implement resilience plans based on data and evidence and developed in collaboration with key stakeholders. However, current planning and decision-making processes rely on limited data and modelling. Moreover, stakeholder engagement is significantly inhibited by social, political, and…

A national map of protected cropping systems

Craig Shephard

Report

A national map of protected cropping systems

The ‘National Mapping of Protected Cropping Systems’ project delivered the first national baseline map of all commercial protected cropping systems (PCS) in Australia, published as the ‘Australian Protected Cropping Map Dashboard’ (Figure 1). The map developed with the Future Food Systems CRC, Protected Cropping Australia Ltd and NSW Local Land Services identifies 13,932 ha of…

News

PhD student pitches impress FFS Shark Tank

Five Future Food Systems-backed PhD students pitched their research to a 'Shark Tank'-style panel of experts at the annual Networking Night. Which was the most convincing?

An integrated computational and collaborative approach for city resilience planning

Debnath, Ripan

FFS Publication

An integrated computational and collaborative approach for city resilience planning

News

Message from the CEO

Light blocking film in a glasshouse impacts Capsicum annuum L. yield differentially across planting season

Chenchen Zhao, Sachin Chavan, Rebecca K Vandegeer, Meixue Zhou, Christopher I. Cazzonelli, Zhong-Hua Chen, and David T. Tissue

Article

Light blocking film in a glasshouse impacts Capsicum annuum L. yield differentially across planting season

High energy costs are a barrier to producing high-quality produce at protected cropping facilities. A potential solution to mitigate high energy costs is film technology, which blocks heat-producing radiation; however, the alteration of the light environment by these films may impact crop yield and quality. Previous studies have assessed the impact of ULR 80 [i.e.,…

A multifaceted approach to developing an Australian national map of protected cropping structures

Andrew Clark, Craig Shephard, Andrew Robson, Joel McKechnie, R. Blake Morrison and Abbie Rankin

Article

A multifaceted approach to developing an Australian national map of protected cropping structures

As the global population rises, there is an ever-increasing demand for food, in terms of volume, quality and sustainable production. Protected Cropping Structures (PCS) provide controlled farming environments that support the optimum use of crop inputs for plant growth, faster production cycles, multiple growing seasons per annum and increased yield, while offering greater control of…

Destinations of agricultural commodities originating from the Namoi region

Hoon Han, Ripan Debnath

Tool

Destinations of agricultural commodities originating from the Namoi region

News

Networking Night and AGM wrap up a year of success for FFS

Back-to-back events at UNSW Sydney's CBD campus on 6 and 8 December capped off another successful year for Future Food Systems CRC.

Altered dietary behaviour during pregnancy impacts systemic metabolic phenotypes

Charlotte E Rowley, Samantha Lodge, Siobhon Egan, Catherine Itsiopoulos, Claus T Christophersen, Desiree Silva, Elizabeth Kicic-Starcevich, Therese A O'Sullivan, Julien Wist, Jeremy Nicholson, Gary Frost, Elaine Holmes, Nina D'Vaz

Article

Altered dietary behaviour during pregnancy impacts systemic metabolic phenotypes

Rationale: Evidence suggests consumption of a Mediterranean diet (MD) can positively impact both maternal and offspring health, potentially mediated by a beneficial effect on inflammatory pathways. We aimed to apply metabolic profiling of serum and urine samples to assess differences between women who were stratified into high and low alignment to a MD throughout pregnancy…

Future Food Systems eNews issue # 42 – December 2023

Future Food Systems

Newsletter

Future Food Systems eNews issue # 42 – December 2023

FFS Networking Night Tue 5 December, 5:30 – 8:00pm, UNSW CBD Campus, 1 O’Connell Street, Level 6 Sydney, NSW 2000 | Cost: FREE As we approach the close of 2023, Future Food Systems invites all our partners to an informal gathering to recognise and celebrate the accomplishments of the past year. This is an opportunity…

Media Coverage

Microscopic organisms to increase crop yields

News

Victualis 2 highlights ACT’s food resilience challenges – and the power of collaboration

Hosted by FFS partner RDA ACT, the Victualis 2 dinner brought together key players in the region’s agrifood sector for an info-packed evening focused on sustainable, resilient urban food systems.

Media Coverage

Coffs Harbour’s collaborative approach to the agrifood industry

NETWORKING opportunities and creating new connections were declared as two winning outcomes from the 60-plus stakeholders who attended the Coffs Agrifood Living Lab (CALL) launch at Yarrila Place on October 25. Facilitated by the CALL project team, Dr Ozgur Dedehayir and Jack Adams from Queensland University of Technology (QUT), the event provided a preview of…

Media Coverage

Australian CEA mushroom production technology gets $2.1M research boost

The Queensland research team will focus on exotic and native mushroom cultivation. Researchers at Australia’s Queensland University of Technology (QUT) are rounding out the year with good news. They’ve been awarded $2.1 million to advance technologies aimed at expanding the country’s controlled-environment agriculture (CEA) exotic and native mushroom production. Driven in part by Australia’s burgeoning domestic demand…

News

Angus Dingley, PhD student: Improving warm-zone raspberry cultivation

UNE's Angus Dingley is exploring how temperature extremes affect pollination in polytunnels to help growers produce more and better berries.

News

Second PhD student graduates from Future Food Systems cohort

We congratulate Ripan Debnath on taking out his PhD from UNSW and for securing a new role as a Consultant for the University of Newcastle's Institute for Regional Futures.

Thesis

Urban food planning in Australia: Enabling and constraining factors

This paper theoretically examines the development of urban food planning and systematically explores the factors that enable and hinder its integration with Australian planning systems

News

FFS CEO Dr James Krahe – Q&A

At the end of his transformative 12-month tenure as FFS CEO, we sat down with Dr James Krahe to delve into his academic journey, hear about significant milestones in his career, and gain insight into his enthusiasm for collaboration and its power to bring about transformative real-world outcomes.

News

Gareema Pandey: Optimising nutritional content in polytunnel-grown blueberries

As CRC Industry PhD student attached to the 'Blueberry nutritional optimisation' project, Gareema Pandey is working with crop scientists and sustainability experts at Western Sydney University and NSW Department of Primary Industries to improve the nutritional profile of blueberries grown undercover.

Novel transcriptome networks are associated with adaptation of capsicum fruit development to a light-blocking glasshouse film

Xin He, Celymar A. Solis, Sachin G. Chavan, Chelsea Maier, Yuanyuan Wang, Weiguang Liang, Norbert Klause, Oula Ghannoum, Christopher I. Cazzonelli, David T. Tissue and Zhong-Hua Chen

Article

Novel transcriptome networks are associated with adaptation of capsicum fruit development to a light-blocking glasshouse film

Light-blocking films (LBFs) can contribute to significant energy savings for protected cropping via altering light transmitting, such as UVA, photosynthetically active radiation, blue and red spectra affecting photosynthesis, and capsicum yield. Here, we investigated the effects of LBF on orange color capsicum (O06614, Capsicum annuum L.) fruit transcriptome at 35 (mature green) and 65 (mature…

Future Food Systems eNews issue # 41 – November 2023

Future Food Systems

Newsletter

Future Food Systems eNews issue # 41 – November 2023

Meet the Summit speakers The speaker lineup for Future Food Systems’ For Food’s Sake Summit in Perth continues to grow: Register now to hear from Nicole McNaughton, CEO of Sunshine Coast agrifood cluster the Food & Agribusiness Network (FAN); cellular agriculture expert Prof. Johannes Le Coutre; Noongar Land Enterprise Group’s Alan Beattie; Dr Sally Buck…

News

China welcomes Future Food Systems’ ‘Future farming’ Program Lead

Distinguished Professor David Tissue’s recent trip included visits to former students and leading research institutions, a gigantic flux tower tour and some memorable dinners.

News

Expert research team to extend Australian Tree Crop Map in $1.7m collaboration

University of New England mapping experts are again teaming with Hort Innovation in a significant collaboration to extend the national tree-crop map.

News

Coffs Harbour’s collaborative spirit shines at the launch of CALL

In the picturesque coastal city of Coffs Harbour, the collaborative spirit was in full swing as the Coffs Agrifood Living Lab (CALL) launched at Yarrila Place on October 25

Video

Expanding Australia’s truffle cultivation industry with Mahesh Galappaththi

Working with mycologists at Murdoch University and with innovative growers Drs Mark and Julia Anwar McHenry on their farm near Denmark, WA, FFS-backed PhD student Mahesh Galappaththi, originally from Sri Lanka, is exploring ways to ensure successful colonisation of host trees’ root zones by some of the world’s most delectable truffle species.

Media Coverage

Micro-organisms to increase horticulture yield

News

LLEAF takes its sunlight-shifting, growth-enhancing films global

Sydney-based SME LLEAF has secured a global distributor for its innovative light-spectra-shifting agricultural film, shown to boost crop yields by up to 20%.

FFS Publication

2022/23 Annual Report

The Future Food Systems CRC 2022/2023 Annual Report provides an overview of project achievements, financials, CRC case studies and highlights of the fourth year of operation.

Robotic Task Automation in Protected Cropping Systems: enabling autonomous pollination in Australian greenhouses using mobile robots

John Skinner, Garima Samvedi, Jordan Erskine, Chris Lehnert

Paper

Robotic Task Automation in Protected Cropping Systems: enabling autonomous pollination in Australian greenhouses using mobile robots

This final report encapsulates the joint effort between Queensland University of Technology and P’Petual Holdings Pty Ltd in developing an autonomous mobile robot for enhancing the pollination process in greenhouses, particularly for Tomberry tomatoes. This initiative aimed to integrate and elevate P’Petual’s proprietary pollination system with autonomous capabilities, thereby addressing the labour-intensive and costly aspects…

News

Fiona Simson departs NFF to represent Aussie farmers on global stage

The National Farmers’ Federation’s first female President stepped down on 25 October to take on a global advocacy role as a Director of the World Farmers’ Organisation.

Media Release

Expanding collaborative networks: Food and Agribusiness Network joins Future Food Systems as program partner

Future Food Systems (FFS) CEO Dr James Krahe has announced the inclusion of agrifood industry Cluster the Food and Agribusiness Network (FAN) as a core collaborating participant in the CRC. The partnership is set to accelerate the Sunshine Coast-based cluster’s activities and progress towards key milestones, enabling FAN to leverage Future Food Systems’ nationwide connections to research, industry and government. The collaboration is expected to benefit the agrifood sector, not just in Queensland but across Australia.

Media Release

Bringing agrifood stakeholders together to drive collaboration and value-adding innovation in Coffs Harbour

Stakeholders from across Coffs Harbour’s agrifood sector are set to come together on October 25 to celebrate the launch of an exciting new project, the Coffs Agrifood Living Lab (CALL), designed to boost the region’s economic potential, increase food production and foster a sustainable, resilient local agrifood network.

Future Food Systems eNews issue # 40 – October 2023

Future Food Systems

Newsletter

Future Food Systems eNews issue # 40 – October 2023

Meet Dr Natasha Teakle, Summit speaker Dr Natasha ‘Tash’ Teakle comes from a WA farming family and spent eight years as an agricultural researcher and lecturer at the Universities of Western Australia, Glasgow, Southern California and Sydney before being becoming the head of start-up accelerator AgriStart in 2016. Last year, she was appointed Chair of…

Microbial inoculants with higher capacity to colonise soils improved wheat drought tolerance

Jiayu Li, Juntao Wang, Hongwei Liu, Catriona A. Macdonald, Brajesh K. Singh

Article

Microbial inoculants with higher capacity to colonise soils improved wheat drought tolerance

Microbial inoculants have gained increasing attention worldwide as an eco-friendly solution for improving agriculture productivity. Several studies have demonstrated their potential benefits, such as enhanced resistance to drought, salinity, and pathogens. However, the beneficial impacts of inoculants remain inconsistent. This variability is attributed to limited knowledge of the mechanisms by which microbial inoculants affect crop…

Future Food Systems eNews issue # 39 – September 2023

Future Food Systems

Newsletter

Future Food Systems eNews issue # 39 – September 2023

FFS Summit discounted earlybird tickets on sale Planning is in full swing for For Food’s Sake: It’s our future in February. We’ve now launched a dedicated event portal, so you can check out the agenda, confirmed speakers and sponsors, details about our Gala Dinner at the prestigious 6HEAD restaurant in Perth, and more. Tickets for…

News

What do Australian consumers want when buying fruit & veg?

NSW DPI is collaborating with QUT and farmers state-wide in research that aims to establish what drives consumers' fresh-produce purchases – knowledge growers can use to craft personalised marketing messages.

Media Coverage

Putting energy into things that matter – Mark McHenry

ark McHenry is a physicist, an innovator and an explorer of clean energy solutions. He’s worked on research projects in America, the Philippines and Mozambique and is an Associate Professor at Murdoch Uni’s Harry Butler Institute. He is also an avid organic veggie grower who loves sharing his passion for all things “geeky”. “The way…

News

Future Food Systems’ first PhD student graduates

QUT PhD student Lijun ‘Lucy’ Summerhayes, whose research explored urban food policy in Australia, was awarded her doctorate in September.

News

Meet W. Alexander Donald: Chemical analysis & mass spectrometry expert

Scientia A/Prof. Donald's love of mass spectrometry took him from UC Berkeley to UNSW; where his research includes leading an exciting FFS project with All G Foods.

Exploring the relationship between blueberry size and antioxidant content

Jake A. Cravino, Richard Thomas, Gareema Pandey, Corey W. Manwaring, Sophie Parks, Ross Andrew Shalliker

Article

Exploring the relationship between blueberry size and antioxidant content

Blueberries are a widely consumed superfood, known for their potent phytochemical content and health benefits. Given their importance to the global food market and the current health culture, blueberries are the focal point of much inquiry into their composition, physiological benefits, and the effect of growing conditions on the quality of the final berry. Given…

News

Produce prescriptions: Delivering free fruit & veg to cut T2D costs

Could a six-month dose of free fresh produce lead to improved health in food-insecure Australians with type-2 diabetes? The George Institute and UNSW are working with Harris Farm Markets to find out.

News

FFS team flies west for pre-Summit planning & FIPWA workshop

In August, FFS team members flew west for a series of stakeholder meetings, visits to Mt Lindesay and Melville Park farms and delivery of an FFS-FIPWA workshop.

Current Technologies and Target Crops in Protected Cropping

Chavan, S.G., Cazzonelli, C.I., Chen, Z., Ghannoum, O., Tissue, D.

Article

Current Technologies and Target Crops in Protected Cropping

Protected cropping offers a way to bolster food production in the face of climate change and deliver healthy food sustainably with fewer resources. However, to make this way of farming economically viable, we need to consider the status of protected cropping in the context of available technologies and corresponding target horticultural crops. This review outlines…

A Novel Cover Material Improves Cooling Energy and Fertigation Efficiency for Glasshouse Eggplant Production

Terry Lin, Mark Goldsworthy, Sachin Chavan, Weiguang Liang, Chelsea Maier, Oula Ghannoum, Christopher I. Cazzonelli, David T. Tissue, Yi-Chen Lan, Subbu Sethuvenkatraman, Han Lin, Baohua Jia, Zhong-Hua Chen

Article

A Novel Cover Material Improves Cooling Energy and Fertigation Efficiency for Glasshouse Eggplant Production

Glasshouses hold the potential to improve global food security, but high energy costs are an ongoing challenge in bringing them to the forefront of agriculture in warm climates. Here, the energy-saving potential of a ‘Smart Glass’ (SG), diffuse glass fitted with ULR-80 film which permits transmission of 85% of photosynthetically-active light and blocks heat-generating radiation, was characterised…

News

Claudia Vacca, PhD student: Boosting resilience in Broccolini™

Western Sydney University PhD student Claudia Vacca has spent their career studying plant pathogens, from trees to potatoes, developing new ways for early detection and intervention.

Polymer and photo-selective covers on plant and fruit development: A review

Gareema Pandey, Sophie Parks, Richard G. Thomas

Article

Polymer and photo-selective covers on plant and fruit development: A review

Growers have increasingly adopted protected cropping in tunnels or greenhouses to ensure sustainability and continuous crop productivity against a backdrop of climate change. The predominant types of covers used in controlled-environment agriculture are polymer-based shade nets or structures covered with polymer sheets. These have three main functions: (1) physical protection from birds, hail, and excessive…

Trade in the Digital Age: Agreements to Mitigate Fragmentation

Felicity Deane, Emily Woolmer, Shoufeng Cao and Kieran Tranter

Article

Trade in the Digital Age: Agreements to Mitigate Fragmentation

Cross-border data flow is essential to contemporary international trade. However, transitioning from paper to digital in international trade has benefits and concerns. Concerns have led to an upsurge in data regulation as nations and regions impose restrictions on data flows and storage. This paper argues that, with increasing concerns about data sovereignty, the reconciliation of…

Produce Prescription for Type 2 Diabetes in Australia

The George Institute for Global Health

Publication

Produce Prescription for Type 2 Diabetes in Australia

This project will test the efficacy and cost-effectiveness of produce prescription in a randomised controlled trial as a novel way of improving the clinical management of people with type 2 diabetes and food insecurity. In addition, we will partner with research end-users to understand the governance and infrastructure required to facilitate uptake of produce prescription…

Future Food Systems eNews issue # 38 – August 2023

Future Food Systems

Newsletter

Future Food Systems eNews issue # 38 – August 2023

Australia’s first agrifood-focused Living Lab coming to Coffs The City of Coffs Harbour, Queensland University of Technology and Future Food Systems will work together to establish an open-ecosystem ‘Living Lab’ where stakeholders can connect, collaborate and co-develop innovations that add value to Coffs’ agrifood sector. The first project for Lab members? Co-designing the concept for…

News

Meet Elnaz Irannezhad: freight transport and logistics expert

Thriving in the male-dominated fields of freight and logistics is no easy feat. But Dr Elli Irannezhad is no ordinary woman.

News

Future Food Systems represented at events around the world

In July. Future Food Systems staff, research leads and PhDs represented FFS, our projects and our mission at conferences and agrifood events nationwide.

News

Planet-friendly F&B packaging projects unwrapped

Industry partner FP Paradigm is teaming with UNSW scientists in a series of projects that aim to develop food and beverage packaging that is smarter, safer and more sustainable.

News

‘Living Lab’ to drive value-adding innovation in Coffs Harbour’s agrifood sector

A new Future Food Systems project will establish Australia’s first food-focused ‘Living Lab’ to foster creative collaboration among stakeholders in Coffs’ agrifood ecosystem, including co-designing the concept for a dedicated food innovation and logistics precinct for the region.

News

Mazadul Islam, PhD student: Making glasshouse fertigation more sustainable

FFS PhD student Mazadul Islam is working with experts in two nations to find more sustainable ways to fertigate indoor vegetable crops.

Video

A unique vertical farming system with Vertical Patch

The Vertical Patch team explains the company’s state-of-the-art indoor growing system.

Video

Collaborating to deliver state-of-the-art produce with 6HEAD and Vertical Patch

Here, the Vertical Patch team explains the company’s state-of-the-art indoor growing system and 6HEAD discusses its ongoing win-win relationship with this unusual supplier.

News

Hort Innovation explores tech-enabled solutions to berry-sector labour woes

Hort Innovation consulted berry growers Australia-wide to identify viable, cost-effective technology to address one of the sector’s greatest challenges: harvesting labour.

Video

Phenolics in globe artichokes with Andrew Tilley

Murdoch University PhD student Andrew Tilley presenting 'Phenolics in Globe Artichokes' at the 2023 FFS Research Showcase

Video

Novel microbiome technologies to increase profitability for Australian horticulture with Assoc. Prof. Kirsty Bayliss

Murdoch University Assoc. Prof. Kirsty Bayliss presenting 'Novel microbiome technologies to increase profitability for Aus horticulture' at the 2023 FFS Research Showcase

Video

Advanced analytics for value-added solutions with Dr Ruey Leng Loo

Murdoch University's Dr Ruey-Leng Loo presenting 'Advanced Analytics for Value-Added Solutions' at the 2023 FFS Research Showcase

Video

Novel bio-based solutions for effective management of key root pathogens with Dr Hongwei Liu

WSU's Dr Hongwei Liu presenting 'Novel bio-based solutions for effective management of key root pathogens' at the 2023 FFS Research Showcase

Video

Sustainable fertigation for high yield and quality vegetables in protected cropping with Prof. Zhonghua Chen

WSU Prof. Zhonghua Chen presenting 'Sustainable fertigation for high yield and quality vegetables in Protected Cropping' at the 2023 FFS Research Showcase

Video

Microbial rhizosphere diversity in glasshouse hydroponic crops with Phil Thomas

UNE PhD student Phil Thomas presenting 'Microbial rhizosphere diversity in glasshouse hydroponic crops' at the 2023 FFS Research Showcase

Video

How does urban food planning occur in Australia? with Lijun Summerhayes

QUT PhD student Lijun Summerhayes presenting 'How does urban food planning occur in Australia?' at the 2023 FFS Research Showcase

Video

Towards a Smart Agribusiness Sector in the Namoi with Prof. Hoon Han

UNSW Prof. Hoon Han presenting 'Towards a Smart Agribusiness Sector in the Namoi' at the 2023 FFS Research Showcase

Video

Circular economy framework to manufacture sustainable construction materials with Natalie Aaron

UNSW PhD student Natalie Aaron presenting 'Circular economy framework to manufacture sustainable construction materials' at the 2023 FFS Research Showcase

Potassium transport and use efficiency for sustainable fertigation in protected cropping

Sonali, Samsul Huda, Vijay Jayasena, Talaat Ahmed, Zhong-Hua Chen

Article

Potassium transport and use efficiency for sustainable fertigation in protected cropping

The increasing demand for high-quality horticultural produces in global markets has driven the growing crop production under protected cropping, which are usually more efficient in fertilizer use compared to field cultivation. As one of the key macronutrients, available potassium (K+) resources have decreased due to the expansion of intensive agriculture and excessive use of K…

News

LLEAF launches vast ‘solar lab’ on Sydney’s Northern Beaches

FFS partner LLEAF has opened a large-scale ‘solar laboratory’ to trial its light-spectrum-shifting, crop yield-boosting agricultural films in commercial glasshouse conditions.

News

UNSW professor recognised as one of Republic of Korea’s key academic leaders

FFS project lead and UNSW Professor Hoon Han was one of 18 Korean academics worldwide chosen to meet the Republic of Korea’s President.

News

PhD progress report: Gehan Abdelghany, ‘Commercialising native rice’ project

Darwin-based FFS PhD scholar Gehan Abdelghany's research is contributing valuable agronomic information to the FFS-backed ‘Commercialising native rice’ project.

News

First national map of Australia’s protected cropping structures launched

Launched in mid-July, Australia’s first national map of PC systems enables accurate yield forecasting and speedy, targeted response to natural disasters and biosecurity threats.

Future Food Systems eNews issue # 37 – July 2023

Future Food Systems

Newsletter

Future Food Systems eNews issue # 37 – July 2023

FFS Research Showcase: Register now Thu 27 July 2023, 2pm-4.30pm AEST, Webinar Hear from Future Food Systems program and project leads as well as PhDs in this free webinar highlighting FFS-backed collaborations that advance sustainable development in our agrifood sector – from delivering a database of agricultural producers in NSW’s Namoi region, to developing new…

News

FFS team visits UNE and Costa’s 40ha glasshouse

Future Food Systems headed to NSW's Northern Tablelands in June, visiting University of New England and Costa Group's state-of-the-art tomato-production glasshouse.

News

Foundations laid for manufacturing CE construction materials

A UNSW-EcoMag project team is exploring cost-effective ways to turn agricultural and industrial waste into low-carbon plasterboard and cladding.

News

FFS PhDs tour National Vegetable Protected Cropping Centre

On 14 June, FFS staff and PhDs visited Western Sydney University Hawkesbury campus and the $7m National Vegetable Protected Cropping Centre.

Video

Using sensors and machine learning to measure growth and health in protected cropping with Namal Jayasuriya

Eranda Namal Jayasuriya moved from Sri Lanka to Singapore to Sydney to pursue a passion for computer science. As part of the CRC’s ‘IoT for indoor cropping’ project team, he’s conducting sophisticated image analysis to monitor indoor crops

Seed biopriming for sustainable agriculture and ecosystem restoration

Prachi Singh, Anukool Vaishnav, Hongwei Liu, Chao Xiong, Harikesh Bahadur Singh, Brajesh K. Singh

Article

Seed biopriming for sustainable agriculture and ecosystem restoration

The utilization of microbial inoculants in the realm of sustainable agricultural and ecosystem restoration has witnessed a surge in recent decades. This rise is largely attributed to advancements in our understanding of plant–microbe interactions, the urgency to reduce the dependence on agrochemicals and the growing societal demand for sustainable strategies in ecosystem management. However, despite…

News

Sumitra Saha, PhD student: Exploring heat-resistant potato microbiomes for sustainable potato production in a changing climate

A grades in high-school science turned into a career path for Sumitra Saha, who recently joined Murdoch University as a PhD student on the'Novel microbiome technology' project team.

News

Meet Jason Scott: catalytics and sustainable materials expert

UNSW A/Prof. Jason Scott specialises in developing sustainable new materials, including planet-friendly plasterboard and F&B packaging for FFS. F&B packaging for FFS.

News

Future of food: what’s on the menu in 2050

From insects to cultured meat, nothing is off the table when it comes to feeding the world’s growing population, says UNSW professor Johannes le Coutre.

Tool

Australian Protected Cropping Map Dashboard

The national PCS map serves as a foundational dataset supporting a wide range of critical applications. It will inform logistical decisions related to transport, labour distribution, market access, and agricultural infrastructure. The data will also assist in developing responses to food security issues, drought, and natural disasters, and will be instrumental in biosecurity planning. Furthermore,…

Future Food Systems eNews issue # 36 – June 2023

Future Food Systems

Newsletter

Future Food Systems eNews issue # 36 – June 2023

An update from the FFS CEO With the fourth anniversary of FFS just around the corner, Dr James Krahe reflects on the accomplishments, research outcomes, collaborations and unwavering support that has been instrumental in the growth of the organisation and Australia’s agrifood sector. Read more Costa collaborates to optimise carbon inputs, boost yields In a…

News

Plans for NT food manufacturing plant revealed

A Charles Darwin University research group reveals what's needed for Northern Australia to build its own food manufacturing capabilities.

News

An update from FFS CEO Dr James Krahe

On the eve of Future Food Systems' fourth anniversary, Dr James Krahe reflects on the collaborations, accomplishments, research outcomes and unwavering support that have been instrumental in the growth of the CRC and Australia's agrifood sector.

Targeted lipidomics coupled with machine learning for authenticating the provenance of chicken eggs

Sung-Tong Chin, Gerhard Hoerlendsberger, Kok Wai Wong, Sirui Li, Sze How Bong, Luke Whiley, Julien Wist, Reika Masuda, Johan Greeff, Elaine Holmes, Jeremy K. Nicholson, Ruey Leng Loo

Article

Targeted lipidomics coupled with machine learning for authenticating the provenance of chicken eggs

Free-range eggs are ethically desirable but as with all high-value commercial products, the establishment of provenance can be problematic. Here, we compared a simple one-step isopropanol method to a two-step methyl-tert-butyl ether method for extracting lipid species in chicken egg yolks before liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) analysis. The isopropanol method extracted 937 lipid species…

Enzymatic browning: The role of substrates in polyphenol oxidase mediated browning

Andrew Tilley, Mark P. McHenry, Julia Anwar McHenry, Vicky Solah, Kirsty Bayliss

Article

Enzymatic browning: The role of substrates in polyphenol oxidase mediated browning

Enzymatic browning is a biological process that can have significant consequences for fresh produce, such as quality reduction in fruit and vegetables. It is primarily initiated by polyphenol oxidase (PPO) (EC 1.14.18.1 and EC 1.10.3.1) which catalyses the oxidation of phenolic compounds. It is thought that subsequent non-enzymatic reactions result in these compounds polymerising into…

News

The new home of food innovation in Western Australia

A specialised Food Science and Nutrition campus run by Murdoch University has launched at the Food Innovation Precinct WA.

News

CDU research shows two native plants have healing properties

A CDU PhD has shown that two plants native to Northern Australia contain bioactive compounds with significant potential for treating and preventing disease.

An energy-saving glasshouse film reduces seasonal, and cultivar dependent Capsicum yield due to light limited photosynthesis

Sachin G. Chavan, Xin He, Chelsea Maier, Yagiz Alagoz, Sidra Anwar, Zhong-Hua Chen, Oula Ghannoum, Christopher I. Cazzonelli, David T. Tissue

Article

An energy-saving glasshouse film reduces seasonal, and cultivar dependent Capsicum yield due to light limited photosynthesis

Glasshouse films can be used to reduce energy costs by limiting non-productive heat-generating radiation, but the impact on yield of greenhouse horticultural crops remains unknown. The effects of energy-saving film ULR-80 (ultra-low-reflectivity film with 80 % light transmission referred to as Smart Glass; SG) designed to block long wavelength light that generates heat also reduced…

News

A fresh R&D agenda for crops grown under cover

A new, stakeholder-set R&D strategy aims to address industry challenges and support smart, sustainable growth in Australia’s protected cropping sector.

Optimising CO<sub>2</sub> use to boost tomato yield, cut inputs

News

Optimising CO₂ use to boost tomato yield, cut inputs

Costa Group is teaming up with UNE, NSW DPI and ANU scientists, and FFS to help it reduce carbon use and increase yields in its Guyra tomato glasshouses.

Media Coverage

The scientific truth of things that matter

News

FFS joins forces with FAN

Thriving Sunshine Coast industry cluster Food and Agribusiness Network (FAN) has become a core participant in FFS.

News

Meet Onoriode Coast: Abiotic crop stress expert

Coast’s expertise in crop responses to environmental stress has helped growers globally. Now he’s lending it to leading grower Costa.

Future Food Systems eNews issue # 35 – May 2023

Future Food Systems

Newsletter

Future Food Systems eNews issue # 35 – May 2023

Save the Date: FFS Summit 21-23 February 2024, Perth WA In a major industry-research collaboration co-funded by the FFS, scientists at Western Sydney University will work with urban-farm outfit Vertical Patch, Episteme Solutions and NSW DPI to explore novel solutions for monitoring glasshouse-grown crops in near-real-time, laying the foundation for a decision support system enabling…

An asset-backed decentralised finance instrument for food supply chains – A case study from the livestock export industry

Thomas Miller, Shoufeng Cao, Xavier Boyer Marcus Foth & Warwick Powell,

Article

An asset-backed decentralised finance instrument for food supply chains – A case study from the livestock export industry

Decentralised finance (DeFi) has emerged as a blockchain-enabled innovation in supply chains that makes use of supporting infrastructure to transform financial services by reducing or removing the need for intermediaries. While an increasing number of pilotprojects have been exploring DeFi applications for use by small and medium enterprises(SMEs) in various finance scenarios, there is not…

News

Kesewa Opoku Agyemang, PhD student: Modelling agrifood supply chains

FFS PhD scholar Agyemang is modelliing freight data along the agrifood supply chain to boost efficiency and reduce waste on the path from farm to fork.

Media Release

2024 Future Food Systems Summit Announcement

FFS CEO, Dr James Krahe today announced that Perth, Western Australia, will host the second iteration of the Future Food Systems Summit, titled For Food’s Sake - It’s our future, in February 2024.

News

For Food’s Sake 2024

For Food’s Sake - It’s our future Summit will include conference sessions and a gala dinner on Thursday 22 and optional tours, including a visit to the new Food Innovation Precinct Western Australia, on Friday 23.

News

Meet Hoon Han: AI and geomapping expert

Prof. Han has used AI to ascertain land and CBD floorspace use, property values and more. Next, he’s keen to apply it to agrifood freight logistics and decision-making.

News

Mahesh Galappaththi, PhD student: Improving truffle cultivation Down Under

Mahesh Galappaththi’s BSc thesis was on elephant-human conflict in Sri Lanka; now, he’s looking to ascertain optimal conditions for truffle cultivation in WA.

Video

Sustainable fertigation with Prof. Zhonghua Chen

Prof. Zhonghua Chen, globally lauded scientist and Education Leader at Western Sydney University’s National Vegetable Protected Cropping Centre, talks about two projects he leads for FFS, exploring strategies for cooling and sustainable fertigation in glasshouse vegetable production.

News

FFS team goes west

Recently, two key members of the FFS team paid a productive visit to our partners in Western Australia.

Media Coverage

Engineering light for better farm yield and quality

Did you know that light can be engineered to be more photosynthetically active, less heat energy intense and used to modify plant behaviour? Enormous gains have been made in the past few decades in plant production though modification of climate, nutrition, water supply and temperasture of protected crops. Now the last piece of the puzzle,…

Media Coverage

Making sunlight better: Using films to manage sunlight for crop productivity

Today’s protected cropping systems have become astonishingly effective at extracting optimum potential from nutrients, water and plant genetics, while minimising harm from farming’s ancient adversaries, like insect pests. There is a variable still to be fully optimised, though: light and energy from the sun. Australian researchers are developing films that can be fitted to greenhouses…

Future Food Systems eNews issue # 34 – April 2023

Future Food Systems

Newsletter

Future Food Systems eNews issue # 34 – April 2023

FFS executes $6.8m ‘Crop monitoring’ project In a major industry-research collaboration co-funded by the FFS, scientists at Western Sydney University will work with urban-farm outfit Vertical Patch, Episteme Solutions and NSW DPI to explore novel solutions for monitoring glasshouse-grown crops in near-real-time, laying the foundation for a decision support system enabling seamless automated production. Read…

News

Meet Brajesh Singh: Functional ecology & soil biology expert

A world-leading plant microbiologist and Director of the Global Centre for Land-Based Innovation at Western Sydney University, Dist. Prof. Singh leads a FFSCRC project developing bio-based solutions to combat key root pathogens in Australia’s protected cropping systems.

News

National PC map proves its value in recent NSW varroa mite incursion

The AARSC’s near-completed map of all commercial protected cropping systems across Australia is already proving its worth as a rapid-response alert system for biosecurity breaches. The team behind it is calling for further feedback before finalising the national baseline map for release mid-year.

News

Harvesting stakeholder insights on protected cropping R&D

Hort Innovation and Protected Cropping Australia held a Summit on 17 March to develop a fresh R&D plan for the sector.

Future Food Systems eNews issue # 33 – March 2023

Future Food Systems

Newsletter

Future Food Systems eNews issue # 33 – March 2023

Farewell, Mike Ridout After almost four years with the Future Food Systems CRC as our Research Program 3 Deputy lead, Murdoch University’s Mike Ridout is stepping down from his role with FFSCRC at the end of this month to enjoy some well-deserved rest and relaxation. Read more Namoi land-use project seeks stakeholder feedback on new…

News

Fine-tuning a data-backed tool for agribusiness planning

UNSW mapping experts have sought stakeholder feedback on a tool developed to aid agribusiness planning in the Namoi.

News

Automating Australia’s indoor cropping sector

A new, $6.8M FFS project links vertical farm operators, data solutions providers and seed distributors with crop, sensor and IoT experts to develop tools that monitor and manage crop performance, pests, pathogens and pollination in near-real-time, enabling automated indoor production.

News

Priyanka Kundu, PhD: Perfecting precision-fermented proteins

FFS Industry PhD Kundu is working with UNSW scientists and All G Foods to ascertain the precise makeup of dairy proteins.

News

Smart mobile platform set to transform indoor pollination operations

QUT robotics experts have developed a self-guiding robotic platform that enables hands-free pollination in a commercial greenhouse, paving the way to cost-effective automation of labour-intensive tasks.

News

FFSCRC PhDs decide: Academia, industry…or both

In the first student catch-up of the year, new FFSCRC CEO Dr James Krahe addressed our PhD cohort on the pros and cons of working in industry vs academia.

Tomato rhizobiome project features in <i>Greenhouse Canada</i>

News

Tomato rhizobiome project features in Greenhouse Canada

A UNE team's groundbreaking research for Costa Group into hydoponic tomatoes' root-zone microbes has garnered international media attention.

News

Meet Rona Chandrawati: Nanotechnology expert

Dr Rona Chandrawati is a Scientia Associate Professor within UNSW’s School of Chemical Engineering and one of the Faculty of Engineering’s most awarded academics.

News

Sonali Koundal, PhD student: Finding sustainable ways to fertigate glasshouse-grown veggie crops

FFSCRC Industry PhD student and Western Sydney University student Sonali Koundal is exploring sustainable ways to fertigate glasshouse-grown vegetable crops for the benefit of growers and the environment.

Improving Blueberry Fruit Nutritional Quality through Physiological and Genetic Interventions: A Review of Current Research and Future Directions

P. Krishna, G. Pandey, R. Thomas, S.Parks

Article

Improving Blueberry Fruit Nutritional Quality through Physiological and Genetic Interventions: A Review of Current Research and Future Directions

Blueberry, hailed as an antioxidant superfood, is the fruit of small shrubs in the genus Vaccinium (family Ericaceae). The fruits are a rich source of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants such as flavonoids and phenolic acids. The antioxidative and anti-inflammatory activities derived from the polyphenolic compounds, particularly from the abundantly present anthocyanin pigment, have been highlighted…

The Hydroponic Rockwool Root Microbiome: Under Control or Underutilised?

Phil Thomas, Oliver G. G. Knox, Jeff R. Powell, Brian Sindel, Gal Winter

Article

The Hydroponic Rockwool Root Microbiome: Under Control or Underutilised?

Land plants have an ancient and intimate relationship with microorganisms, which influences the composition of natural ecosystems and the performance of crops. Plants shape the microbiome around their roots by releasing organic nutrients into the soil. Hydroponic horticulture aims to protect crops from damaging soil-borne pathogens by replacing soil with an artificial growing medium, such…

Media Coverage

National map of protected cropping systems now available in draft

This journal is the official publication of the Australian berry industries; Strawberries, Blueberries, Raspberries & Blackberries. This publication has been funded by Hort Innovation using the Blueberry, Strawberry and Raspberry and Blackberry R&D levy and contributions from the Australian Government.

Media Coverage

A world first: The first time metagenomics is being used to discover the microbe community – including pathogens – in hydroponic tomatoes.

As anyone in the industry knows, root pathogens are a common issue in greenhouse production, in systems that use soil but also in hydroponics. But if it happens that hydroponic systems are contaminated with one or more pathogens, as Dr. Gal Winter at the University of New England (UNE) in Australia explains, the resultant disease…

Future Food Systems eNews issue # 32 – February 2023

Future Food Systems

Newsletter

Future Food Systems eNews issue # 32 – February 2023

Say g’day to FFSCRC at evokeAG Our new CEO Dr James Krahe and Research & Commercialisation Director Prof. Cordelia Selomulya are representing the FFSCRC at this year’s evokeAG in Adelaide. If you’re at evokeAG, don’t miss this opportunity to catch up with them: drop by Stand 3. Smart glass prototype trials continue at Western Sydney…

Future Food Systems eNews issue # 31 – December 2022

Future Food Systems

Newsletter

Future Food Systems eNews issue # 31 – December 2022

Season’s greetings The team at Future Food Systems CRC would like to wish everyone a safe and enjoyable holiday season and a prosperous New Year. It has been a productive year for the CRC, with 10 industry projects completed, 14 new projects launched and a further 11 in the pipeline. The CRC’s research projects are…

News

Harnessing encapsulation expertise to slash methane emissions in free-ranging ruminants

A new FFSCRC project aims to develop a cost-effective way of delivering methane-reducing feed additives to ruminants in the field.

News

$3.5m project to trial prototype glasshouse films on climbing crops

A $3.5m FFSCRC project with Hort Innovation and LLEAF is trialling two greenhouse-film prototypes that have the potential to boost crop productivity, slash input costs and shrink the environmental footprint of Australia’s PC horticulture sector.

News

Kezia Yi Ya Hsu, PhD student: Modelling a sustainable floor-space mix for Sydney’s CBD

UNSW Sydney PhD student and FFSCRC PhD student Yi-Ya Hsu is developing a tool to help planners and policymakers formulate a smart, sustainable mixed-use strategy for available city office space.

Video

Luminescent Light Emitting Agricultural Film (LLEAF) with Dr Alex Soeriyadi

Hear Sydney-based agripreneur Alex Soeriyadi, an industry partner in the FFSCRC’s ‘Smart glass’, ‘Glasshouse films’ and ‘Methane reduction’ projects, discuss his light-spectra-shifting, crop-enhancing agricultural film LLEAF-Red and the trials it is undergoing at Western Sydney University.

News

Food Innovation Precinct Western Australia launches

On Friday 24 February, the multi-million-dollar Food Innovation Precinct Western Australia, aka Mereny Bidi Boodja, was formally opened at Peel Business Park in the state’s south-west.

Video

Combining sensors and imaging to better inform crop growth and health in indoor farming with Prof. Oula Ghannoum

Hear Western Sydney University Professor Oula Ghannoum, crop scientist, key researcher on several FFSCRC projects and the project lead for the new $6.8m 'Automated Crop Monitoring for Protected Cropping Systems' project.

Video

Improving energy consumption using smart glass films in protected cropping with Dist. Prof. David Tissue

Hear Dist. Prof. Tissue talk about the ongoing trials of new retrofit films that aim to reduce heat and boost growth and yield in glasshouse-grown crops, involving Western Sydney University scientists, Hort Innovation, various industry partners and FFS.

News

Key leaders appointed to Western Australia’s new food technology facility, SIFT

Key leaders appointed to Western Australia's new food technology facility, SIFT to drive operations at its state-of-the-art food technology facility. Future Food Systems CRC is a major partner in the operations of SIFT.

News

CRC project team develops new techniques to track the provenance of chicken eggs

Early results from the CRC's 'Food metabolomics library' project, set to appear in prestigious academic journal Food Science, detail a fast, simple method for measuring lipid components that accurately distinguishes free-range from cage and barn-laid eggs.

Capsicum Waste as a Sustainable Source of Capsaicinoids for Metabolic Diseases

Mursleen Yasin, Li Li, Michelle Donovan-Mak, Zhong-Hua Chen, Sunil K. Panchal

Article

Capsicum Waste as a Sustainable Source of Capsaicinoids for Metabolic Diseases

Capsaicinoids are pungent alkaloid compounds enriched with antioxidants, anti-microbial, anti-inflammatory, analgesics, anti-carcinogenic, anti-obesity and anti-diabetic properties. These compounds are primarily synthesised in the placenta of the fruit and then transported to other vegetative parts. Different varieties of capsicum and chillies contain different capsaicinoid concentrations. As capsicums and chillies are grown extensively throughout the world, their…

News

Media release – Future Food Systems CRC appoints new CEO

Future Food Systems CRC is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr James Krahe as its new chief executive officer.

Future Food Systems eNews issue # 30 – November 2022

Future Food Systems

Newsletter

Future Food Systems eNews issue # 30 – November 2022

Future of Food Summit: International speakers Experts in transport and infrastructure planning, advanced nutritional analysis and innovative, Indigenous-led agrifood systems, from Canada, the Netherlands and the UK, will address delegates at this year’s Future of Food Summit. Read more Q&A: Indigenous foods champion Mindy Woods We asked celebrity chef, sustainable horticulture advocate, First Nations food…

News

Collaboration can spark innovation: Summit takeaways

The inaugural Future of Food Summit highlighted some of the key challenges facing global food supply, and identified innovative and sustainable solutions.

News

2021/2022 Annual Report

The Future Food Systems CRC 2021/2022 Annual Report provides an overview of project achievements, financials, CRC project case studies and highlights of the third year of operation.

News

A showcase of future food: Summit exhibitors

The Summit mini-expo, a mix of future food innovations, Indigenous ingredients, upcycled products, agricultural robots and healthy pulse-based snacks, was a chance for Future Food Systems CRC and QUT to showcase their capabilities in the sustainable agrifood space.

News

Future of Food Summit: International speakers

Experts in infrastructure planning and transport logistics, advanced nutritional analysis and innovative, Indigenous-led agrifood systems from the Netherlands, UK and Canada gave attendees of the 2022 Future of Food Summit much food for thought.

News

Q&A: Mindy Woods, Indigenous foods advocate

Mindy Woods, Indigenous chef-restaurateur, two-times MasterChef contestant, Australian culinary ambassador and 2022 Future of Food Summit Gala Dinner keynote, talks about a sustainable approach to food that's been honed over millennia..

News

Agrifood, analysis, automation and aeons-old cures: QUT facilities tours

Four fascinating guided tours, free to Summit delegates, showcase QUT’s world-class capabilities in robotics and automation, agrifood innovation, tropical crops, advanced analysis and Indigenous ingredients.

Physiological and Yield Performance Is Partially Linked to Water Use Efficiency of Eggplant Genotypes in a High-Tech Glasshouse

Fatemeh Rasouli, Mohammad Babla, Lihua Li, Weiguang Liang, Miing-Tiem Yong, Talaat Ahmed, David Tissue, Samsul Huda, Zhong-Hua Chen

Article

Physiological and Yield Performance Is Partially Linked to Water Use Efficiency of Eggplant Genotypes in a High-Tech Glasshouse

Eggplant (Solanum melongena L.) has become an increasingly common vegetable grown in glasshouses. This study emphasized on the physiological traits and productivity of three eggplant cultivars (Longa, Lydia, and Tracey) in a high-tech glasshouse to determine the genotypic differences of agronomical, morphological, and physiological responses. The physiological parameters as well as the productivity of these…

A blockchain-based multisignature approach for supply chain governance: A use case from the Australian beef industry

Shoufeng Cao, Marcus Foth, Warwick Powell, Thomas Miller & Ming Li

Article

A blockchain-based multisignature approach for supply chain governance: A use case from the Australian beef industry

This paper designed and implemented a blockchain-based multisignature approach to digitally transform supply chain governance in multi-tier food supply chains, particularly in a geographically dispersed beef supply chain. An exploratory case study was utilised to demonstrate the design, implementation, and evaluation of a blockchain-based multisignature approach that was deployed on the Smart Trade Networks (STN) Proof of Authority (PoA) blockchain system for data collection and…

Natural Capital, Agriculture and the Law

Felicity Deane, Evan Hamman and Anna Huggins

Publication

Natural Capital, Agriculture and the Law

Through an extended study of agricultural land use and policy, Natural Capital, Agriculture and the Law presents a comprehensive legal analysis of proposals for protecting natural capital stocks and the sustainable use of ecosystem services, critiquing the legal challenges in designing and operationalising a workable natural capital approach. Evaluating legal considerations at international, national and…

Blockchain smart contracts for supply chain finance: Mapping the innovation potential in Australia-China beef supply chains

Valeri Natanelov, Shoufeng Cao, Marcus Foth, Uwe Dulleck

Article

Blockchain smart contracts for supply chain finance: Mapping the innovation potential in Australia-China beef supply chains

This paper explores and demonstrates the innovation potential of blockchain and smart contracts for supply chain finance (SCF) based on cross-border beef supply chains from Australia to China. Our study adopts mechanism design and design-driven activities, and specifically employs the Agents Events Data (AED) process mapping method, which is a hybrid approach that combines Business…

Media Release

Media release – Future Food Systems CRC

Future Food Systems CRC is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr James Krahe as its new chief executive officer. Formerly the Innovation Manager at Food Innovation Australia Limited (FIAL), Dr Krahe will commence in the role on 16 January 2023, replacing interim-CEO, Mr Richard Norton.

Media Coverage

Deploying microscopic organisms to increase horticulture yields

Scientists are investigating whether root systems packed with certain combinations of tiny living things – or microbiomes – result in a more productive plant with the aim of developing new products to increase yield. The $1.4M, four-year project is being delivered through Hort Innovation and led by Murdoch University with co-investment from the CRC for…

News

Future of Food Summit 2022 – Tickets on sale!

Join Future Food Systems CRC and QUT at an event exploring smart, sustainable solutions to key food production and distribution challenges.

News

Miranda Yang, PhD student: finding new, better ways to spray-dry oil-based flavour ingredients

CRC Industry PhD student Miranda Yang is exploring novel methods for spray-drying CRC industry partner Baker & Co’s liquid spice ingredients to increase their shelf life and make it simpler to transport them.

Future Food Systems eNews issue # 29 – November 2022

Future Food Systems

Newsletter

Future Food Systems eNews issue # 29 – November 2022

More speakers announced! Don’t miss out! Thursday 1 & Friday 2 December 2022 We’ve added more exciting names to our speaker line-up, including Imperial College London’s Prof. Gary Frost, Austrade’s Cheryl Stanilewicz and QUT’s Prof. Sagadevan Mundree, plus tours of QUT’s Robotics Centre, agrifood facilities and Indigenous garden. Less than 70 seats remain: don’t miss…

Future Food Systems eNews issue # 28 – October 2022

Future Food Systems

Newsletter

Future Food Systems eNews issue # 28 – October 2022

Ticket sales open for 2022 Future of Food Summit Planning for the CRC’s Future of Food Summit on 1 and 2 December is in full swing, with QUT on board as Summit co-host, Indigenous chef Mindy Woods confirmed as Gala Dinner MC and an exciting speaker line-up. Ticket sales are now open. Register here Mindy…

Video

Commercialisation of Australian native rice with Prof. Sagadevan G. Mundree

Professor Sagadevan Mundree, Head of QUT’s School of Biological and Environmental Science, is helping to turn a low-value commodity, faba beans, into healthy, high-value baked goods. Hear Prof. Mundree talk about his work in value-adding and future foods, at 2020's Research Showcase

News

Charlotte Rowley, PhD student: Profiling premium WA produce

CRC PhD student Charlotte Rowley is working with world-leading scientists at Murdoch University to produce molecular-level profiles of fruit and olive oil that can be used to formulate precision nutrition products and back provenance and health claims.

FFS Publication

2021/22 Annual Report

The Future Food Systems CRC 2021/2022 Annual Report provides an overview of project achievements, financials, CRC case studies and highlights of the third year of operation.

News

2022 Precision Nutrition Symposium: A world-class exposition of ANPC’s precision nutrition program

On 14 October 2022, the Australian National Phenome Centre (ANPC) and Centre for Computational and Systems Medicine (CCSM) organised a successful inaugural research symposium on precision nutrition at Murdoch University that featured early findings from Future Food Systems CRC’s ‘Food metabolomic library’ project. The symposium was well attended and included representatives from various Western Australian…

News

Indigenous food and sustainability champion Mindy Woods to MC at Future of Food Summit Gala Dinner

Indigenous foods and sustainability champion, former MasterChef contestant and proud Bundjalung woman Mindy Woods will be the MC for the 2022 Future of Food Summit Gala Dinner on the evening of 1 December at Queensland Museum, in Brisbane’s CBD.

News

2022 Future of Food Summit: more speakers announced

Our expanding Summit speaker contingent includes industry, academic and government leaders from across the CRC’s cohort and beyond.

Soil moisture sensing with mmWave radar

Wenyao Chen, Yimeng Feng, Mark Cardamis, Cheng Jiang, Wei Song, Oula Ghannoum, Wen Hu

Article

Soil moisture sensing with mmWave radar

Soil moisture is a significant factor that influences plant productivity and natural resource management. Accurate commercial soil moisture sensors often require manual data collection and cost thousands of dollars, which makes data collection inefficient and only accessible to high-budget smart farms. To achieve cost-effective and high-efficient soil moisture sensing, we propose a millimeterwave (mmWave) radar-based…

Media Coverage

Exploring the tiny environments that can grow big vegetables

Murdoch scientists are leading a project that explores how particular combinations of microbes can boost the growth of some of the country’s most valuable fruit and vegetable crops. The $1.4 million project, led by Associate Professor Kirsty Bayliss, aims to identify the microbes that influence the growth of potatoes, tomatoes and avocadoes and harness them…

News

Can novel microbiome technology boost popular crop yields?

In a Hort Innovation-backed project part-funded by the CRC, Murdoch University scientists are exploring the specific combinations of microbes required to cut chemical use and boost yields in some of Australia’s most valuable fruit and veg crops.

Video

Turning waste to resource with EcoMag

CRC industry partner EcoMag has successfully scaled up production of its high-grade magnesium ingredients thanks to a Future Food Systems CRC project with UNSW, Now, it’s selling its products worldwide.

News

EcoMag named a finalist for industry innovation award

Future Food Systems CRC SME partner EcoMag has been named a finalist in the Innovation category at the 2022 Waste Innovation & Recycling Awards.

News

Meet Kirsty Bayliss: plant disease expert

She’s the Academic Chair in Biosecurity and Food Security at Murdoch University and a seasoned plant biotechnologist. A/Prof. Bayliss also leads a $1.4M project part-funded by the CRC that's set to boost the yields of popular fruit and vegetable crops.

Media Coverage

Northern Territory researchers successfully harvest native rice, opening opportunities for First Nations enterprise

As the world regularly faces a shortage of one of its most important food staples, scientists in the Northern Territory are looking take advantage of the rice that grows naturally across Northern Australia’s wetlands.

News

Future Food Systems CRC backs CERS-hosted alt-proteins tasting

On 8 September, the UNSW-based Chemical Engineering Research Society (CERS) hosted a well-attended tasting of Love BUDS, the new alt-meat range from CRC participant All G Foods.

News

Future Food Systems CRC hosts visiting Irish PhD

This spring, Irish doctoral candidate Suzanne Kelly tours partner universities as a guest of the Future Food Systems CRC, looking at agrifood-related research involving social capital, innovation and knowledge exchange.

Reimagining retail for the Roaring Twenties: The Australian 2022 FMCG outlook (Inside FMCG/IRI)

Inside FMCG/IRI

Reference Material

Reimagining retail for the Roaring Twenties: The Australian 2022 FMCG outlook (Inside FMCG/IRI)

A guide to the trends that will shape retail and the fast-moving consumer goods sector – including food and beverage products and health supplements – in 2022, compiled by Inside FMCG and predictive analytics company IRI.

Scaling technology and innovations for future food systems: Sustainable Development Impact Summit (video)

World Economic Forum

Reference Material

Scaling technology and innovations for future food systems: Sustainable Development Impact Summit (video)

Emerging technologies and innovations – from food-sensing and precision agriculture to personalised nutrition – offer opportunities to transform food systems, yet adoption has been slow. This World Economic Forum session explores key learnings from country-based innovation hubs across regions that could help accelerate this transformation.

Our Future World: Global megatrends impacting the way we live over coming decades

CSIRO

Reference Material

Our Future World: Global megatrends impacting the way we live over coming decades

In this ‘once-in-a-decade’ report, Australia’s national science agency identifies seven global megatrends that will shape challenges and opportunities in the years to 2042 and guide long-term investment, strategic and policy direction across government, industry, the not-for-profit sector and the broader Australian community.

AgriFutures Australia Research and Innovation Strategic Plan 2022-2027

AgriFutures Australia

Reference Material

AgriFutures Australia Research and Innovation Strategic Plan 2022-2027

In this, its ‘16:5:5 Roadmap’, leading Australian research body AgriFutures (formerly the RIRDC) outlines its research and innovation strategy for the coming five years. It defines Australia’s key strengths, opportunities for improvement and the research and innovation priorities needed to drive value and ensure our agrifood sector continues to thrive into the future.

Future Food Systems eNews issue # 27 – September 2022

Future Food Systems

Newsletter

Future Food Systems eNews issue # 27 – September 2022

2022 Future of Food Summit: speaker announcements Future Food Systems CRC is pleased to announce the first speakers in what’s shaping up to be an exciting line-up for our inaugural Future of Food Summit in December. Read more Showcase: Dr John Ashton: Sanitarium Sanitarium’s Head of Research talks about Australia’s iconic health food brand and…

News

Delivering new, bio-based solutions to control root disease in horticulture crops

A new Future Food Systems CRC project helmed by world-leading crop scientist, Western Sydney University's Professor Brajesh Singh, will explore novel ways to combat common root pathogens in Australian protected cropping operations.

News

Emily Davies, PhD student: Getting the skinny on herbal weight loss supplements

Future Food Systems PhD student Emily Davies is investigating the composition and safety of herbal weight loss supplements while learning from world-leading scientists at Murdoch Uni’s ANPC and using multi-million-dollar Bruker equipment.

Revisiting trust in supply chains: How does blockchain redefine trust?

Warwick Powell, Shoufeng Cao, Marcus Foth, Shan He, Charles Turner-Morris & Ming Li

Publication

Revisiting trust in supply chains: How does blockchain redefine trust?

Discussions about the use of blockchain in supply chains often claim a strengthening of trust. In this chapter, we argue that blockchains are not about trust per se and that supply chains can and do function effectively – with the mediation of blockchain technologies – without the presupposition of trust. Through the phenomenological lens of…

Video

Sanitarium research and development innovation with Dr John Ashton (Sanitarium)

Sanitarium’s Head of Research talks about Australia’s iconic health food brand and why it chooses to collaborate with university scientists on cutting-edge research under Future Food Systems CRC.

News

NSW Parliamentary Secretary for Science, Innovation and Technology visits Future Food Systems HQ

On 29 August, Ms Robyn Preston MP, Parliamentary Secretary for Science, Innovation and Technology and Member for Hawkesbury, stopped in at Future Food Systems CRC HQ on UNSW’s Randwick campus as part of a broader visit to UNSW Sydney.

News

CRC project poster runner-up in 2022 AIFST Poster Competition

Future Food Systems CRC PhD student Rishi Naik has won the runner-up People’s Choice award in this year’s AIFST Poster Competition. Congratulations, Rishi!

Future Food Systems eNews issue # 26 – August 2022

Future Food Systems

Newsletter

Future Food Systems eNews issue # 26 – August 2022

EcoMag and UNSW to upcycle agrifood waste into low-carbon construction material In a new CRC project, SME EcoMag is working with UNSW chemical engineers to turn three waste streams – from salt operations, agriculture and industrial processes – into one sustainable, in-demand product. Read more New nutraceuticals from upcycled, spray-dried Mg ingredients EcoMag CEO Tony…

Food rheology applications of large amplitude oscillation shear (LAOS)

Wang, Y. and Selomulya, C

Article

Food rheology applications of large amplitude oscillation shear (LAOS)

This paper in Trends in Food Science and Technology details the findings of research conducted by Dr Yong Wang and Prof. Cordelia Selomulya, from UNSW’s School of Chemical Engineering, into applications of Large Amplitude Oscillation Shear (LAOS). LAOS, a promising method for food processing and formulation, is not yet widely used in food rheology due to uncertainty about which LAOS tools to deploy for specific applications. This paper provides food manufacturers with much-needed information about the most suitable LAOS analytical tools to use with different food categories (dough, cheese, confectionery); formats (emulsion, foam) and components (proteins, polysaccharides, and fats).

Video

From waste to resource with Shanan Birkin (Abundant Natural Health) & Tony Crimmins (EcoMag)

Shanan Birkin from CRC industry partner EcoMag’s sister company, Abundant Natural Health, is producing a range of natural pain relief treatments and nutraceuticals based on high-grade magnesium ingredients spray-dried at scale by EcoMag for US Chain Walmart, among others.

News

Delivering a new oil-based extract encapsulation process for taste solutions

Sydney-based natural ingredients manufacturer Baker & Co is drawing on UNSW's expertise in spray-drying and encapsulation to turn liquid taste ingredients into equally flavourful, but more adaptable and easily exportable powdered equivalents.

News

EcoMag, UNSW to upcycle agrifood waste into low-carbon construction material

SME partner EcoMag and UNSW scientists have teamed up in a CRC project to upcycle waste from industrial processes, agriculture and salt production into a sustainable building material, helping to shrink the construction industry's carbon footprint.

News

Inaugural CRC PhDs’ catch-up a success

Eleven of the CRC’s PhD scholarship holders met up recently for their first-ever catch-up, with each presenting their research findings.

News

Andrew Tilley, PhD student: putting premium artichokes’ health benefits on trial

Andrew Tilley studied food science and technology at Perth WA's Curtin University, but took the long way round to a CRC-backed PhD at Murdoch via the food manufacturing industry.

News

As good as the real thing? Premium dairy proteins, zero cow emissions

New CRC industry partner All G Foods is teaming with UNSW scientists in an exciting four-year project that seeks to precisely mimic the nutritional and functional attributes of dairy proteins using no dairy-cow inputs.

Governing the Digital Economy: An Exploration of Blockchains with Chinese Characteristics

Gary Sigley & Warwick Powell

Article

Governing the Digital Economy: An Exploration of Blockchains with Chinese Characteristics

In 2019 President Xi Jinping called for the prioritisation of blockchain technology as part of China’s next phase of development. In China, blockchain technologies have been experimentally deployed in various areas including court records, securities exchanges, finance, and food supply chains. The emergence of blockchain as a governmental technology raises numerous questions, including: (i) what…

News

Smart glass-LLEAF project wrap-up: key findings and next steps

In the recently completed 'Smart Glass' project, scientists at Western Sydney University showed the energy-saving ability of SG ULR-80 and the yield-increasing potential of LLEAF. Next steps? To combine the strengths of both.

News

National PC mapping team calls for peer review of latest draft maps

The National PC mapping project team is calling for peer review of its draft maps of protected cropping operations across Queensland and much of Northern NSW.

News

Australian native rice is one step closer to appearing on restaurant menus

Putting Australian native rice on our plates and in restaurants is one step closer after a successful harvest of three species sourced from Northern Australian wetlands.

Media Coverage

The word’s tiniest tomato

How the merino sheep breed kick-started Australia’s wool industry; Using mules to move livestock in feedlots; Port Stephens oyster growers face devastating QX disease; plus the world’s tiniest tomatoes.

Future Food Systems eNews issue # 25 – July 2022

Future Food Systems

Newsletter

Future Food Systems eNews issue # 25 – July 2022

Save the date: Future of Food Summit 2022 This year, the CRC’s annual event will be a two-day, public-facing Summit with keynote speakers, expert panels, a student showcase, gala dinner, tours and networking events. Together, we’ll be exploring collaborative solutions for sustainable food supply in a fast-changing world – and we’ll be showcasing the CRC’s…

News

WA food and beverage industry forum takeaways

WA Future Food Network and the CRC hosted a recent roundtable with WA food and beverage sector stakeholders to identify industry obstacles to value-adding.

News

International research collaboration to develop sustainable indoor-cropping solutions

CRC supporting partner Qatar University is drawing on the expertise and state-of-the-art greenhouse facilities at Western Sydney University to help it develop sustainable fertigation solutions for indoor growers.

News

Eranda Namal Jayasuriya, PhD student: Imaging analysis for IoT sensor networks

Sri-Lanka-born, Western Sydney University-based Eranda Namal Jayasuriya is one of two PhD students attached to the CRC’s 'IoT for indoor cropping' project.

News

Laying the groundwork for Australian truffle industry expansion

Premium WA food supplier Silverplace is looking to Mt Lindesay farmers and Murdoch University scientists to help develop the know-how required to expand Australia's high-value truffle industry.

News

CRC report makes cover of Crops journal

Western Sydney University post-doc researcher Sachin Chavan's CRC report 'Protected cropping: Current technologies and target crops' is the cover feature for the June 2022 issue of peer-reviewed journal Crops.

Magnesium Citrate Powders from Waste Bitterns via Crystallization and Spray Drying

Van Tri Luong, Yong Wang, Timothy Zurrer, Jason Anthony Scott, and Cordelia Selomulya

Article

Magnesium Citrate Powders from Waste Bitterns via Crystallization and Spray Drying

The pilot-scale production of two magnesium citrate products, using a waste bittern discharged from a salt work as the raw material, was conducted in this study.

News

Terry Lin: Investigating warm-climate greenhouse tech in Australian facilities

Supervised by Prof. Zhonghua Chen, CRC PhD student Terry Lin is assessing the long-term performance of various cooling technologies and greenhouse set-ups at WSU's high-tech glasshouse facility.

Innovation Ecosystem Evolution as Socio-technical Transition: A Case Study

Ozgur Dedehayir, Jack Adams, Saku Mäkinen and Roland Ortt

Article

Innovation Ecosystem Evolution as Socio-technical Transition: A Case Study

The evolution of innovation ecosystems is an important topic for scholars and practitioners alike, as externalities such as market changes, competitive landscapes, and regulatory pressures demand the delivery of new customer-facing value propositions. In this paper we aim to enhance our conceptual understanding of ecosystem evolution by shining a socio-technical lens upon the innovation ecosystem.…

News

QUT Robotics experts to help Queensland’s banana farmers automate

Brisbane's ARM Hub, North Queensland Banana Farmers and Hort Innovation have teamed up to help growers identify opportunities to cut costs by adopting ‘continuous improvement and automation technology’.

News

CRC field trip: Sanitarium R&D facility

Fifteen members of the CRC cohort joined a recent daytrip to visit industry partner Sanitarium’s research facility on NSW's Central Coast.

News

NSW Government Budget invests to invigorate regions

The 2022-23 NSW Budget contains a number of measures designed to harness the potential of regional NSW.

News

More DPIRD funding for export-focused WA food producers

WA producers of honey, olive oil, free-range pork and seafood were among the latest recipients of DPIRD’s International Competitiveness Co-Investment Fund grants.

News

CRC indoor-cropping projects feature on ABC Landline

Western Sydney University scientists are trialling LLEAF P/L's new ‘light-spectra-shifting’ agricultural films on horticultural crops in a trio of CRC projects that are the focus of a recent ABC Landline segment.

Media Coverage

Known best as the host of cryptocurrencies, experts and economists say blockchain technology could be the future of working life

Lynsey Jackson was looking for a change when she quit her corporate finance job to assess her career options, before settling on a direction that would shock many. She sees her future in blockchain technology, beginning with a diploma of applied blockchain from TAFE Queensland. Most commonly known as the platform that hosts cryptocurrencies, blockchain is…

Media Coverage

Technological innovations benefitting agriculture and the environment

Technological innovations benefitting agriculture and the environment. Planting trees from the sky; Fighting unlawful water use; Using native fungi to combat weeds; Colourful light boosting technology helping to grow crops.

News

$13.6m R&D project set to add value to WA’s agrifood sector

WA DPIRD, Murdoch University and the CRC are teaming up to deliver R&D to agrifood firms via a purpose-built food-tech facility at FIPWA.

Future Food Systems eNews issue # 24 – June 2022

Future Food Systems

Newsletter

Future Food Systems eNews issue # 24 – June 2022

Flagship $13.6m CRC project backs Food Technology Facility for Western Australia The CRC has partnered with WA DPIRD and Murdoch University in a cutting-edge R&D hub where agrifood firms will work with leading scientists to create, trial and scale value-adding innovations. Read more CERS introduces next-gen chemical engineers to industry leaders UNSW-based Chemical Engineering Research…

News

Meet Fraser Taylor: data-driven health interventions expert

Creating transparency of the world’s food supply is the clear motivation for Fraser Taylor, GM of the FoodSwitch program at The George Institute for Global Health.

News

Getting to the root cause of health in hydroponic tomatoes

Costa Group is constructing a scaled-down version of its commercial glasshouse at UNE to house CRC project trials seeking cues to crop stress that can alert growers to act, preventing costly losses.

News

EcoMag signs with Cofermin spin-off to supply high-grade Mg to Europe

CRC industry partner EcoMag is set to supply its high-purity Mg products to buyers across Europe and beyond via IMagine, the new magnesia arm of major industrial minerals distributor Cofermin Group.

News

CERS introduces next-gen chemical engineers to industry leaders

At the Chemical Engineering Research Society’s CRC-sponsored networking night on 2 June, students and post-grads met reps from 40+ firms including Sanitarium, Arnotts, All G Foods, AB Mauri and Tip Top in "a night full of opportunities and exchange of ideas”.

News

Yusuf Adewale: developing a predictive modelling tool for egg production

Yusuf Adewale, PhD student, is developing a predictive modelling tool for ascertaining egg production and quality.

News

Lijun Summerhayes: exploring urban food planning pathways

QUT PhD and FFS PhD Lijun Summerhayes is researching urban food planning in Australia.

News

Odgerel Bumandalai: using cold-plasma tech to extend shelf life of spirulina

Odgerel Bumandalai is a FFSCRC PhD student at CRC partner institution Murdoch University. Bumandalai’s thesis is investigating the use of cold-plasma technology to extend the safe shelf life of fresh spirulina.

News

Rishi Ravindra Naik: exploring new ways to create functional plant-based foods

UNSW PhD student Rishi Ravindra Naik is looking to develop new products with ‘clean label’ and sustainability claims by modifying non-traditional plant proteins with seaweeds for improved techno-functionality.

Video

Collaboration in process improvement: Spray-drying of EcoMag magnesium-based products at UNSW with Dr Tam Tran (EcoMag)

Dr Tran talks about the CRC project that’s enabling EcoMag to deliver commercial quantities of high-grade Mg ingredients to two of the US’s largest franchises: CVS and Walmart.

Media Coverage

Country Breakfast features

The potential for a native rice industry in Australia’s far north has been talked about for decades. Researchers say a significant milestone has now been reached, with demonstration plots of flooded and unflooded wild rice being grown on a research farm near Humpty Doo in the Northern Territory. (12:50 min in)

Smart Trade Networks website

Smart Trade Networks

Website

Smart Trade Networks website

Smart Trade Networks is a general-purpose technology platform, utilising blockchain technologies, that harnesses a diverse range of product provenance information as a basis of improved payments and confidence amongst supply chain participants. It removes doubt around product authentication and ensures the smooth flow of data and payments. It embraces both new and mature technologies to provide a robust system for the security and dependability of information within supply chains.

News

Growing Australia’s capability to supply ASEAN demand for trusted food goods

At the first of a series of Science meets Business events hosted by FIPWA and the CRC, key stakeholders in WA's agrifood system discussed how smart trade solutions can help expand export opportunities for the sector.

Media Coverage

Australian chemical company EcoMag turning the Pilbara’s waste into low-carbon plasterboard

Australian chemical company EcoMag is working to turn Australia’s carbon footprint into homes and office buildings, with scientists producing plasterboard from waste. EcoMag utilises the waste from the Pilbara’s salt industry to extract magnesium for use in industrial, environmental and pharmaceutical applications. The company is now working with the University of New South Wales (UNSW) School of…

Media Coverage

Australian native rice trial underway near Humpty Doo

Researchers say a significant milestone has now been reached, with demonstration plots of flooded and unflooded wild rice being grown on a research farm near Humpty Doo in the Northern Territory. ABC Rural went to see the trial and spoke to Dr Penny Wurm from Charles Darwin University.

Enabling cross-border trade in the face of regulatory barriers to data flow – the case of the blockchain-based service network

Shoufeng Cao, Xavier Boyen, Felicity Dean, Thomas Miller & Marcus Foth

Publication

Enabling cross-border trade in the face of regulatory barriers to data flow – the case of the blockchain-based service network

This reference text provides the theoretical foundations, the emergence, and the application areas of Blockchain in an easy-to-understand manner that would be highly helpful for the researchers, academicians, and industry professionals to understand the disruptive potentials of Blockchain. It explains Blockchain concepts related to Industry 4.0, Smart Healthcare, and the Internet of Things (IoT) and…

News

Labor makes $16.7m commitment to state-of-the-art Agri Tech Hub at Western Sydney University

Federal Labor has promised to fund one-third of WSU’s $50m Agri Tech Hub, which is set to become the nation’s first high-tech commercial, teaching and research greenhouse complex.

Future Food Systems eNews issue # 23 – May 2022

Future Food Systems

Newsletter

Future Food Systems eNews issue # 23 – May 2022

Western Australian food innovation hub makes big stride forward On 4 May, CRC stakeholders met at the soon-to-be-completed Food Innovation Precinct Western Australia (the Precinct) in the Shire of Murray to sign lease agreements for core facilities within the precinct. The CRC has approved an $11.5 million project with the WA Government and Murdoch University…

News

Western Australian food innovation hub takes big step forward

On 4 May, CRC stakeholders met at the soon-to-be-completed Food Innovation Precinct Western Australia (the Precinct) in the Shire of Murray to sign lease agreements for core facilities within the precinct.

News

National Protected Cropping map continues to expand

The National Protected Cropping map is expanding, with draft mapping of PC facilities for the Adelaide and Tasmanian growing regions now completed and published online, ready for peer review.

News

Meet Zhonghua Chen: plant physiology, genomics and protected cropping expert

Western Sydney University’s Prof. Zhonghua Chen is an expert in plant physiology, plant breeding, biophysics and agronomy - and an academic mentor to Australia's next generation of crop scientists.

Future Food Systems eNews issue # 22 – April 2022

Future Food Systems

Newsletter

Future Food Systems eNews issue # 22 – April 2022

Video: ‘Coffs Harbour food innovation ecosystem’ project wrap-up The CRC’s ‘Coffs Harbour food innovation ecosystem’ project gathered key information on food and agribusinesses operating in the Coffs region of the NSW Mid North Coast and canvassed opinion from agrifood firms in the area. Coffs Harbour City Council worked with Queensland University of Technology to deliver…

News

Video and final report: Coffs Harbour food ecosystem project wrap-up

Project lead Ozgur Dedehayir’s presentation at the 2021 CRC Showcase outlined the key findings of the ‘Coffs Harbour food ecosystem’ project, which lays the foundation for development of a future food cluster in Coffs.

News

Meet Craig Shephard: land-use mapping expert

AARSC senior researcher Craig Shephard leads the National PC mapping project, an initiative of Protected Cropping Australia supported by Hort Innovation, UNE, LLSNSW and the CRC. He's also a keen mountain-biker.

News

EcoMag scales up production following successful UNSW trials

Terrific results from the UNSW project team regarding new processing protocols for high-grade Mg organics are enabling EcoMag to scale up rapidly to meet initial orders from major US clients including Walmart and CVS.

News

Protected Cropping Australia Conference: wet but well attended

Relentless rain did little to dampen the spirits of the estimated 450 delegates, 40 virtual attendees, 60 exhibitors and large CRC-cohort contingent at this year’s PCA conference in Coffs Harbour.

Report

Understanding the Food Innovation Ecosystem in Coffs Harbour

The report then introduces the second, quantitative study that was undertaken to further explore some of the emergent themes from the earlier, qualitative study. The results of the survey are then presented sequentially in the following sections of the report, beginning with an overview of survey respondents, then the results centring on current business performance, innovation, The Precinct concept, risk culture, trust, and communication within the ecosystem. The report concludes with a review of the main findings of the two studies as well as suggestions for continuing this work guided by more focused research questions. It is necessary to underscore the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has limited the number of participants in both studies, though more noticeably for the second.

FFS Publication

Understanding the Food Innovation Ecosystem in Coffs Harbour

Understanding the Food Innovation Ecosystem in Coffs Harbour.

Smart Glass Film Reduced Ascorbic Acid in Red and Orange Capsicum Fruit Cultivars without Impacting Shelf Life

Xin He, Sachin Chavan, Ziad Hamoui, Chelsea Maier, Oula Ghannoum, Zhong-Hua Chen, David T. Tissue, Christopher I Cazzonelli

Article

Smart Glass Film Reduced Ascorbic Acid in Red and Orange Capsicum Fruit Cultivars without Impacting Shelf Life

Smart Glass Film (SGF) is a glasshouse covering material designed to permit 80% transmission of photosynthetically active light and block heat-generating solar energy. SGF can reduce crop water and nutrient consumption and improve glasshouse energy use efficiency yet can reduce crop yield. The effect of SGF on the postharvest shelf life of fruits remains unknown.…

News

Setting the course for protected cropping

A nine-year strategy for those growing crops undercover developed by QDAF with input from key stakeholders including FIAL and the CRC is set to be implemented by Protected Cropping Australia and Hort Innovation.

News

Agricultural research leader joins Murdoch University’s Food Futures Institute

Murdoch University has announced the appointment of Professor Rajeev K Varshney, agricultural scientist and tropical crop-breeding expert, to its acclaimed Food Futures Institute.

News

Microfluidic Modulation Spectroscopy (MMS) technology to investigate secondary protein structures

A UNSW PhD supervised by the CRC's Prof Cordelia Selomulya has won the highly competitive RedShiftBio StructIR Lab Grant. She'll use it to further her research into plant-protein functionalities.

News

Better traceability benefits WA food manufacturers’ bottom lines, finds DPIRD-GS1 report

Traceability Learning Journeys, a GS1 report commissioned by CRC partner WA DPIRD, is based on conversations with 20+ WA food and beverage firms about the benefits accrued and lessons learned from improving their traceability systems.

News

Australian university’s crop-mapping technologies sought in South Africa

UNE’s Remote Sensing Centre is going offshore with its world-first tree crop mapping capability. The same capability is being deployed in a Hort Innovation-UNE project to map Australia's protected cropping facilites supported by PCA and the CRC.

Future Food Systems eNews issue # 21 – March 2022

Future Food Systems

Newsletter

Future Food Systems eNews issue # 21 – March 2022

New CRC partner WA Future Food Network launches digital platform for industry The WA Future Food Network has launched the Connectory: a digital platform connecting primary producers with processors, manufacturers, distributors, exporters and ancillary businesses all along the state’s food and beverage supply chain. WA FFN is working with local and state government, WA-based universities,…

News

CRC welcomes three new PhDs

Three new doctoral candidates will contribute valuable research to CRC projects, investigating cooling strategies for protected cropping, analysing herbal weight loss supplements and creating detailed molecular profiles of WA foods to form the foundation of strategies around precision nutrition.

News

Securing transactions from farm to fork: tapping the global potential in blockchain-enabled smart trade

Hear BeefLedger Chair Warwick Powell discuss the ‘Smart trade’ team’s blockchain-backed digital platform and its potential to streamline cross-border trade.

News

Digital catalogue connects Australia’s F&B suppliers with buyers worldwide

Food Innovation Australia Limited’s recently released Australian Food & Beverage Catalogue showcases export-ready food and beverage suppliers from across Australia to qualified buyers domestically and abroad.

News

WA Future Food Network launches online platform to help producers forge profitable partnerships

This producer-focused network’s new, free-to-join web portal helps Western Australian food producers keen to value-add connect with providers right along the F&B supply chain.

News

CRC projects on the agenda at 2022 PCA Conference in Coffs

Research leads, PhDs and project collaborators from government and industry are among the CRC-affiliated presenters at this year's PCA Conference.

News

Development approval granted for UNSW’s Health Translation Hub

ICYMI, UNSW’s new, state-government-backed Health Translation Hub, will house 15 storeys of health education and research facilities, linking students and experts with the Randwick hospitals cluster. The hub is expected to benefit patients, carers and the broader NSW community.

Video

Luminescent Light Emitting Agricultural Film (LLEAF): The next evolution of protected cropping to increase crop productivity sustainably with Dr Alex Soeriyadi

LLEAF P/L CEO Dr Alex Soeriyadi is working with Hort Innovation, DPI and Western Sydney University scientists to trial his prototype agricultural films on glasshouse-grown blueberry and lettuce crops. Here, he explains how it all works.

Video

Analytical techniques for value-added solutions with Dr Ruey-Leng Loo

Dr Ruey-Leng Loo, part of the expert team at Murdoch University’s world-leading Australian National Phenome Centre, leads the CRC’s flagship ‘Metabolomic food library’ project, producing detailed ‘chemical fingerprints’ of Western Australian food products that prove their provenance and nutritional credentials. Here, she explains how the process works and why it will help producers’ bottom lines.

Mapping protected cropping systems in Australia, industry engagement featuring the PCS Survey - Craig Shephard & Joel McKechnie

Video

Mapping protected cropping systems in Australia, industry engagement featuring the PCS survey with Craig Shephard & Joel McKechnie

Mapping protected cropping systems in Australia, industry engagement featuring the PCS Survey

Remote sensing technology in protected cropping - Mark Cardamis & Dr Yimeng Feng

Video

Remote sensing technology in protected cropping with Mark Cardamis & Dr Yimeng Feng

Remote sensing technology in protected cropping

News

Western researchers help make state’s coolest park a reality

Western Sydney University researchers are leading an expert team that will transform Bicentennial Park at Sydney Olympic Park into the coolest public park in the state.

News

Smart Trade Hubs project shortlisted for ACS Digital Disruptor award

The CRC's 'Smart trade hubs' collaboration, involving QUT and SME BeefLedger, was one of just two finalists for ICT Research Project of the Year in the ACS's 2022 Digital Disruptor Awards'.

News

Major Australian supermarket chain invests in alt-protein start-up All G Foods

Woolworths’ venture capital and growth fund W23 has made a multi-million-dollar capital injection into alt-protein and precision-fermentation start-up All G Foods.

Media Coverage

Digital Disruptors

In this series we’ll celebrate the outstanding tech talent in Australia and recognise the innovators, disruptors, leaders and superstars of tomorrow, who are making a difference and shaping our future.

Media Coverage

NT researchers take a new approach to growing rice

It may be one of Australia’s most sought-after foods, but the art of rice production isn’t always at the forefront of shoppers’ minds. Now, a team of researchers in Darwin are taking a new approach to growing the ancient grain – and yielding unexpected results.

Video

Sowing seeds to grow the Coffs Coast food ecosystem with Dr Ozgur Dedehayir

Hear Dr Ozgur from the Queensland University of Technology talk about the recently completed project 'Understanding the Food Innovation Ecosystem in Coffs Harbour'

News

Hort Innovation, QUT join forces to beat world’s most damaging banana-crop disease

QUT researchers are using advanced gene-editing techniques to develop new Cavendish and Goldfinger banana varieties resistant to Panama Tropical Race 4, a deadly disease threatening global production.

Video

General purpose digital infrastructure enabling cross-border trade with Adj. Prof. Warwick Powell

Hear BeefLedger Chair Warwick Powell discuss the ‘Smart trade’ team’s blockchain-backed digital platform and its potential to streamline cross-border trade.

News

Energy-efficiency funding still available for F&B firms under the EEC Program

Australian food and beverage manufacturers: apply by 18 February 2022 for grants of up to $25,000 to boost energy-efficiency and adopt new energy technologies under the latest round of the federal government’s Energy Efficient Communities program.

News

Setting the course for protected cropping

A strategy to provide direction and support for crops grown under shelter in Australia has been launched. Minister for Agriculture and Northern Australia David Littleproud said the Australian Protected Cropping Strategy 2021-2030 was a pathway for the industry to develop. “Protected cropping is a very broad term but basically it refers to crops grown within…

Growing the NSW Agricultural Economy: constraints and opportunities as perceived by farmers

Baker, D., Tran, C., Coleman, M., Goodacre, M., Arkle, P., Tuckfield, J., Sindel, B.

Paper

Growing the NSW Agricultural Economy: constraints and opportunities as perceived by farmers

This paper reports on a survey of farmers in NSW administered in late 2021, which identified the constraints and opportunities associated with the likely approaches towards growth. Consequently, the survey reports on areas in which support may be necessary to maximise farmers’ participation in the projected growth. Recognising that farms and farmers are highly heterogeneous, the survey partitioned respondents according to their stated goals for their farm businesses, by the activities undertaken to achieve those goals, and by physical, production, and geographic attributes of farm businesses. The survey sought farmers’ responses to a variety of statements of opportunity and constraint, which were subdivided according to their relevance to each of the five “capitals” within the widely-used capitals framework (comprising financial, physical, human, natural and social capital). Data reduction techniques were used to identify key constraints and opportunities as perceived by farmers, and to cluster these according to goals, needs, and enterprise type. Gap analysis provided insight into the roles to be played by the capitals in advancing farmers’ production value, filling gaps in capability, and maximising the inclusiveness of growth. The paper concludes with a set of strategic tasks defined from the survey results, identifies the likely stakeholder group surrounding each task on the basis of commonly held attributes, and characterises the needs of that group to ensure that they are well positioned to both contribute to and benefit from opportunities to expand agricultural productivity in NSW. Specific challenges for NSW Farmers as a representative and support organisation were also identified, including policy priorities.

Media Coverage

Agricultural traceability: Benefiting the future of farming

The Australian government recently revealed that $68 million will be invested into a national agricultural traceability program which will help Australian farmers increase their export value. Agriculture traceability, to put in simple terms, is the journey of produce from paddock to plate. NewsCop talked to Dr Shoufeng Cao, an expert in blockchain agriculture traceability and…

Garbage in garbage out: The precarious link between IoT and blockchain in food supply chains

Warwick Powell, Marcus Foth, Shoufeng Cao, Valéri Natanelov

Article

Garbage in garbage out: The precarious link between IoT and blockchain in food supply chains

The application of blockchain in food supply chains does not resolve conventional IoT data quality issues. Data on a blockchain may simply be immutable garbage. In response, this paper reports our observations and learnings from an ongoing beef supply chain project that integrates Blockchain and IoT for supply chain event tracking and beef provenance assurance…

News

Unlocking the chemical secrets of WA’s healthiest food

Murdoch University scientists are using cutting-edge methods and equipment to profile the nutritional makeup of high-value produce from across Western Australia, including truffles, artichokes and olive oil.

News

Federal government pledges $19.1m to help F&B manufacturers go greener

Grants of up to $25,000 are available to assist food and beverage manufacturing SMEs in improving their energy-efficiency under the latest round of the Australian Government’s Energy Efficient Communities program.

News

Costa Group’s $80m Guyra glasshouse expansion to create 800+ regional jobs

The expansion of Costa's Tomato Exchange glasshouse facility near Guyra, NSW, brings its total footprint to 40+ hectares, making it the largest such complex in the Southern Hemisphere.

Panoptic blockchain ecosystems: An exploratory case study of the beef supply chain

Lachlan Robb, Felicity Deane, Warwick Powell

Article

Panoptic blockchain ecosystems: An exploratory case study of the beef supply chain

Blockchain is a technologically enabled expression of the panopticon metaphor – however, duplicated as both a carrot and a stick. This paper demonstrates how the metaphor can be used to deepen an existing understanding of law and governance through the technology and social tool of blockchain. This enhances our understanding of blockchain and shows a…

Commercial Cultivation of Australian Wild Oryza spp.: A Review and Conceptual Framework for Future Research Needs

Gehan Abdelghany, Penelope Wurm, Linh Thi My Hoang and Sean Mark Bellairs

Article

Commercial Cultivation of Australian Wild Oryza spp.: A Review and Conceptual Framework for Future Research Needs

Wild Oryza species are being targeted for commercial cultivation due to their high nutritional grain profile, and their association with Aboriginal people in many regions. Australian wild Oryza species have potential as high-value, low-volume, culturally identified, and nutritious food, especially in gourmet food, tourism, restaurants, and value-added products. However, the basic agronomic protocols for their…

News

New method to revolutionise aquaculture industry

Murdoch University research helped transform the Australian livestock industry through the development of a grading system for meat quality. Now, a new research project is setting the fast-growing global aquaculture industry in its sights.

News

Woolworths turns sod on automated online fulfilment centre in Western Sydney

Woolworths Group has begun constructing its first-ever automated ‘customer fulfilment centre’ in Auburn, Western Sydney.

News

Thought for Food: Lab Notes podcast

In this half-hour podcast, UNSW Professor and the CRC's Research & Commercialisation Director Cordelia Selomulya talks about sustainable, STEM-enabled food systems and the role research-industry collaboration can play in realising these.

Towards Assisted Autonomy for Supply Chain Compliance Management

Gowri Sankar Ramachandran; Felicity Deane; Sidra Malik; Ali Dorri; Raja Jurdak

Publication

Towards Assisted Autonomy for Supply Chain Compliance Management

In an agricultural supply chain, farmers, food processors, transportation agencies, importers, and exporters must comply with different regulations imposed by one or more jurisdictions depending on the nature of their business operations. Supply chain stakeholders conventionally transport their goods, along with the corresponding documentation via regulators for compliance checks. This is generally followed by a…

News

CSIRO-BCA report: Translating research innovation into commercial reality

A new report from CSIRO and the Business Council of Australia aims to arm business leaders with strategies for translating research outcomes into scaleable commercial innovations.

From premise to practice of social consensus: How to agree on common knowledge in blockchain-enabled supply chains

Warwick Powell, Shoufeng Cao, Thomas Miller, Marcus Foth, Xavier Boyen, Barry Earsman, Santiago del Valle, Charles Turner-Morris

Article

From premise to practice of social consensus: How to agree on common knowledge in blockchain-enabled supply chains

Attaining “Common Knowledge” is essential in the formation of deals and agreements, but is hard to achieve over point-to-point communication networks such as the Internet. While blockchain technologies provide a helpful mechanism in the form of technical consensus, originally created to resolve the double-spending problem, little does it address impediments to proper contract formation that…

Future Food Systems eNews issue # 20 – November 2021

Future Food Systems

Newsletter

Future Food Systems eNews issue # 20 – November 2021

This month, we update you on the outcomes of our ‘Coffs food innovation ecosystem’ project, the release of Peel’s roadmap for Western Australia’s food and beverage businesses and the nutritional database The George Institute is developing for Food Standards ANZ. Please join us online for our annual Research Showcase this Thursday from 12.30pm AEDT –…

News

Meet Ozgur Dedehayir: Innovation ecosystems expert

Queensland University of Technology’s Dr Ozgur Dedehayir researches the strategic implications of technological evolution, disruptive innovations and their impacts on society. Most recently, he's been focused on food innovation ecosystems – a topic that resonates with this keen home chef.

News

$8.78m MMI grant to further development of Sunshine Coast food-industry cluster

Among the food and beverage firms sharing $33+m under the federal government's MMI'S Translation and Integration streams is FAN food-cluster member Turbine Sunshine Coast, which will use its $8.7m grant to establish a large-scale contract manufacturing and R&D precinct at Sunshine Coast Airport.

News

Hort Innovation Masterclass in Horticultural Business 2022: applications open

The Horticulture Innovation Australia-backed University of Tasmania course is now in its fifth year. Apply now to join the 2022 cohort.

News

FSANZ, The George Institute to develop new nutritional database

Food Standards Australia New Zealand and The George Institute, known for its diet-friendly FoodSwitch app, have joined forces to develop a database that helps consumers understand the nutritional value of packaged foods in the region.

News

Peel’s new roadmap for local food and beverage producers

Peel Development Commission has launched a roadmap to help the region’s food and beverage producers capitalise on market opportunities domestically and overseas.

News

WA Future Food Network grows from Southern Dirt

Western Australia's new agrifood network aims to ‘connect, inspire and educate’ local food producers and manufacturers to drive the development of a progressive, sustainable agrifood sector for the state.

News

New registration and labelling processes for exporting to China

WA DPIRD has announced new food-labelling requirements and a new registration process for food processing and storage facilities handling product for export to China.

News

New Pro Vice-Chancellor (Research) for UNSW Sydney

New PVCR, Scientia Professor Sven Rogge brings a wealth of experience to furthering the strategic priorities and objectives of research at UNSW Sydney.

News

2020/2021 Annual Report

The Future Food Systems CRC 2020/2021 Annual Report provides an overview of project achievements, financials, CRC case studies and highlights of the second year of operation.

News

Every dollar invested in research and development creates $3.50 in benefits for Australia, says new CSIRO analysis

Recent ABS stats show that Australian industry's R&D spend as a proportion of GDP is half the OECD average and the lowest it's been since 2003, but CSIRO analyses reveal that investing in innovation pays off, and is crucial for the nation's future resilience and prosperity.

Integrating On-chain and Off-chain Governance for Supply Chain Transparency and Integrity.

Shoufeng Cao, Thomas Miller, Marcus Foth, Warwick Powell, Xavier Boyen, Charles Turner-Morris

Paper

Integrating On-chain and Off-chain Governance for Supply Chain Transparency and Integrity.

Integrating on-chain and off-chain data storage for decentralised and distributed information systems, such as blockchain, presents specific challenges for providing transparency of data governance and ensuring data integrity through stakeholder engagement. Current research on blockchain-based supply chains focuses on using on-chain governance rules developed for cryptocurrency blockchains to store some critical data points without designing…

News

Plans unveiled for world-leading medical research centre in South West Sydney

The $47.5m Lang Walker AO Medical Research facility, due to open in 2023, will enable local researchers to address the region's unique health challenges. WSU and UNSW are participants.

News

Have your say on the ILH Airfreight Interface Concept envisaged for Western Sydney

Western Parkland City Authority has released its concept for a 24-hour, state-of-the-art Airfreight Interface at Western Sydney International Airport. Now it’s seeking stakeholder comment via an online survey open until 8 December.

News

Coffs Harbour food innovation ecosystem project takeaways

The final report of the ‘Coffs food innovation ecosystem’ project proposes four pathways to help the region’s agrifood firms transition to a new state of production marked by greater output and higher-value products.

News

UNSW maintains pole position in engineering and technology in THE subject rankings

The 2022 Times Higher Education rankings showcase UNSW’s strength across a broad range of disciplines, notably STEM subjects.

News

WSU commits to future jobs, skills and research growth with state-of-the-art Agri-Tech Hub vision launch

Western Sydney University has launched its vision for an Agri-Tech Hub: a six-hectare, high-tech greenhouse complex for commercial, teaching and research work that will help create new jobs and opportunities for high-tech horticulture in the region.

Industry Guest Lecture (Kairu Qu from COFCO NHRI)

COFCO NHRI

Reference Material

Industry Guest Lecture (Kairu Qu from COFCO NHRI)

BeefLegends: Connecting the Dots between Community, Culture and Commerce

McQueenie, John Michael, Foth, Marcus, Powell, Warwick, & Hearn, Greg

Report

BeefLegends: Connecting the Dots between Community, Culture and Commerce

This report highlights the role of the 3Cs – Community, Culture, Commerce, a project design methodology for customising social, business, research project partnerships. 3C is a leader in the intermediation and brokerage of mutually beneficial design. From 2018 – 2021, 3C was deployed as part of a collaborative research study between BeefLedger Ltd and QUT,…

FFS Publication

2020/21 Annual Report

The Future Food Systems CRC 2020/2021 Annual Report provides an overview of project achievements, financials, CRC case studies and highlights of the second year of operation.

Future Food Systems eNews issue # 19 – October 2021

Future Food Systems

Newsletter

Future Food Systems eNews issue # 19 – October 2021

Highlights this month include a new four-year project to optimise wheat grain drying and a cross-national collaboration to develop cost-effective, sustainable fertigation regimes for greenhouse vegetables. We also profile Charles Darwin University’s Dr Sean Bellairs, and Gareema Pandey, CRC Industry PhD. Sanitarium teams with UNSW scientists to optimise its wheat-grain drying operation In the ‘Art…

News

WSU to partner with Qatar University to develop sustainable fertigation technology

Protected cropping experts at Western Sydney University are embarking on a CRC project with new partner Qatar University to deliver novel fertigation solutions that optimise indoor crops.

News

Weet-Bix packaging now 100% recyclable

From October 2021, Sanitarium Health Food Company will include the Australasian Recycling Label (ARL) on its Weet-Bix boxes, letting customers know the packaging is now fully recyclable - with the packaging of other Sanitarium products soon to be 100% recyclable, too.

News

Mackay biorefinery pilot plant ready for take-off

World-leading technology has landed in Mackay, bringing Queensland one step closer to a $1 billion sustainable, export-oriented industrial biotechnology and bioproducts sector.

News

Peter Schutz wins AIFST President’s Award

CRC Board member Peter Schutz OAM has netted the 2021 Australian Institute of Food Science & Technology President’s Award for his outstanding contribution to the Australian food industry.

News

Sanitarium teams with UNSW scientists to optimise grain-drying operation

In a project starting mid-February 2022, UNSW scientists will work with Sanitarium to develop protocols for optimising the firm's Weet-Bix grain-drying process.

News

Meet Sean Bellairs: native grains and site regeneration expert

Charles Darwin University's Dr Sean Bellairs is a specialist in site revegetation and in breeding and establishing plants indigenous to Australia's north. He's also the research lead on the CRC's four-year, multi-partner 'Native rice commercialisation' project.

News

Federation University launches Sustainable Food Systems course

Gippsland-based Federation University has launched a three-year Bachelor of Sustainable Food Systems course that gives participants the practical and theoretical skills they’ll need to deliver safe, nutritious and sustainable food into local and global markets.

Media Release

State-of-the-art metabolomics food library launched in Western Australia

Scientists at Murdoch University’s Australian National Phenome Centre (ANPC) are embarking on a project with Bruker BioSpin and SMEs across Western Australia to create unique chemical fingerprinting methods for WA produce as part of the Future Food Systems CRC.

What Are the Effects of Short Video Storytelling in Delivering Blockchain-Credentialed Australian Beef Products to China?

Shoufeng Cao, Marcus Foth, Warwick Powell, and Jock McQueenie

Article

What Are the Effects of Short Video Storytelling in Delivering Blockchain-Credentialed Australian Beef Products to China?

Short videos have become the most-liked medium for Chinese consumers to learn about a brand’s products or services. This paper assesses how short video storytelling shapes Chinese consumers’ perceptions towards blockchain-credentialed Australian beef and their willingness to pay (WTP). A controlled experiment with a one-minute short video was implemented in an online survey. Respondents in…

News

Costa’s berry big venture nets Asia Fruit Award

Costa’s joint venture with Driscoll's vertically integrated blueberry operation in the Yunnan Province of China has netted a 2021 Asia Fruit Award for Impact.

News

CDU to establish Renewable Energy Microgrid Hub

Charles Darwin University has been awarded more than $2 million in federal funds to establish a Renewable Energy Microgrid Hub, which will lead research to develop reliable, cost-effective, eco-friendly power systems.

News

Agricultural research boost for Charles Darwin University

The federal-government-backed $4m Research Institute for Northern Agriculture and Drought Resilience will boost CDU’s research capability in aquaculture, livestock, pastoral production. and cropping and horticulture systems.

News

Regional Australia Microgrid Pilots Program: Apply now

RAMPP is a six-year, $50 million federal government program aimed at increasing the resilience and reliability of power supply for regional and remote communities.

News

Hort Innovation-AUSVEG-QDAF pilot shows fresh produce could be sea-freighted

New controlled-atmosphere tech shown to double the shelf life of sea-freighted fresh veg could give Australia's horticulture exporters an edge amid pandemic-fuelled air-freight price hikes.

News

Have your say on the future of farming in NSW

New South Wales' peak agricultural association encourages members and non-members to contribute their views to a CRC project that aims to boost farmers' contributions to state coffers – and their own hip pockets.

News

Are solar and wind the cheapest forms of energy? And other FAQs about renewables

UNSW renewables experts Alistair Sproul and Renate Egan weigh in on the future of energy generation, from solar voltaics to wind farms to battery storage.

News

State-of-the-art food metabolomics library launched in Western Australia

A just-commenced CRC project involving Murdoch University's ANPC, WA DPIRD, global scientific equipment firm Bruker and SMEs across WA will develop unique chemical fingerprints to validate health claims, expanding markets for premium WA products.

Future Food Systems eNews issue # 18 – September 2021

Future Food Systems

Newsletter

Future Food Systems eNews issue # 18 – September 2021

Highlights this month include the CRC’s first major functional food project with WA DPIRD and Bruker, a robotics collaboration with commercial grower P’Petual, and a project to map protecting cropping facilities nationally led by Hort Innovation. We introduce a new international partner, Qatar University, and update you on partner news, funding opportunities and events. And…

News

Robotic task automation project to prototype potential pollination solutions

Involving SME grower P’Petual and QUT robotics experts, this CRC project aims to automate not just pollination, but all sorts of indoor-grown crop-tending tasks.

News

Qatar University joins Future Food Systems CRC

New CRC participant Qatar University, based in Doha, is the country’s leading tertiary education and research institution, ranked second of all the Arab universities in the inaugural Times Higher Education (THE) Arab University Rankings.

News

Meet Derek Baker: agrifood supply chains & regional development expert

For University of New England’s Professor Derek Baker, better agribusiness means everything from improving regional infrastructure to reducing waste and finding more resilient, responsive paths to market.

News

Costa pledges support for Taskforce on Climate-related Financial Disclosures

Costa Group has pledged its support for the TCFD, joining more than 1,500 organisations committed to building a more resilient financial system to safeguard against climate risk.

News

Perfection Fresh looks to expand export terrain for Calypso mangoes

As another bumper season begins Down Under, Perfection Fresh CEO Michael Simonetta talks with Fresh Plaza about the company’s plans for a mango-led global expansion.

News

New research jobs to drive local innovation

UNE has teamed with Tamworth Regional Council and local businesses in a program to get UNE Innovation PhDs working on real-world innovations that capitalise on the region's food, agribusiness and ag-tech strengths.

News

Supporting Northern Australia’s agricultural and food manufacturing capability

Charles Darwin University has received $735,000 in funding from the Australian Government to develop the local industry's food manufacturing capabilities.

News

Victorian Government helps bring locally produced Food to Market

The Victorian Government has pledged $8.4 million to help the state’s agricultural producers manage and minimise supply-chain risks; build capability in domestic markets; and expand their export reach.

News

Government greenlights phased pilot program to return international students to NSW universities by year’s end

A committee led by WSU Vice-Chancellor Barney Glover has helped get NSW Government support for a pilot program that will bring 500 international students to the state's universities by early December.

News

Western Sydney University commits to ambitious energy targets as part of climate action

Western Sydney University's new Sustainability and Resilience 2030 strategy builds on the university's current eco-credibility with commitments to using 100% renewable energy by 2026 and to carbon-neutrality by decade's end.

News

Western Sydney University launches high-tech jobs ‘accelerator’ vision for the West

Western Sydney University's new Tech Jobs Accelerator builds on the success of the university's Launch Pad incubator, ensuring locals benefit from the opportunities that will accompany the soon-to-be-built Aerotropolis and related infrastructure investments.

News

UNSW finalists announced in 2021 Eureka Prizes

Creating low-cost sensor labels to record food freshness, finding new 'circular' solutions via micro-recycling, and extending the lifespan of next-gen solar cell materials are among 10 UNSW projects nominated for the 2021 Australian Museum Eureka Prizes.

News

Coles and Woolworths move to robot warehouses and on-demand labour as home deliveries soar

Both Coles and Woolworths have raced to implement new technology and change labour arrangements to keep pace with a boom in e-commerce, investing in 'smart' warehousing and distribution systems and using app-driven gig workers for grocery picking and delivery.

News

Five ways going vegan could change your social life – not just your health

With veganism a growing trend, researchers are documenting its positive impacts. Notably, finds Cambridge research associate Catherine Oliver, veganism allows people to feel good – not just in their health, but in having made planet-friendly choices aligned with their ethics.

News

FIAL’s National Food Waste Feasibility Study report advocates industry-led initiatives

Australians waste 7.6 million tonnes of food annually, with 49 per cent of this occurring between farm and retailers’ shelves, and 51 per cent at the consumer end of the supply chain. Right now, Australian households are throwing away between $2,000 and $2,500 worth of food every year. The $400,000 National Food Waste Strategy Feasibility…

News

New map to help safeguard nation’s protected cropping industries

Horticulture Innovation Australia, University of New England's AARSC, Protected Cropping Australia, NSW LLS and Future Food Systems CRC have teamed up to develop a high-tech tool to map Australia's protected cropping facilities, thereby aiding biosecurity preparedness and natural disaster response efforts.

News

NSW Circular’s Circular Challenge Funding Scheme: apply now

NSW Circular is offering up to $600k to support circular-economy scale-up projects in critical arenas, including solar PV and organic waste. Applications are open until 5pm AEST on Friday 26 November 2021.

Future Food Systems eNews issue # 17 – August 2021

Future Food Systems

Newsletter

Future Food Systems eNews issue # 17 – August 2021

From the CEO It’s an exciting time for our food cluster participants as governments across Australia back innovation in food manufacturing and supply chain infrastructure. The $1.3 billion Modern Manufacturing Initiative has prioritised the food sector. CRC industry and government partners are engaging with the program to channel grant funds into the public and commercial…

News

Advanced Vegetable Processing facility to add value to surplus Gippsland produce

CRC food cluster participant Food & Fibre Gippsland has applied the European Union model of Smart Specialisation to undertake feasibility and technical studies for a recycling facility to valorise waste streams from the $7 billion Gippsland sector.

News

Chemical fingerprinting, sensory evaluation underway for WA globe artichokes

The first sensory evaluation and fingerprinting work is underway in the CRC’s ‘Bioactive components for value-add to Australian artichokes’ project following the winter-spring harvest of Mt Lindesay’s organic globe artichoke varieties.

News

Takeaways: UN Food Systems National Dialogues

In the lead-up to the UN's inaugural Food Systems Summit this month, UN member countries including Australia hosted National Dialogues with stakeholders across the agrifood and sustainability sectors to establish priorities and issues for further discussion. View them here.

News

Meet Ruey-Leng Loo: phenomics and precision nutrition expert

Dr Ruey-Leng Loo is a clinical pharmacist who is focusing her clinical expertise on the application of metabolic phenotyping in epidemiological and nutritional studies.

News

Suez buys stake in Australian food repurposing venture Yume

Waste giant SUEZ Australia New Zealand has acquired a 20 per cent stake in award-winning Australian food redistribution company Yume Food.

News

Nominations open for PCA Industry Awards 2022

Nominations for Protected Cropping Australia's biennial Industry Awards, recognising the contributions of 'inspiring individuals' to the protected cropping sector, are open.

News

WAFIP’s first X-Protein Lab cohort to take sustainable protein innovations to Asia

The six pioneering companies selected as the WA Food Innovation Precinct's first X-Protein Lab cohort will work with WA and Singapore-based mentors to help expand the state’s capacity to supply sustainable healthy proteins to local, national and ASEAN markets.

News

WSU a founding partner in new, collaborative NSW Public Policy Institute

Dist. Prof. David Tissue, CRC Program 2 Lead has been appointed to the role of Research Grant Stream Lead within the new James Martin Institute for Public Policy, which brings policymakers and interdisciplinary academic teams together to address complex societal issues.

News

Investors get behind alt-meat firm Fable Food

Queensland-based Fable Food Co, a CRC participant, has raised $6.5m in seed funding to ramp up R&D and production of its fungi-based meat-substitute products.

News

New Decarbonisation Innovation Hub to help industry capitalise on sustainability opportunities in NSW

The CRC has registered an expression of interest in supporting the new NSW Decarbonisation Innovation Hub and its networks. The decision to establish the Hub followed the findings of an extensive Decarbonisation Innovation Study initiated in 2019.

News

Portable chemistry kit sweetens native bush fruit production

Indigenous communities now have a tool enabling them to assess the quality and sweetness of their wild-harvested native bush fruits in the field, rather than sending samples off to food science laboratories.

What is blockchain?

World Economic Forum

Reference Material

What is blockchain?

A two-minute introduction to distributed ledger technology.

How to Transform Food Systems: 7 Calls to Action

Global Alliance for the Future of Food

Reference Material

How to Transform Food Systems: 7 Calls to Action

This document was initially prepared by the Global Alliance for the Future of Food ‘to stimulate an understanding of critical issues related to food systems reform, inform individual member foundations, and guide Global Alliance collective action’. The Alliance has made it publicly available to inspire discussion about sustainable food systems reform.

Smart glass impacts stomatal sensitivity of greenhouse Capsicum through altered light

Chenchen Zhao, Sachin Chavan, Xin He, Meixue Zhou, Christopher I Cazzonelli, Zhong-Hua Chen, David T Tissue, Oula Ghannoum

Article

Smart glass impacts stomatal sensitivity of greenhouse Capsicum through altered light

This papers compares the stomatal responses of Capsicum plants grown hydroponically under control glass (70% diffuse light) or the smart glass (SG) film ULR-80, which blocked >50% of short-wave radiation and ~9% of photosynthetically active radiation (PAR).

Light‑altering cover materials and sustainable greenhouse production of vegetables: a review

Xin He, Chelsea Maier, Sachin G. Chavan, Chen-Chen Zhao, Yagiz Alagoz, Christopher Cazzonelli, Oula Ghannoum, David T. Tissue & Zhong-Hua Chen

Paper

Light‑altering cover materials and sustainable greenhouse production of vegetables: a review

This paper reviews the studies on advanced greenhouse cover materials with variable light transmittance, the effects of which on leaf photosynthesis, physiology, and yield. It also provides insights into the potential key biological processes of crops responding to these light changes, specifically light receptors, signal transduction, nutrient biosynthesis pathways during fruit development and ripening.

News

Gippsland agrifood producers get grant funding boost

The winners of Food & Fibre Gippsland’s ‘What’s Your Food or Fibre Challenge, Gippsland?’ have been announced. The successful businesses will use the funding and support to help them surmount obstacles to sustainable growth.

News

New sustainability framework for Australian horticulture sector

Boosting water and energy efficiency and cutting waste are just some of the opportunities identified in HIA’s new Horticulture Sustainability Framework, developed with extensive input from sector stakeholders.

News

Future Food Systems CRC joins global cluster network

The CRC has joined the Oceania Chapter of The Competitive Institute (TCI) Network, an international organisation connecting and supporting specialised industry clusters around the world.

News

RDA ACT establishes Canberra Region Food Collaborative

Regional Development Australia ACT calls it ‘a complete re-conception of a City-Region Food System’. The primary objective of the just-launched Canberra Region Food Collaborative is to source more food locally and sustainably.

News

Perfection Fresh acquires table grapes firm, eyeing export market expansion

National fruit and veg wholesaler Perfection Fresh has acquired a major table grapes operation as part of an ongoing push to diversify.

News

World-first blockchain-enabled credentialled marketplace – eCommerce 3.0 is here

QUT and Smart Trade Networks have just launched the world’s first fully blockchain-enabled credentialled marketplace. In their next 'Smart trade hubs' project, just commenced under the CRC, they plan to extend it to other commodities and markets.

Media Coverage

The world’s first fully blockchain-enabled credential led marketplace

QUT Design Lab and Smart Trade Networks are set to launch and demonstrate the world’s first fully blockchain-enabled credential led marketplace. The Smart Trade Networks marketplace is an eCommerce 3.0 platform allowing traders and investors of all sizes to track, trace and trade. The launch will also reveal a ‘Global Portfolio’, with more than 30…

Media Coverage

UNE and Costa team up to help improve hydroponic cropping

WORLD first Australian research is looking to better understand microbial colonies in the root zones of hydroponically grown greenhouse tomato crops.

Media Coverage

UNE and Costa team up to help improve hydroponic cropping

WORLD first Australian research is looking to better understand microbial colonies in the root zones of hydroponically grown greenhouse tomato crops.

Media Coverage

UNE and Costa team up to help improve hydroponic cropping

WORLD first Australian research is looking to better understand microbial colonies in the root zones of hydroponically grown greenhouse tomato crops.

News

Food for thought: are organic foods really pesticide-free?

When you buy organic food, you don’t always get food free from pesticides, says UNSW expert Associate Professor Jayashree Arcot.

News

UNSW tops ARC Research Hub grants

More than $9 million in ARC grants have been awarded to two UNSW Sydney projects providing research into sensors for the health sector and new technologies for Australia’s infrastructure needs.

News

Mark Cardamis: seeking mobile sensing solutions for remote crop control

Mark Cardamis has graduated from making mini greenhouse prototypes to joining a collaborative university-industry project team as a CRC Industry PhD, exploring mobile sensing systems for remote monitoring of crops in advanced indoor greenhouse systems.

Future Food Systems eNews issue # 16 – July 2021

Future Food Systems

Newsletter

Future Food Systems eNews issue # 16 – July 2021

From the CEO Despite widespread lockdowns across three states it’s been full steam ahead for the CRC, with the new financial year bringing more projects and participants. Projects commenced this month include a second project with BeefLedger and new participant Smart Trade Networks, to expand their blockchain-enabled smart trading platform to new markets and products;…

News

Putting Farmers at the Centre: realising gains from agricultural innovation and growth

To attain its 30x30 goal, NSW Farmers needs the state's primary producers to expand their contribution to the state's coffers. So it's teamed up with UNE researchers in a farmer-focused project that aims to identify obstacles to growth and find ways to overcome them.

News

Smart trade platform progresses from POC to Asian expansion

In stage 2 of the Smart Trade Hubs program, QUT and SCP Capital will extend their blockchain-backed digital trading platform, developed for premium beef exports to China, to high-value fruits, wines and artisan liquor destined for markets across Asia.

News

iMOVE CRC research underpins new National Freight Data hub

iMOVE CRC research into Australia's freight transport routes and distribution hubs is the basis for the a new national repository of freight information, which will become progressively more comprehensive as sector users enter more data.

News

GS1 joins AFGC to help digitise and streamline Australia’s food supply chains

The Australian Food and Grocery Council (AFGC) has teamed with global standards group GS1 Australia to help Australia’s food and grocery manufacturing industry implement improved supply-chain standards and technology.

News

NSW DPI creates new role to boost ag industry adoption of science-based solutions

NSW DPI Agriculture has appointed the head of its Northern Horticulture division, Matt Adkins, as its new Leader for Industry Adoption in a bid to boost farmer uptake of its scientifically based business solutions.

News

Marcus Foth: food and data interaction expert

QUT Design Lab head and Professor of Urban Informatics Marcus Foth undertakes cutting-edge transdisciplinary work that “brings together people, place and technology". He's also leading the CRC's Smart Trade Hubs project, and using his expertise to help save wombats and bees.

News

Australia’s HydroREC joins world-leading Zero Carbon Certification Scheme

Innovative Queensland developer HydroREC, a spinoff from CRC industry participant Smart Trade Networks, has become a Founding Partner in the Smart Energy Council and Hydrogen Australia’s Zero Carbon Certification Scheme.

News

Costa Group acquires Central Queensland citrus operation in export push

CRC industry partner Costa Group has diversified its business further by acquiring Queensland citrus-growing company 2PH Farms.

News

Could offshore wind turbines help Australia become an energy superpower?

New research confirms Australia’s offshore wind resources offer vast potential both for electricity generation and new jobs.

News

‘They just kept on rising’: data reveals alarming greenhouse gas increase

If we're to reduce net carbon emissions to zero by 2050, governments, industry and individuals need to do much more, suggest research findings from a multinational team that included UNSW Sydney Professor Tommy Wiedmann.

News

New ARC Centre uses behavioural economics to spur adoption of beneficial technology

QUT researchers will lead the $6.5 million ARC Training Centre for Behavioural Insights for Technology Adoption (BITA) that aims to accelerate Australians’ adoption of innovation technologies in health, agriculture and cybersecurity.

News

Could decentralised agrifood clusters be key to sustainable food systems?

In this thought-provoking paper, Sydney academic and urban planner Steven Liaros contends that 'the transition to a fully circular economy will require a paradigm shift ... away from large-scale industrial agriculture to a decentralised network of circular food systems'.

News

Food and beverage manufacturers get MMI funds to modernise and scale up

MMI Round 2 grant recipients in the food and beverage manufacturing sector include a pie-bakery keen to expand production, a recycled-packaging manufacturer, a soon-to-be-greener brewery, a supplier of beekeeping systems, and a business looking to install new freeze-drying and processing equipment and technology.

News

Australian Government pledges $50m to bolster supply-chain capabilities

$50m in grant funding is on offer to help build supply-chain capabilities in two critical areas: biopharmaceuticals and agricultural production chemicals. Apply by COB 12 August.

News

CDU scientists help fight biosecurity threat

Charles Darwin University chemists have developed a scent profile and artificial scent lures designed to help sniffer dogs detect citrus canker disease in Northern Territory citrus orchards.

News

Establishing a First Nations research network

Menzies School of Health Research (Menzies) at Charles Darwin University will be part of a National Network for First Nations Researchers, being established to help grow the next generation of research leaders.

News

Fable Food Co’s Chief Scientific Officer talks with his celebrity chef idol

Jim Fuller - chemical engineer, fine-dining chef, mycologist and now Chief Scientific Officer with Fable Food Co - was a recent guest on celebrity chef Heston Blumenthal's podcast Heston's Journey to the Centre of Food.

Media Coverage

Costa teams up for tomato study

A world-first study using DNA samples from hydroponic tomatoes is being undertaken through a collaboration between Costa and University of New England (UNE). The ‘tomato rhizobiome’ project’ – which will be part of the Future Food Systems Co-operative Research Centre (CRC) – is designed to further the understanding of microbial colonies in the root zones…

News

$800m in federal funds for collaborative food manufacturing projects

Under its Modern Manufacturing Initiative, the Australian Government is offering $800m in grant funding for large-scale collaborative projects in priority manufacturing areas, including food and beverages.

Future Food Systems eNews issue # 15 – June 2021

Future Food Systems

Newsletter

Future Food Systems eNews issue # 15 – June 2021

From the CEO This month we welcome two new Board members. Mark Prendergast is a senior executive and non-executive director who brings more than two decades’ international experience in the food industry to the CRC. Tony Cull has extensive board-level experience within multinational corporations, large cooperatives and family-owned businesses across Australia, South-East Asia and East…

News

CRC welcomes two new Board members

In June 2021, the CRC farewelled outgoing Board member Valerie Linton and welcomed two new Members to its Board: Mark Prendergast and Tony Cull.

News

QUT scientists to develop “new healthy protein opportunities” for Sanitarium

UK-trained QUT biochemist Robert Speight is leading a new CRC project with Sanitarium Health Food Company exploring healthy proteins for plant-based products.

News

Vicky Solah: food science and human nutrition expert

Murdoch University Associate Professor Vicky Solah brings 36 years of expertise in food science and human nutrition to the CRC. Right now she's profiling artichokes for CRC partner Mt Lindesay. Next, she'll begin upcycled fruit-and-veg product trials at the new WA Food Innovation Precinct.

News

Smart cropping advice: CRC publishes new report for indoor growers

This CRC report canvasses the latest developments in phenotyping for advanced protected cropping facilities. It assesses tools and tech used by commercial growers to monitor and manage crop inputs impacting attributes including growth, health and yield.

News

CRC Association Early Career Research Competition

In the lead-up to its annual conference, 18-20 October, the CRC Association is calling for video submissions from early-career researchers. Three winners each get a free trip to Canberra, full registration and the chance to showcase their research and win $5,000. Apply by COB 31 August.

News

Northern Australia’s native rice: ripe for commercialisation

In stage 1 of this multi-year collaboration, two CRC partner universities, NT Government and three First Nations enterprises have joined forces to collect, analyse and develop protocols for the world's first broadacre plantings of native wild rice in Northern Australia.

News

Mapping traffic to cut congestion, aid mobility in Western Sydney

iMOVE CRC's FAST project will explore transport patterns and suggest solutions to reduce congestion and streamline traffic flows in Liverpool LGA, especially between Liverpool CBD and the plannned Western Sydney International Airport.

News

Export Grants Funding Scheme: new rules

The federal government’s export support grants have been revamped, with new rules from 1 July. Check out the new application guidelines and your eligibility.

News

The good oil on remote sensing

University of New England researchers are working with Hort Innovation, NSW DPI and the Australian Olive Association to develop tools that improve yield forecasts, reduce water use and aid disease control and risk management.

News

New discoveries pave the way for an algal boom

It's clean, green, and nutritionally potent. Murdoch University researchers have found a number of uses for microalgae, from animal feed to beta-carotene supplements.

Media Coverage

A tri-polar privacy world: China, EU, US conflict on rights regimes

There’s an old African saying: When two elephants fight, it is the grass that suffers. And when elephants make love, it is the grass that suffers. Libertine innuendo aside, what happens when three elephants rub elbows? That is the as-yet unanswered question that insiders are asking about data privacy regimes, especially those involving biometrics collected…

News

UNSW solar pioneer wins major international engineering award

UNSW Engineering Professor Thorsten Trupke has won the internationally coveted IEEE William Cherry Award for outstanding contributions to photovoltaic science and technology.

News

Green goals: QUT students target Australia’s food and plastics waste

Extending ‘use by’ dates, banning supermarkets from ditching edible food and developing re-usable meal kit packaging are among the ideas being explored by researchers at QUT’s Centre for a Waste-Free World, launched last year to develop ‘circular economy’ ideas and technologies.

News

Fifth-gen vegie grower’s global e-sales nets him Hort Innovation’s Exporter of the Year

The HIA-sponsored exporter award at Hort Connections' 2021 went to Queensland vegie grower Steven Moffat, who's been direct-selling Moffat products into overseas markets since 2015.

News

Hort Innovation launches $28m program to boost tree-crop productivity

Hort Innovation, NSW DPI, WA DPIRD and SARDI, have teamed up in a five-year, $28m program to boost quantity and quality in five of Australia's key fruit and nut crops - starting with citrus.

Media Coverage

What is ‘DeFi’, and how might the blockchain tech behind bitcoin cost bankers their jobs?

Imagine a world where you can purchase a house directly from the seller, without needing to go through banks, lawyers and real estate agents. That idea sounds like heaven for some people. It might be possible to cut out all those middlemen one day, thanks to an idea called de-centralised finance (“DeFi”) — which runs on blockchain (a technology…

News

Global insights, home and away: apply now for a 2022 Nuffield Scholarship

Applications by 6 August for next year’s Nuffield Scholarship, which helps recipients broaden their horizons with regard to on agrifood-related topics, then translate those learnings into action ‘back home’.

News

GS1 teams with AFGC to help digitise and streamline Australia’s food supply chains

The AFGC has teamed with GS1 Australia to improve supply-chain data across Australia's food and grocery manufacturing industry.

News

UNSW boasts its record number of Fulbright Scholars in 2021

Ten UNSW academics, PhD candidates and alumni will travel to esteemed US research institutions and organisations under the flagship foreign exchange program.

News

QUT Mackay Renewable Biocommodities Pilot Plant to get capabilities upgrade

The federal government has pledged $5.2m to upgrade the capability of QUT Mackay's biomanufacturing scale-up facility, used to demonstrate the viability of new technologies and produce products in sizeable quantities.

‘Protected cropping’: NSW DPI research reports/information

NSW Department of Primary Industry

Reference Material

‘Protected cropping’: NSW DPI research reports/information

Outlines the findings of NSW Government Department of Primary Industry (DPI) research into protected-cropping, covering everything from optimal irrigation regimes in hydroponic crops to implementing integrated pest and disease management in greenhouses.

Sustaining Australia: Food and Grocery Manufacturing 2030

Australian Food & Grocery Council

Reference Material

Sustaining Australia: Food and Grocery Manufacturing 2030

This report was compiled by the leading industry body for Australia’s food and grocery manufacturing sector, with economic analysis from Warren Hogan of EQ Economics. The report provides in-depth analysis of the sector, identifying opportunities and vulnerabilities. It outlines the investment and policy decisions required to ensure the sector thrives, at home and in export markets. The report includes recommendations on long-term industry strategy, investment incentives, workforce skills, regulatory reform, digital labelling, retailer-supplier relationships and export growth strategy.

Food for the Future: Showcasing Collaboration

National Centre for Universities and Business

Reference Material

Food for the Future: Showcasing Collaboration

A report from the UK’s National Centre for Universities and Business (NCUB) highlighting university and business partnerships formed to help Britain acquire the capability to produce enough nutritious food, sustainably, to feed future generations.

News

Escavox’s smart supply-chain tech cuts food loss, boosts producer profits

Escavox co-founder and CEO Luke Wood talks with AgFutures about the company’s Blue Box, a smart supply-chain tracking device dubbed ‘CCTV for food’.

News

A new roadmap for Australia’s research infrastructure

The federal government has appointed an expert working group to develop a roadmap setting out Australia’s research infrastructure needs and priorities for the coming five to 10 years.

Media Coverage

A company called EcoMag plans to turn waste from a Western Australian salt production site into all sorts of things including products for the health industry

Widespread weekend rainfall reached most of the state’s grain growing regions and even got into parts of the state’s northern and eastern areas. Aggie Forrester, from Winning Station, 250 kilometres north of Carnarvon, poured 66 millimetres out of the gauge said the rain is fantastic. Demand for some canola seed varieties has increased by as…

Future Food Systems eNews issue # 14 – May 2021

Future Food Systems

Newsletter

Future Food Systems eNews issue # 14 – May 2021

From the CEO This month has seen changes and additions to the CRC executive team. Distinguished Professor David Tissue has taken over from Professor Ian Anderson as the Lead for Research Program 2 – see his profile below. Dr Maria Chandra-Hioe has joined as Research Project Coordinator. Maria, a food scientist and nutritionist, will be…

News

Food in the Capital: helping to reposition Canberra as a sustainable agrifood hub

Discussion at RDA's Food in the Capital event centred on what's needed to reposition Canberra and the surrounding region as a sustainable, economically viable agrifood hub.

News

Valuable early results from tomato rhizobiome trials

The ‘Tomato rhizobiome project’, designed to find ways to foster robust microbial colonies in the root zones of hydroponic greenhouse tomato plants, is proceeding well, with initial findings 'very promising', says industry partner Costa Group.

News

Meet David Tissue: crop science expert

In a career spanning decades, continents and planets, Distinguished Professor David Tissue has maintained a thirst for exploration and a desire to help crops thrive, even in the most hostile environments.

News

Perfection Fresh goes bananas for bananas

Further diversifying its offerings, Australia's leading horticultural producer-distributor has acquired banana business Pacific Coast Produce Marketing, enabling it to license the environmentally friendly Red Tip™ Ecoganic™ banana.

News

CRC report: Scoping the protected cropping sector

The first in a series of CRC-commissioned reports on this fast-growing horticultural sector investigates target crops and technologies for commercial protected cropping in Australian conditions.

News

Peel Business Park calls for EOIs from innovative agrifood businesses

WA’s Peel Business Park, site of the soon-to-be-built WA Food Innovation Precinct, is seeking expressions of interest from agrifood and ancillary businesses keen to carve their own footprints in the precinct.

News

CRC-NA appoints local mover and shaker as CEO

Proud North Queenslander Anne Stünzner, fresh from advocacy and economic advisor roles in local government and regional economic development, is looking forward to her new role leading the CRC for Northern Australia.

News

The rise and rise of Fable Food Co: Michael Fox talks business

Michael Fox, co-founder and CEO of thriving alt-meat SME Fable Food Co, has been busy running the company - and guesting on podcasts Curveball and The Mentor, where he discussed sustainable food production, pandemic pivoting and how he secured investor backing for Fable.

News

WAFIP Enterprise Support Program to fund growth of innovative agrifood SMEs

Eligible agrifood SMEs can apply for dollar-matched funding of up to $200K to scale up, commercialise and develop new food products within the new WA Food Innovation Precinct via the just-launched Enterprise Support Program.

News

Food Innovation Precinct WA to drive growth in premium value-added foods

Construction has begun on WAFIP, which will include an advanced food-manufacturing facility and food science, processing and educational facilities. The CRC will work with its WA partners to deliver R&D services within the precinct.

News

Food in the Capital recap

The focus of the Food in the Capital conference, held over two days in October 2020 and May 2021, was on the critical role food production, consumption and new technology will play in helping Canberra to become a fully sustainable city.

Media Release

New WA Food Innovation Precinct to drive growth of high-quality value-added food products in Australia’s West

Construction of the Western Australian Food Innovation Precinct has commenced, with an official ‘turning of the sod’ ceremony held on site on the morning of Thursday 20 May, and an industry launch of the precinct and accompanying Enterprise Support Program at the adjacent Bushfire Centre of Excellence in the afternoon.

Future Food Systems eNews issue # 12 – March 2021

Future Food Systems

Newsletter

Future Food Systems eNews issue # 12 – March 2021

From the CEO As anticipated, 2021 is presenting a range of stimulus opportunities for firms in food and related technology sectors. A new Department of Industry Commercialisation Fund has been established to support small manufacturers and their research partners – potentially one of the CRC’s universities – in delivering discrete innovation projects of around 18…

Future Food Systems eNews issue # 13 – April 2021

Future Food Systems

Newsletter

Future Food Systems eNews issue # 13 – April 2021

From the CEO On April 7, the NSW Government, the Namoi Joint Organisation of Councils (JO) and the CRC announced that the Namoi region would become the state’s fourth Regional Jobs Precinct. The CRC has been working with the JO for the past six months to develop a super-cluster initiative in this highly productive agricultural…

News

Kids learn firsthand from farmers

NSW Farmers is joining forces with primary producers statewide to offer farm-based experiences to primary-school students participating in the federally funded Kids to Farms program.

News

Half a century of Big Data for software pioneer

Big data pioneer and licence-holder of the world’s most widely used livestock performance analysis software, BREEDPLAN, the University of New England's Agricultural Business Research Institute (ABRI) celebrates a half-century of operation this year.

News

World-first clear solar glass greenhouse opens on Murdoch University campus

The world's first clear solar glass greenhouse is up and running at Murdoch University's grains research precinct. Renowned geneticist Professor Chengdao Li and his team will use the facility to develop new breeding technologies for use in commercial cropping.

News

Market opportunities abound across ASEAN for Australian food products and ag-tech

Austrade’s latest export market updates indicate significant potential for Australian food and ag-tech exports across the ASEAN region – and even some bright spots in China.

Future Food Systems eNews issue # 11 – February 2021

Future Food Systems

Newsletter

Future Food Systems eNews issue # 11 – February 2021

From the CEO This month, we introduce you to UNSW’s Associate Professor Pat Spicer, who traded a product-development position with Procter & Gamble in the United States to pursue a research career in Sydney. Right now, Pat is bringing his passion for developing new products and solutions – and his industry experience – to our…

Future Food Systems eNews issue # 10 – January 2021

Future Food Systems

Newsletter

Future Food Systems eNews issue # 10 – January 2021

From the CEO 2021 begins with renewed global commitment to innovation across food systems and significant growth opportunities for our industry partners. Some of the world’s biggest investors are throwing their weight behind the future foods megatrend – see, for example, this CNBC story about how to ‘ride the boom’. Meanwhile, the United Nations is…

Future Food Systems eNews issue # 9 – December 2020

Future Food Systems

Newsletter

Future Food Systems eNews issue # 9 – December 2020

From the CEO The CRC’s first full year of operation has been quite an adventure. Rounding up, I’d like to thank the head office team, the research team and our industry and government partners for adapting so well to the circumstances, continuing to form projects, deliver research and find new ways to communicate. A substantial…

Future Food Systems eNews issue # 8 – November 2020

Future Food Systems

Newsletter

Future Food Systems eNews issue # 8 – November 2020

From the CEO November has been an exceptionally busy month for the CRC with a raft of new projects in development, the CRC’s Annual General Meeting, and preparation for our annual Research Showcase event. On the research front, a smart greenhouse project with the Greenbio Group has commenced and a major precision nutrition project funded…

Future Food Systems eNews issue # 7 – October 2020

Future Food Systems

Newsletter

Future Food Systems eNews issue # 7 – October 2020

From the CEO It’s been a productive month as the team works with industry and research partners to complete a raft of new project agreements before the end of the year. New projects in the works include three with Western Australian partners, a Greenbio/QUT vertical farming initiative, and a major foundation project for protected-cropping innovation…

Future Food Systems eNews issue # 6 – September 2020

Future Food Systems

Newsletter

Future Food Systems eNews issue # 6 – September 2020

From the CEO This month, the CRC has taken its food-industry cluster and value-chain transformation activities to a new level, with major projects in discussion in both Peel, Western Australia, and the Namoi region of New South Wales. These projects will align closely with local, state and Commonwealth Government programs to boost Australian manufacturing and…

Future Food Systems eNews issue # 5 – August 2020

Future Food Systems

Newsletter

Future Food Systems eNews issue # 5 – August 2020

From the CEO This month, the CRC entered into a new regional development alliance with Namoi Unlimited, a consortium of five NSW councils in one of Australia’s most productive agricultural regions. The initiative has attracted significant local media coverage and community support, and is just one example of the national movement we are seeing towards…

Future Food Systems eNews issue # 4 – July 2020

Future Food Systems

Newsletter

Future Food Systems eNews issue # 4 – July 2020

From the CEO COVID-19 is highlighting the need for greater security and efficiency in food supply chains. Nutrition, provenance and safety are at premium. Rising demand in segments such as alternative proteins and trusted fresh food is creating new opportunities for partners. At the same time, the Commonwealth’s Regional Deal program is recognising the potential…

Future Food Systems eNews issue # 3 – February 2020

Newsletter

Future Food Systems eNews issue # 3 – February 2020

Future Food Systems eNews issue # 2 – December 2019

Future Food Systems

Newsletter

Future Food Systems eNews issue # 2 – December 2019

Future Food Systems eNews issue # 1 – November 2019

Future Food Systems

Newsletter

Future Food Systems eNews issue # 1 – November 2019

Bruker technology powers the Australian National Phenome Centre The new Australian National Phenome Centre (ANPC), opened formally on 4 October by Acting Premier of Western Australia and Health Minister, the Hon. Roger Cook, Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister and Cabinet, the Hon. Ben Morton, and the Governor of Western Australia, the Hon. Kim Beazley…

News

NT Government and AMGC partner up to promote advanced manufacturing

The Territory Labor Government will invest $8.5m over five years with the federally-funded Advanced Manufacturing Growth Centre to fast-track manufacturing innovation projects – including agribusiness-related projects – across Australia’s Top End

News

UNSW spray dryer produces perfectly dry, 99.8% pure magnesium citrate

In an initial trial in the UNSW-EcoMag project, chemical engineers at UNSW were able to produce very high-purity Mg citrate using their state-of-the-art spray dryer. It's a first, successful step towards EcoMag's goal of scaling up to commercial production using the new process.

News

Smart Glass and LLEAF: novel spectra-shifting tech to boost energy-efficiency, crop growth and yield under cover

A new CRC project is comparing two novel light-spectra-shifting films on energy-efficiency and crop productivity in greenhouse-grown lettuce.

News

An industry with legs: Australia’s first edible insects roadmap

Australia has the potential to become a major player in the billion-dollar global edible insect industry, producing nutritious, sustainable, ethical protein products to bolster global food security, contends a new roadmap by Australia’s national science agency, CSIRO.

News

WSU ranked in top 1.5% of the world’s universities for social, ecological and economic impact

WSU has cemented its position in the Times Higher Education University Impact Rankings as one of the world's top-ranking tertiary institution with regard to social, environmental and economic impacts.

News

5 future forces set to disrupt Australia’s agrifood sector over the next decade

A new report pinpoints five ‘future forces’ likely to impact Australia's agriculture sector and agrifood supply chains over the next 10 years, extrapolating seven plausible 2031 scenarios as food for thought and for constructive, change-oriented conversations.

News

Could Australia’s capital become a sustainable, self-sufficient food zone?

If Canberra and the ACT backed the development of sustainable local food production and urban farming systems, the region could become a leader in urban agriculture and in meeting our emissions targets, contends Regional Development Australia ACT CEO Michael Claessens.

News

Tonight, I’ll be having cultivated meat with a side salad

The idea of ordering slaughter-free authentic meat is becoming a reality, says Professor Johannes le Coutre, a food scientist from UNSW Sydney's School of Chemical Engineering.

News

FIAL calls for supply-chain traceability SMEs to join it at foodpro 2021

FIAL invites eligible SMEs or micro-businesses with products or services related to food and beverage supply-chain integrity to submit EOIs with a view to participating in the Traceability and Provenance Zone at foodpro 2021, in Sydney in late July.

News

Sanitarium Health Food Company launches Weet-Bix for Little Kids Essentials

Iconic Australian health food brand Sanitarium has developed a new breakfast cereal designed specifically for toddlers and preschoolers: Weet-Bix Little Kids Essentials is high in fibre and essential micronutrients, low in sugar and has no artificial flavours, colours, preservatives or added salt.

News

Specialised agrifood clusters: theory and practice

In this useful report, QUT's Randall McHugh explores the pros and cons of specialist industry clusters, and examines the potential benefits to our agrifood sector of clustering in locations well suited to agrifood operations..

News

Can initiating the Maillard reaction improve functional attributes of plant proteins?

In a paper just published in Critical Reviews in Food Science, researchers from UNSW Sydney’s School of Chemical Engineering. review the literature on functional attributes of plant-derived proteins and explore how these might be improved by inducing a partial Maillard reaction and subsequent conjugation.

News

A hub for drought resilience innovation in the Top End

A new research and innovation hub, based at Charles Darwin University and with nodes in Katherine, Alice Springs, Broome and Perth, will help Northern Australia's producers and communities prepare for and respond to drought.

Namoi Investment Prospectus: North West New South Wales

Regional Development Australia – Northern Inland NSW

Reference Material

Namoi Investment Prospectus: North West New South Wales

Agricultural investment opportunities in the Namoi, NSW’s Northern Inland region, abound, thanks to the reliable volume of premium-quality agricultural output available. This provides the scale and continuity of throughput needed to support further processing and value-adding activity. This, in turn, ensures that a larger proportion of economic growth from agriculture can be retained in the region.

Protected Cropping Toolkit

Protected Cropping Australia

Reference Material

Protected Cropping Toolkit

A series of practical, informational videos from Protected Cropping Australia, the main industry body for Australia’s protected cropping operators, large and small. Topics covered include: Layout & Planning, Greenhouse Set-Up, Irrigation, Nutrient Management, Cleaning and Sanitation and Pests & Diseases.

Hort Innovation Reports, publications and fact sheets

Hort Innovation

Reference Material

Hort Innovation Reports, publications and fact sheets

An array of useful information for growers from the peak industry body for Australia’s horticulture sector, an estimated 30 per cent of which consists of low-, medium- and high-tech commercial protected-cropping operations that range from major growers to boutique operations located across all states and territories. PC operators grow a broad variety of fruits and vegetables including blueberries, strawberries, rubus (raspberries, blackberries), tomatoes, melons, cucumbers, capsicum, salad (including Asian) greens, herbs, chillies, eggplant and more.

Australian Horticulture Statistics Handbook 2023/24

Hort Innovation

Reference Material

Australian Horticulture Statistics Handbook 2023/24

Information on the four subsectors listed above are available to download free of charge as four separate pdf documents.

Improvements of plant protein functionalities by Maillard conjugation and Maillard reaction products

Rishi Ravindra Naik, Yong Wang and Cordelia Selomulya

Article

Improvements of plant protein functionalities by Maillard conjugation and Maillard reaction products

This review covers recent advances in plant-derived protein modification using Maillard conjugation, including different pretreatments to modify the functionality and bioactivity of plant proteins and their potential uses in practice. An overview of different properties of conjugates and MRPs, including food safety aspects, is given.

News

How to get the most out of research when universities and industry team up

A consultation paper on university research commercialisation is the latest effort by the federal government to increase the impact of Australia's oft-groundbreaking research. This article from The Conversation looks at a recent study on industry-university collaboration.

News

Scaling up to a global circular economy

Accenture’s Cohort ’21 initiative helps circular-economy innovators from across the globe - including several in the agrifood space - showcase and scale their ideas for upcycling waste. To contribute to the collective effort, join The Circular Accelerator's Circular Community Action Group.

News

Modern Manufacturing Initiative funding opens to renewables and recycling projects

The federal government's Modern Manufacturing Initiative is offering dollar-matched funding to Australia-based manufacturers with suitable recycling and renewables projects, but act fast: you have until COB on Wednesday 5 May to get your application in.

Media Coverage

NSW Government announces new regional jobs precinct in the Namoi

At a Tamworth press conference on Wed 7 April 2021, The Hon Kevin Anderson, Minister for Better Regulation and Member for Tamworth, announced that NSW’s Namoi will be one of the state’s four Regional Jobs Precincts.

News

NSW Government announces new Regional Jobs Precinct in the Namoi

It's official: NSW Minister for Better Regulation and Member for Tamworth Kevin Anderson has announced that the Namoi region will be the state’s fourth Regional Jobs Precinct. The CRC will work with the Namoi Joint Organisation, NSW Government, UNSW and UNE to help plan the new precinct.

News

Validating the nutritional properties of globe artichokes

Western Australian globe artichoke producer Mt Lindesay has teamed with researchers at Murdoch University in a project to validate key properties of their artichokes.

News

Food, beverage and technology grant opportunities: an Australian round-up

Commonwealth, State and Territory government funding is available to help Australia's food, beverage, agricultural and ancilllary organisations, big and small, revive and thrive post-pandemic.

News

Federal government launches $1.38m food & beverage grants initiative and industry-led sector road map

The federal government has opened grant applications to food and beverage manufacturers under its $1.3b Modern Manufacturing Initiative. But act fast: the application window closes at COB 27 April.

News

NSW Government commits $100m to regional jobs creation

The New South Wales Government has committed $100m to help existing regional businesses grow, boost regional job numbers, and encourage interstate and overseas firms to invest in non-urban NSW.

News

5 global megatrends set to shape our agrifood future

A new report from ABARES details global megatrends set to shape the future of our nation's agriculture sector – from data-driven disruption to dramatic climate change.

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Government calls for input on ‘critical technologies’ in ag and health sectors

The federal government is consulting key stakeholders on current and emerging technologies in the health and agriculture sectors that could advance or undermine Australia’s national interests.

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Federal Government launches $30m Commercialisation Fund

SME CRC industry participants may wish to apply for the Australian Manufacturing Growth Centre’s new Commercialisation Fund. It offers dollar-matched grants of between $100,000 and $1m to small-scale, collaborative manufacturing projects.

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WEF says greening food supply chains could curb global GG emissions by 25%

A recent World Economic Forum report contends cutting supply-chain emissions to near-net zero by 2050 is more readily achievable than you might think. And the food and ag sector could do the most to help.

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Round 1 of Modern Manufacturing Initiative funding open for food & beverage firms

Australian food and beverage manufacturing firms have just four weeks to apply for grants under Round 1 of the federal government's Modern Manufacturing Initiative to help them scale up, employ and export. So act fast!

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Australia ripe for a regional renaissance, says NFF

The time is right for a coordinated effort to bolster resilience in our regions and invest in their strengths, contends the National Farmers’ Federation, which released its Regionalisation Agenda paper this week.

News

WA lupin genome breakthrough paves the way to superior plant-based proteins

Scientists from Murdoch University and WA DPIRD have published an improved reference genome for narrow-leafed lupins, paving the way to new high-performance varieties of the protein-rich pulse legume.

News

UNSW researchers lead Australian Academy of Science top honours

UNSW scientists have been honoured for their world-changing discoveries, including revealing the physics of sea-level change, understanding heatwaves, and creating cheap flexible stable and non-toxic solar cells.

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Project Zero30: can Armidale LGA go carbon-neutral in under nine years?

A shared vision for a carbon-neutral Armidale region will soon become reality, thanks to a new partnership between the University of New England, Armidale Regional Council, Business New England and an engaged local community.

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Costa Group adds traceability tech to its avocado labels

Costa Group’s Lovacado-branded avocados now have QR codes embedded in their stickers, enabling the company - and consumers - to track each avo’s path from farm gate to packing shed to plate.

Policy brief: Connecting food systems for co-benefits: How can food systems combine diet-related health with environmental and economic policy goals?

Kelly Parsons, Corinna Hawkes

Reference Material

Policy brief: Connecting food systems for co-benefits: How can food systems combine diet-related health with environmental and economic policy goals?

This publication examines how food systems can combine diet-related health with environmental and economic policy goals.

News

QUT appoints sustainability Pro Vice-Chancellor

QUT has appointed Professor Kerrie Wilson as Pro Vice-Chancellor, Sustainability Strategy, to provide strategic leadership and advice on embedding sustainability into the university's strategy, policy, research and education.

News

‘What’s your food or fibre challenge, Gippsland?’

Food & Fibre Gippsland and Federation University have teamed up to help the region's agribusinesses surmount obstacles to commercialisation and economic success. Enter the Challenge for a chance to win six months of mentorship, funding and R&D support.

News

Meet Wen Hu: IoT expert

For UNSW Associate Professor and networked embedded sensor expert Wen Hu, automated farms supplying ‘smart cities’ with premium fresh food are the way of the future. And IoT systems are paving the way to this new, networked reality.

News

QUT scientists’ computer simulation a game-changer for fruit and veg processing

A Queensland-Sri Lanka research team has developed a cheaper, faster, more accurate way to ascertain optimal drying times for various crops, using apples to trial the technology.

Gehan Abdelghany, PhD student: Developing agronomic protocols for the cultivation of Australian wild <i>Oryza</i> species in Northern Australia

News

Gehan Abdelghany, PhD student: Developing agronomic protocols for the cultivation of Australian wild Oryza species in Northern Australia

For Egyptian academic Gehan Abdelghany, who’s spent much of her career to date finding beneficial uses of indigenous plant species, undertaking a PhD with the FFS-backed ‘Commercialising native rice’ project was a natural progression.

Australian native rice commercialisation

CDU

Website

Australian native rice commercialisation

Australian native rice has potential as a high-value, low-volume, Indigenous culturally-identified, nutritious food, but currently it is not commercially available. There is strong interest among Australian Indigenous communities in enterprises based on native plant species and growing interest in native plant foods among consumers.

News

EcoMag seeks $1.5b opportunity in global market for high-purity Mg salts

EcoMag Ltd, which turns Pilbara sea-salt waste streams into 99% pure magnesium compounds, is working with UNSW scientists to scale up production and, potentially, produce base ingredients for high-value foods, drugs and nutraceuticals.

News

Improving access to Asia for Northern Australia’s premium perishables

Ensuring Asian-market access to Northern Australia's premium perishable produce could be worth $5.6b p.a. in revenue to Queensland alone. So the CRC for Developing Northern Australia is keen to get it right.

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How Hort Innovation is helping get kids to eat their greens – happily

Australia's leading horticultural-industry body has launched an initiative to teach kids the connection between fresh, healthy foods and better moods.

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ANPC and Bruker patent fast new way to detect COVID-19 infection

Researchers at Murdoch University's ANPC and Bruker have filed a patent on a fast new way to detect COVID-19 infection: testing for SARS-covid-2's biological 'fingerprint’.

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Whole-of-community approach to bring high-tech business to New England region

Community collaboration on the proposed New England Science and Innovation Regional Hub has wrapped up with a 'clear vision' to seek funding to progress the hub in 2021.

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Meet Pat Spicer: complex fluids and nanomaterials expert

UNSW Associate Professor Pat Spicer’s broad-ranging career spans industry, academia and two continents. The constants? Complex fluids and collaboration.

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Ripe for donation: 58-plus tonnes of trial fruit and veg nets NVPCC research team AIH award

Researchers from the National Vegetable Protected Cropping Centre at Western Sydney University have netted an Award of Merit from the Australian Institute for Horticulture for donating their glasshouse-grown produce to those in need.

Media Release

Sanitarium and UNSW breaking new ground in plant-based product segments

The Future Food Systems Cooperative Research Centre (CRC) has welcomed Australia’s longest-established plant-based health-food manufacturer, Sanitarium Health Food Company™, into its consortium of industry, government and research partners.

Strengthening consumer trust in beef supply chain traceability with a blockchain-based human machine reconcile mechanism

Shoufeng Cao, Warwick Powell, Marcus Foth, Valeri Natanelov, Thomas Miller, Uwe Dulleck

Article

Strengthening consumer trust in beef supply chain traceability with a blockchain-based human machine reconcile mechanism

This study aimed to strengthen trust in the cross-border beef supply chain between Australia and China from a consumer perspective based on a blockchain-based supply chain implementation. Using a design science approach, this study’s initial prototype was developed to strength consumer trust. The study was conducted in partnership with Australian agricultural producers and processors, and…

News

Sanitarium and UNSW breaking new ground in plant-based product segments

Australia’s iconic health-food brand is working with UNSW food-technology experts to optimise the formulations and protocols for its dairy- and additive-free Barista milks so that they're creamier, foamier, silkier and 'stretchier'.

News

NSW Agriculture Commissioner and NSW DPI seek agriculture sector feedback on future land use strategy

NSW Department of Primary Industries, keen to bolster the position of agricultural producers in the state’s proposed new land-use strategy, urges all agribusiness stakeholders to contribute feedback to the Agriculture Commissioner’s land-use Options Paper by the end of February.

News

Hort Innovation set to bring high-tech horticulture to Australia’s cities

Australia’s peak industry body for fruit and vegetable growers has teamed with Sydney-based researchers and agricultural experts to explore the potential social, environmental and economic benefits of intensive indoor urban cropping systems.

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UNSW Sydney academics help protect IP for Indigenous foods and medicines

Two UNSW academics are helping ensure that Indigenous peoples and communities reap the benefits of products developed from bush foods and traditional medicines.

News

Australian-first innovation powering jobs at Peel Business Park

Australia’s first solar-photovoltaic industrial microgrid is up and running at DevelopmentWA’s Peel Business Park in Nambeelup, Western Australia, with the innovative network now providing clean, green power to the site following the completion of Stage 1 works.

News

RDA ACT surveys stakeholders to help it develop ‘a resilient, food-secure city’

Canberra Region Food Collaborative and Regional Development Australia ACT are seeking input from local food-industry stakeholders to help structure sustainable, self-sufficient, supportive food systems for the nation's capital.

News

Sanitarium named Woolworths Supplier of the Year

Sanitarium Health Food Company, the name behind iconic Australian food products such as Weet-Bix, netted two major awards including the top gong at Woolworths’ Supplier of the Year 2020 awards in December.

OECD Publications

OECD

Reference Material

OECD Publications

This chapter, part of OECD publication Digital Opportunities for Better Agricultural Policies, published September 2019, details recent advances in digital technologies and analyses key drivers of digitalisation in the agriculture sector.

The Changing Landscape of Protein Production: Opportunities and challenges for Australian agriculture

AgriFutures Australia

Reference Material

The Changing Landscape of Protein Production: Opportunities and challenges for Australian agriculture

The expanding plant-based protein industry could unlock opportunities for Australian agrifood producers, contends this February 2020 report.

Chemical Engineering Impact in Australia

Professor Cordelia Selomulya and Peter Slane

Reference Material

Chemical Engineering Impact in Australia

ICHEME has released two volumes of case studies detailing research from around Australia that demonstrates the positive impact of chemical engineering on health, safety and sustainability.

Food, Planet, Health: Healthy Diets from Sustainable Food Systems

EAT/Lancet Commission

Reference Material

Food, Planet, Health: Healthy Diets from Sustainable Food Systems

The global adoption of healthy diets from sustainable food systems would safeguard our planet and improve the health of billions, argues the EAT-Lancet Commission in this compelling report.

National Hydrogen Roadmap: Pathways to an economically sustainable hydrogen industry in Australia

Energy and Futures division, CSIRO

Reference Material

National Hydrogen Roadmap: Pathways to an economically sustainable hydrogen industry in Australia

This CSIRO publication outlines the way forward for Australia’s clean hydrogen industry, and looks at our potential to develop an economically sustainable domestic and export hydrogen industry.

Rethinking Food and Agriculture 2020-2030: The Second Domestication of Plants and Animals, the Disruption of the Cow, and the Collapse of Industrial Livestock Farming

Catherine Tubb and Tony Seba

Reference Material

Rethinking Food and Agriculture 2020-2030: The Second Domestication of Plants and Animals, the Disruption of the Cow, and the Collapse of Industrial Livestock Farming

This report by independent US-based thinktank RethinkX looks at the disruption modern food-product, logistics and other technology will cause to future food products and systems.

AFGC State of the Industry Report 2019

Australian Food and Grocery Council (AFGC)

Reference Material

AFGC State of the Industry Report 2019

The Australian Food and Grocery Council (AFGC) compiled this report using ABS statistics to give a snapshot of the industry and its key drivers.

FMCG and retail value chains: The future of supply chain data

AFGC Trading Partner Forum and KPMG

Reference Material

FMCG and retail value chains: The future of supply chain data

This report from the Australian Food and Grocery Council and KPMG looks at six key issues and challenges with regard to managing data in complex retail supply chains. Compiled pre-pandemic, it's equally apt today.

Media Release

EcoMag seeks $1.5b opportunity in global market for high-purity Mg salts

In a two-year, multi-stage project with the Future Food Systems CRC, specialty chemical producer EcoMag will work with UNSW Sydney chemical engineers to help it scale up operations and capture lucrative opportunities in the high-value ‘base ingredients’ space.

Capturing the Prize: The A$200 billion opportunity in 2030 for the Australian food and agribusiness sector

Food Innovation Australia Ltd (FIAL)

Reference Material

Capturing the Prize: The A$200 billion opportunity in 2030 for the Australian food and agribusiness sector

This report from the Food and Agribusiness Growth Centre, FIAL, identifies 19 opportunities that could boost the value-addition capability of Australia's agrifood sector to $200b+ p.a. by 2030.

News

2020 FFS Research Showcase round-up

On 2 December 2020, the CRC hosted its first online Research Showcase, highlighting projects approved, in progress and completed under our three Research Programs (RPs) over the CRC's first full year of operation.

News

Meet Gal Winter: microbial ecology expert

For Dr Gal Winter, lecturer and microbiologist at northern NSW’s University of New England, studying the ecology of microbe colonies - most recently, those surrounding tomato plant roots - has been a cross-continental endeavour.

News

2019/2020 Annual Report

The Future Food Systems CRC 2019/2020 Annual Report provides an overview of project achievements, financials, the CRC inception process and highlights of the first half year of operation.

News

Meet Chris Lehnert: automation and robotics expert

QUT-based robotics engineer Dr Chris Lehnert specialises in solving commercial automation challenges, developing novel solutions for an array of real-world applications. Right now, he's developing components for high-tech vertical farm modules in a CRC collaboration with Greenbio.

Media Coverage

Native rice could be farmed in Katherine region

Research on native rice found near Katherine has received $1.4 million in cash funding…

Media Coverage

Native rice trials begin in the Northern Territory

The project led by CDU, is funded through the Future Food Systems Cooperative Research Centre, and has attracted commercial partners in Pudakul Aboriginal Cultural Tours (NT), Olive Vale Pastoral Pty Ltd (QLD) and Myera Group (Canada). ABC Rural went to see the trials and spoke with senior lecturer Dr Sean Bellairs.

FFS Publication

2019/20 Annual Report

The Future Food Systems CRC 2019/2020 Annual Report provides an overview of project achievements, financials, the CRC inception process and highlights of the first half year of operation.

News

Meet Priti Krishna: sustainable cropping expert

For Priti Krishna, Foundation Chair of Sustainable Agriculture at Western Sydney University and lead researcher on the CRC’s Blueberry nutritional optimisation project, it’s not just about growing better crops; it’s about growing crops better.

News

Phil Thomas: Seeking the microbial edge in hydroponic tomatoes

For this IT-pro-turned-UNE-microbiology post-grad, the chance to study the root microbiome of greenhouse-grown tomatoes with Costa Group under the CRC was one too good to refuse.

News

FoodSwitch Connect: enabling healthy food procurement for businesses and food-service providers across Sydney’s south-west

With support from Liverpool City Council, The George Institute for Global Health will extend its successful FoodSwitch platform to include food-service providers from the Liverpool area south-west of Sydney, helping event organisers make healthier food choices.

News

Meet Dr Elaine Holmes: Microbiome-diet expert

This brilliant scientist was the first in her family to attend university. But for Elaine Holmes, world-leading metabolic scientist, WA Premier’s Research Fellow and recent recipient of a prestigious Australian Laureate ARC Fellowship, academia proved a natural fit.

Alternative proteins and the future of meat

McKinsey & Company

Reference Material

Alternative proteins and the future of meat

In this short and pithy video, four experts from global marketing company McKinsey share their views and forecasts about the evolving meat and protein market.

Light‐limited photosynthesis under energy‐saving film decreases eggplant yield

Sachin G. Chavan, Chelsea Maier, Yagiz Alagoz, Joao C. Filipe, Charles R. Warren, Han Lin, Baohua Jia, Michael E. Loik, Christopher I. Cazzonelli, Zhonghua H. Chen, Oula Ghannoum, David T. Tissue

Paper

Light‐limited photosynthesis under energy‐saving film decreases eggplant yield

Video

Blockchain focus for smart trade hubs

Case study: seasonal variations in capsicum plants

Premaratne Samaranayake, Weiguang Liang, Zhong-Hua Chen, David Tissue and Yi-Chen Lan

Article

Case study: seasonal variations in capsicum plants

This paper details a study in which capsicums grown in a high-tech indoor facility consumed more energy in warmer than in cooler months, showing that planting time impacts power use significantly.

News

Helping commercial hydroponic growers combat humidity-loving pathogens

Hydroponic tomato grower Costa Group and scientists at UNE and WSU will explore microbial diversity in tomatoes’ root zones in a bid to find novel ways to combat disease in humid glasshouse environs.

News

Meet Sagadevan Mundree: tropical pulses expert

Queensland University of Technology Professor Sagadevan Mundree is an expert in the fields of biochemistry and cell biology, agricultural and industrial biotechnology, and tropical crops – notably pulses. He also loves to hike.

Maridulu Budyari Gumal : The Sphere

Merran White

Reference Material

Maridulu Budyari Gumal : The Sphere

SPHERE: Working together for good health and wellbeing

Size of the Prize: An Overview of 16 Opportunities for Australian Food & Agribusinesses

Food and Innovation Australia Limited (FIAL)

Reference Material

Size of the Prize: An Overview of 16 Opportunities for Australian Food & Agribusinesses

FIAL's Overview of 16 Opportunities for Australian Food & Agribusinesses

Video

Life cycle engineering with Prof. Sami Kara

Life cycle engineering with Prof. Sami Kara, UNSW

News

IoT for indoor cropping project forges ahead after lab lockdown lifts

The ‘IoT for indoor cropping’ project under the CRC’s Research Program 2 has commenced after a months-long delay due to COVID-19-related lab closures. Now, the first trials are underway at WSU’s newly opened experimental glasshouse facility, reports project lead and UNSW Associate Professor Wen Hu. A collaboration between industry partner WBS Tech and researchers at…

News

Meet Sami Kara: advanced manufacturing expert

For UNSW’s Professor Sami Kara, sustainable manufacturing is a key to future prosperity and a cleaner, greener planet. Scientica Education Fellow and Director of Vertically Integrated Projects in the University of New South Wales’ Faculty of Engineering, Sami isn’t one to silo himself away in an academic ‘ivory tower’. He’s spent more than half his working life…

News

Optimising conditions for producing nutritionally potent blueberries under cover

To gain the edge in global markets, Australia needs to produce blueberries with superior quality and health benefits. This project will ascertain the production conditions needed to maximise key ‘nutraceutical’ traits in polytunnel-grown berries.

News

Commercialising native rice for Indigenous enterprise development

A four-year, multi-disciplinary project under the CRC’s Research Program 1 will help ‘prepare the ground’ for commercialising Australian native rice, at same time creating new opportunities for indigenous enterprise.

News

Data-mapping Western Sydney

The Western Sydney Agrifood Mapping and Analytics project will contribute to the evidence base for specialised food industry clusters in the region.

News

Analysing the Coffs Harbour food value chain

A new CRC project involving Coffs Harbour City Council and researchers at Queensland University of Technology (QUT) will construct a detailed overview of food production in the Coffs region of NSW and explore prospects for its growth through expanding output capacity, value-adding and the informed deployment of technology. The project’s findings will underpin the creation…

FFS Publication

Next-generation protected cropping facilities

This report reviews current best practices and technology for protected cropping facilities and explores research trends in the sector as first steps towards advancing the technological capabilities of Australia’s indoor horticultural industry and delivering solutions that meet Southern Hemisphere industry-specific needs.

FFS Publication

Protected cropping

Current technologies and target crops

FFS Publication

New product development

In the FMCG marketplace, product innovation is crucial to competitive advantage. But new product development requires more than expertise in food science and technology. External factors – business capability and supply-chain variables, raw materials, production, quality assurance, food safety, regulations, consumer needs, societal and environmental impacts – must all be considered. Taking a structured, sophisticated approach to product development, as outlined in this report, leads to better products and importantly, de-risks investment.

FFS Publication

Australian agrifood hubs

Industry cluster and precinct approaches

Report

Next-generation protected cropping facilities

Report

Protected cropping

Protected cropping is Australia’s fastest-growing food-producing sector, with huge growth potential; however, it requires scientific and technological solutions to become a key global player. Funding support and practical technological innovations – new methods of biological control; solutions for partial automation of tasks like irrigation and temperature control – could help growers using low-tech systems transition to more productive, profitable medium-tech ones. Medium-tech facilities require significant technological upgrades to compete with large-scale food production from poly-tunnel-deploying farms and high-quality produce from high-tech greenhouses. This part of the sector needs scientific and technological solutions generated by industry-university collaborations: new crop genotypes, integrated pest management, automated fertigation, climate control and robotic assistance in crop management and harvest. Meanwhile, high-tech glasshouses would benefit from incorporating technological advances in crop physiology, fertigation, recycling and lighting. Vertical farms also have a bright future, especially post-pandemic.

Report

New product development

Report

Smart crop monitoring

Emerging technology has potential to transform food production, enabling premium crops to be grown virtually anywhere, anytime, with key parameters monitored and inputs controlled precisely and automatically. To realise this vision, however, we must develop automated systems tailored for 21stcentury protected-cropping facilities, then simplify these to create affordable, accessible solutions for growers. Protected cropping – including low-tech polytunnels; medium-tech facilities enabling some environmental control; and hightech facilities, such as fully automated glasshouses and indoor vertical-farm facilities – can produce far more food per land area than can field-based horticulture.

Report

Australian agrifood hubs

In Australia, food and agribusiness is a strategic economic sector with strong prospects for future growth. Currently, the sector faces challenges and opportunities including soaring global food demand – and value; improved technological know-how; our reputation as premium food producer; and proximity to Asia’s booming markets. To maximise its potential, Australian agribusiness needs to sustainably boost production efficiency and add value post-farmgate. Developing agrifood industry ‘clusters’, or hubs, will help us achieve this.

FFS Publication

Smart crop monitoring

Precise phenotyping for improved quality and protected cropping management

AgFunderNews

Reference Material

AgFunderNews

AgFunderNews analyse the people, companies and technologies aiming to improve human and planetary health. Publishing daily news and multimedia content, the AgFunderNews team of award-winning journalists delivers deeper insight into the growing foodtech, agtech and climate tech industries.

News

Future Food System CRC’s first smart trade hubs research project kicks off

BeefLedger and an interdisciplinary research team at QUT will work with food-buying groups across Australia and China to explore blockchain-based approaches to streamlining cross-border trade, in the initial proof-of-concept stage of a multi-stage Future Food Systems project that will develop the soft and hard digital infrastructure needed to support the growth of smart trade.

News

UNSW Professor Sami Kara: agrifood supply chains and the ‘bullwhip effect’

Inefficiencies in supply chains are exacerbated by disruptions to demand, such as the recent panic buying at supermarkets worldwide following COVID-19-related shutdown announcements. UNSW’s Professor Sami Kara explains how the ‘bullwhip effect’ typically resulting from sudden changes in demand impacts siloed agrifood supply chains – and how taking a systems approach to streamlining supply chains…

News

Maridulu Budyari Gumal: bridging the health-care gap for indigenous Australians

Maridulu Budyari Gumal, otherwise known as the Sydney Partnership for Health, Education, Research and Enterprise, or SPHERE, draws its ranks from 14 thought-leading organisations across the Sydney basin – universities, hospitals, research institutes, community and primary care centres. It utilises their combined resources, including 50,000-odd staff, 100,000-plus students and more than $5 billion in annual…

News

Safety, streamlining and scaling up: Sprout Stack pivots to a new normal

It’s business not-quite-as-usual under COVID-19 restrictions, but Sydney-based start-up Sprout Stack is adapting to the new normal with increased hygiene and safety protocols and forward-looking ‘remote’ research.

News

Putting pulse-rich products on the table

Innovative Brisbane-based company Austgrains is working with pulse-crop experts at Queensland University of Technology (QUT) and food scientists from universities across Australia to develop tasty pulse-based products with proven nutritional and prebiotic credentials. It is hoped the research will benefit consumers’ health as well as producers’ bottom lines. With demand growing in the west for…

News

Greenbio Group: developing high-tech growing systems for high-value functional foods and medicinal products

As an agri-biotech company, Greenbio Group looks forward to working with automation experts in the Australian Centre for Robotic Vision at Queensland University of Technology to develop high-tech automated facilities in which to grow food and medicinal plants for use in high-value functional foods as well as clinically validated nutraceuticals and cosmeceuticals. Greenbio’s stated goal is to contribute to…

News

General Meeting 2019

The first General Meeting of the Future Food Systems CRC was held on Monday 16 December. Members of the CRC entity elected the independent, skills-based Board by unanimous resolutions. The Board now comprises the Chair, Fiona Simson, Valerie Linton, Peter Schutz, Carolyn McNally, Maggie Dowling and Bob Mullins. A seventh seat on the Board remains vacant, to…

News

The future of farming in Western Sydney – fresh thinking

As a food grower, you might think I’m part of a dying breed of people. Climate change, scarcity of arable land and price pressures are enough to add worry lines to the most weathered farmer’s face. And while I worry about the future, my farming journey has only just begun. I’m 25 years old. The…

News

Providence Asset Group: innovative energy and smart city solutions to power up CRC food precincts

CRC partner Providence Asset Group brings a wealth of expertise around smart technologies – including renewable energy for microgrids and world-first hydrogen technology for green-power storage – to the collective table, and is positioned to play a key role in powering smart, sustainable food precincts across Australia. Australian-based investment company Providence Asset Group is focused…

News

BeefLedger: Technology for secure, streamlined, transparent transactions

New CRC partner BeefLedger, with its expertise in blockchain technology and hands-on experience in the Chinese market, will be a boon to participants looking to export premium high-value food products. And that doesn’t just mean beef. Driven by a belief that consumers and all supply-chain participants can benefit from greater transparency and streamlined transactions, research-driven…

News

Meet Cordelia Selomulya: dairy formulations expert and FFS Research & Commercialisation Director

Cordelia Selomulya is a Professor of Chemical Engineering at UNSW Sydney and has taken up a lead role in the Future Food Systems CRC (FFS) as its Director of Research & Commercialisation. She brings extensive experience working with industry partners, including Bega, Saputo Dairy Australia and Fonterra in Australia, and Mengniu Dairy and COFCO in…

News

Smart regional specialisation: building a Western Sydney food plan

On Friday 18 October, Liverpool City Council hosted a meeting of interested stakeholders to discuss Future Food Systems CRC research priorities for the proposed food and agribusiness hub in Western Sydney. Held at the site of the new Western Sydney Airport, the meeting was attended by a broad range of stakeholders, including major local landholders…

News

Food Hubs, Logistics and Trade Forum

A Food Hubs, Logistics and Trade Forum was held on June 28 in Liverpool, the centre of the CRC’s Western Sydney future food hub. The event brought together CRC industry, government and research participants from across Australia. Participants explored how their R&D priorities and project ideas could be augmented through collaboration and joint investment, with…

News

New Australian research centre will transform human health worldwide

The establishment of the Australian National Phenome Centre (ANPC) at Murdoch University, a key research partner of the Future Food Systems CRC, will advance our understanding of the human phenome, underpinning more sophisticated personalised medicine and paving the way for the development of an array of high-value ‘precision nutrition’ food products and nutraceuticals. The new…

News

Liverpool City Council turns its smarts to agribusiness

Liverpool City Council has won a Committee for Sydney Smart Cities Award for the third year in a row. Council was awarded Best Cross-Sectoral Collaboration for its work in agribusiness across three tiers of government, researchers, businesses and farmers. Liverpool Mayor Wendy Waller said agriculture and food production were vital to the future of the…

Media Coverage

Adelaide puts food, not developments at the top of the city-fringe menu

Henry Liu is one person investing heavily in South Australia’s food future. Mr Liu had one of the first greenhouses in Virginia north of Adelaide 18 years ago. Now he has eight hectares of hydroponic vegetables growing in state-of-the-art, climate-controlled glasshouses. That number will rise to 12 hectares when his new glasshouse starts production early…