Our research
The AUT Centre for Future Foods has a world-class level of research outputs, including successful postgraduate students who are making a difference in the food industries. Find out more about our current research below.
Current research
We explore novel pathways to generate bioactive peptides from food sources/by-products, as well as improve functional properties of plant-based proteins. This also involves the application of proteomics to characterise and quantify the peptides derived from those processes.
Current research projects
- Effect of fermentation and enzymatic hydrolysis on the formation of bioactive peptides from brewers’ spent grain
- Development of a novel animal and plant protein product made from cross-linking kiwifruit seed and whey protein phospholipid concentrate
- Development and evaluation of Pinus hemicellulose based delivery system to encapsulate bioactive components extracted from citrus fruit waste
- Extraction, isolation, and characterisation of individual chemical constituents of kiwano (Cucumis metuliferus E. Mey Ex Naudin) fruit and leaves and an assessment of their biological efficacy
- New Zealand honeybee venom: characterisation and in-vitro testing of its bioactive compounds
Recent past research projects
- Optimisation and characterisation of the cross-linking reaction between plant proteins using different strains of laccase and transglutaminase
- Optimising the conditions for the cross-linking reaction between whey and lupin proteins using laccase and transglutaminase
AUT Centre for Future Foods researcher
- Dr Thao Le
Other collaborators
- Dr Mathias Sorieul, SCION, New Zealand
- Professor Jun Lu, University of Auckland, New Zealand
- Dr Don Otter, Research Consultant, New Zealand
- Professor Michelle Colgrave, CIPPS, ECU, Australia
- Dr Mitchell Nye-Wood, CIPPS, ECU, Australia
- Dr Angela Juhasz, CIPPS, ECU, Australia
- Associate Professor Kirsi Mikkonen, UH, Finland
- Dr Thao Minh Ho, UH, Finland
- Professor Lotte Bach Larsen, AU, Denmark
- Associate Professor Nina Aagaard Poulsen, AU, Denmark
We are actively involved with research in food waste valorisation and conversion of by-products from the food industries into higher valued material. Currently, he is researching converting avocado seeds into ready-to-eat snacks for human consumption, converting fish by-products into a functional biopolymer for drug delivery, and converting yacon pomace into a probiotic/functional food. In addition, we research innovative ways of brewing and fermentating alcoholic beverages, and processing new food products.
Current research topics
- Converting industrial avocado waste into higher value products
- Understanding the chemical and marketability of Korean rice wine (makgeolli) in New Zealand
- Finding alternative applications for New Zealand honeydew honey and yacon concentrate
- Converting fish and dairy by-products into a functional polymer
Past research topics
- Developing a novel flavoured kombucha with Chinese oolong tea and honeydew honey
- Effect of cold smoking on polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) concentration in foods
- Converting industrial avocado wastewater into natural food preservative
- Effect of different makgeolli (Korean rice wine) processing techniques on the chemical and sensory characteristics
AUT Centre for Future Foods researcher
- Dr Rothman Kam
Other collaborators
- Dr Jack Chen, Department of Chemistry, AUT, New Zealand
- Associate Professor Yan Li, Department of Biomedical Science, AUT, New Zealand
- Dr Cassandra Flemming, Department of Chemistry, AUT, New Zealand
- Dr Meghan Phillips, Department of Marketing, AUT, New Zealand
- Dr Alaitz Etxabide, Department of Chemical Engineering, University of The Basque Country, Spain
- Associate Professor Maneesha Mohan, Department of Dairy Science, South Dakota State University, USA
- Dr Rebecca Jelley, Department of Chemistry, University of Auckland, New Zealand
- Professor Bruno Fedrizzi, Department of Chemistry, University of Auckland, New Zealand
Our research is focused on the development of value-added foods and examination of the digestibility patterns of these foods using the in vitro digestion model. Currently we are working on enhancing the digestibility of meat and seafood-based food products with the use of different food processing methods, along with mathematical modelling of the protein breakdown pattern at different stages of digestion. We are also working on the application of bioactives from tamarillo to dairy products and gluten-free products.
AUT Centre for Future Foods researcher
- Associate Professor Michelle Yoo
Other collaborators
- Dr Mustafa Farouk, AgResearch Ltd., New Zealand
- Dr Renyu Zhang, AgResearch Ltd., New Zealand
- Dr Lovedeep Kaur, Riddet Institute, Massey University, New Zealand
- Professor Elaine Rush, AUT, New Zealand
We are interested in food safety and antibiotic resistance and involved in multidisciplinary collaborations to overcome these issues. We are currently working on the development of novel surface coatings and treatments to prevent or eliminate biofilm formation in food processing facilities.
The research also investigates the development of antibiotic resistance in New Zealand related to environmental factors and the development of novel compounds to combat these antibiotic resistant micro-organisms. We use classical microbiology (culturing, flow cells, microscopy) and molecular microbiology (whole genome sequencing, metagnomics and real-time PCR).
Current research projects
- Developing vitamin B12 conjugates for the targeted uptake of antibiotics in resistant gram-negative pathogens
- Antimicrobial resistant bacteria and their genes in dairy farm environments.
- Development of anti-biofilm surfaces and treatments.
AUT Centre for Future Foods researcher
- Associate Professor Brent Seale
Other collaborators
- Professor Nicola Brasch, AUT, New Zealand
- Associate Professor Yan Li, AUT, New Zealand
- Dr Taniela Lolohea, AUT, New Zealand
- Dr Scott Ferguson, University of Otago, New Zealand
- Dr Sara Burgess, AgResearch Ltd., New Zealand
- Dr Patrick Biggs, AgResearch Ltd., New Zealand
- Dr Anne Midwinter, AgResearch Ltd., New Zealand
- Dr Adrian Cookson, AgResearch Ltd., New Zealand
This research focuses on the impact of non-thermal processing techniques like cold atmospheric plasma (CAP), high pressure processing (HPP), and pulsed electric field (PEF) on the physicochemical, flavour and sensory characteristics of food products.
AUT Centre for Future Foods researcher
- Professor Nazimah Hamid
Other collaborators
- Dr Mustafa Farouk, Agresearch
- Professor Indrawati Oey, University of Otago
- Dr Hui Teng, Sichuan Agricultural University, China
Our partners
The centre has both local and international collaborators, and we also work closely with different industry partners. Our partners include:
- AWS Group (a division of Hawkins Watts Ltd)
- FoodSafe Ltd
- SCION
- AgResearch
- Auckland Bioengineering Institute, University of Auckland
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Innovations in Peptide and Protein Science (CIPPS), Edith Cowan University, Australia
- School of Agriculture and Food Sciences, University of Queensland, Australia
- Department of Food and Nutrition, University of Helsinki, Finland
- Department of Food Science and Centre for Innovative Food Research (CiFOOD), Aarhus University, Denmark