Da i r y
P L A N E T
ISSUE EIGHT − May ‘09
Shaping the industry’s future
Dairy Innovation Australia has teamed up with Monash University to establish a senior lectureship in dairy process technology and engineering. The goal is to boost the dairy research base and to attract young engineers and food technologists to a career in the dairy industry. In 2009, the lectureship will be made up of three courses – heat transfer, sustainable processes and professional development. They will be taught by Dr Peggy P.Y. Chan, a biotechnology specialist from the Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, Singapore.
in thi s issue...
From the CEO Energy saving tips Science workshop Meet the vice-chairman WA co-op joins the team New staff members Functional dairy foods Bruce German lecture Dairy Industry Calendar 2 3 4 5 5 6 7 7 8
Dr Chan believes her extensive knowledge in biomedical nanotechnology could find numerous applications in the dairy industry. “The dairy industry hasn’t fully embraced nanotechnology, which can help create truly innovative products,” she said. Dr Peggy P.Y. Chan
New research draws funding 2 New separations technology 3
“I welcome the challenge of introducing nanotechnology to dairy research.”
The lectureship aims to boost the dairy research base and attract young engineers and food technologists to a career in the dairy industry.
Dairy Innovation Australia CEO, Lesley MacLeod, said the lectureship reflected the organisation’s commitment to increasing awareness of dairy processing among the next generation of engineers and technologists. “Dr Chan’s high calibre and unique skill set will be of enormous benefit to the future of the industry,” she said. The lectureship is funded by Dairy Innovation Australia and offered within Monash University’s Department of Chemical Engineering. For more information, contact Martin Palmer on (03) 9974 8702
Students vacations program 8
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New research attracts funding
Three important research projects have received more than $215,000 in funding as part of Dairy Innovation Australia’s latest round of Processes and Products Grants. Prof. Bhesh Bhandari and Assoc. Prof. Hilton Deeth (University of Queensland) will lead a four-year project to investigate the sizedependent properties of casein micelles. The project’s findings will find application in all types of dairy processing and will inform many future projects aimed at controlling the structural and functional properties of dairy products. Assoc. Prof. Mikel Duke will lead a team from Victoria University (including Dr Todor Vasiljevic and Dr Peter Sanciolo) in a yearlong investigation of membrane systems use in the preparation of concentrated bacterial cultures. This team will work closely with Dr Malcolm Broome and Dr Ian Powell of Dairy Innovation Australia. Mr Lech Wieczorek, Dr Burkhard Raguse and Dr Edith Chow, of CSIRO’s Future Manufacturing Flagship, will undertake an extensive review and interpretive analysis of available biosensor and chemical sensor technologies, and their potential application to the dairy industry. This review will inform future project planning for Dairy Innovation Australia’s member companies. Australian universities receiving these grants also benefit from additional funding under the Australian Government’s Research Infrastructure Block Grants Scheme. Applications for the grants were invited last year and project proposals were assessed on the basis of their potential to offer benefits in science and technology, commercial return and improved industry and research capability. The grant selections are underpinned by the process requirements of the Australian Competitive Grants Register. The next round of funding will be announced on the Dairy Innovation Australia’s website, www. dairyinnovation.com.au. For more information, contact Ian Powell on (03) 9974 8712 Micrograph of a dissolving milk powder particle showing aggregated casein micelles.
Dairy Innovation Australia CEO, Lesley MacLeod
FROM THE CEO
Welcome to a new-look Dairy Planet for 2009. A new look for a new term and a new approach to discovery and delivery. As we near the end of our first three-year term, we are looking at improving the way we foresee emerging issues and technologies and increasing the ways in which we partner with our members in the delivery of innovative technologies. Over the next few months we will be rolling out our proposals to move to a more proactive communication plan. Key steps in this plan are: • ‘Roadshows’ to deliver research reports directly to members to encourage better understanding of industry and company issues and provide opportunities for improved direction of research solutions. ‘Research workshops’ to encourage dialogue between researchers, between members and between researchers and members.
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We are pleased to announce the appointment of the inaugural Dairy Innovation Australia lecturer at Monash University, Dr Peggy Chan. We also interview our Vice Chair Isabel MacNeill from Dairy Australia and welcome new Board member, Richard Wallace from Warrnambool Cheese and Butter. I am also pleased to welcome a number of new staff and look forward to their contributions. [2]
Photo courtesy of Prof. Bhesh Bhandari, University of Queensland
Reduce your emissions
Dairy Innovation Australia is working with Energy and Thermal Services (ETS) to help member companies reduce their energy emissions. While all commercial and industrial sites have energy meters, most do not have sub-meters to determine which areas of the factory use the most energy. ETS has suggested the following ideas for isolating energy use: • • • • • Measure the firing rate of the boilers by taking a signal from the gas burner motor and relating this to flow. Start individual pieces of equipment and clock the main meter when the plant is in shutdown. Use portable power meters or ammeters for individual switchboard estimates (available to members at Dairy Innovation Australia). Measure the power loading of air and refrigeration compressors and use manufacturers’ data to compare energy flow. Request profile history data from the billing meter and compare it to production equipment.
Isolating energy flows will help reduce emissions.
Healthy futures
Dairy Innovation Australia is an active participant in the industry-wide effort to co-ordinate nutrition and health research. In October, Dairy Innovation Australia helped organise the “Healthy Directions for Dairy” workshop, led by Dairy Australia. Key speakers were Clint Laurent, Global Demographics, and Julien Mellentin, Nutrition Business. They offered insights into global consumer trends that will affect the dairy industry.
Emerging separations technology
More than 50 dairy industry representatives gathered in Werribee for an interactive separations workshop in March. The event was sponsored by Dairy Innovation Australia and Food Science Australia. The workshop discussed the outcomes of projects sponsored by the Gardiner Foundation and Dairy Innovation Australia, and carried out by researchers at Food Science Australia and the University of Western Sydney. The discussion revolved around emerging separation technologies and ways in which the Australian dairy industry could capitalise on them.
Discussions identified and evaluated emerging separation technologies, with a focus to capitalise on new developments.
Highlights of the day were a summary of key separation technologies by Assoc. Prof. Jim Hourigan from the University of Western Sydney and an evaluation of novel technologies by Dr Mary-Ann Augustin from Food Science Australia. For more information, contact Mike Weeks on (03) 9974 8714
A decision was also made to continue working together in the field of health and nutrition to help stakeholder industry bodies such as Dairy Australia, Dairy Innovation Australia, the Gardiner Foundation and government departments to: • • • co-ordinate actions with other food industries; avoid duplication in research and communication programs; and continuously monitor trends that require a co-ordinated response from the dairy industry.
It has been proposed that this effort be led by an industry council, with more details to be announced in the near future. For more information, contact Barbara Meurer-Grimes on (03) 9974 8710 [3]
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Science workshops develop research links
Representatives from research organisations and Dairy Innovation Australia’s member companies recently gathered in Werribee for a science workshop on dairy proteins. The workshop reviewed six strategic research projects within the Ingredients and Applications Portfolio. The common theme was building an understanding of structure-function relationships of dairy proteins on processing and in dairy food and ingredient systems. The complexity of dairy protein functionality is making it increasingly difficult for individual research organisations to make significant progress in this field. In response, Dairy Innovation Australia has funded a multidisciplinary
Workshops such as this are important to develop collaborations between different groups of industry stakeholders.
collaborative protein research program. The program involves experts in complementary areas such as proteomics (University of Queensland), x-ray reflectometry and neutron scattering (Australian National University), emulsion science (Food Science Australia), material science and NMR spectroscopy (University of Queensland), sonochemistry (University of Melbourne) and colloid chemistry and peptide folding (Monash University).
Delegates at the Werribee workshop gained insights into the molecular mechanisms governing heat stability of liquid milks, storage stability of milk powders and response of dairy products to ultrasonic processing. Workshops such as this are important to develop collaborations between different groups of industry stakeholders. It is Dairy Innovation Australia’s goal to continue to bring different protein research together in a way that will provide member companies with new opportunities to overcome manufacturing constraints. For more information, contact Martin Palmer on (03) 9974 8702
Delegates at the protein workshop at Dairy Innovation Australia in Werribee.
Sustainable dairy goes international
Elankovan Ponnampalam represented Dairy Innovation Australia at the International Dairy Foods Association’s sustainability workshop in Dallas, US, in March. A highlight of the workshop was the opening lecture by Prof. Darin Nutter of the University of Arkansas, who asked the question ‘What is Your Carbon Footprint and Why Should You Care?’ [4] The objective of Prof. Nutter’s talk was to determine emissions associated with the delivery of one gallon of milk (3.875 litres) to US consumers. His research showed that 80% of the milk’s ‘carbon footprint’ is generated by crop and milk production, while milk processing and packaging contribute about 14%. Other pesentations included ‘green’ marketing, sustainable packaging, utility cost reduction and ecoeffective waste disposal. Presentations are available to download from www.idfa.org/meetings/previous. cfm#sustainability2009. For more information, contact Elankovan Ponnampalam on (03) 9974 8722 dair yinnovation.com.au
Isabel MacNeill speaking at the Australian Grand Dairy Awards in February.
WA co-op joins the team
Commercial expertise on the Board
One of the founding members of Dairy Innovation Australia’s board is Isabel MacNeill, Dairy Australia’s group manager, Value Chain Innovation. The Value Chain group helps Australian manufacturers compete in the global market by adding value to products through process improvements. Before joining Dairy Australia three years ago, Isabel worked at Fonterra Co-operative Group as technology platform leader in bioscience and nutrition and prior to that spent 10 years with the New Zealand Dairy Board. A nutritionist by training, Isabel has worked in generic marketing, moving on to consumer business, corporate research and development and biotechnology.
Western Australian dairy manufacturer Challenge Australian Dairy is the latest member of Dairy Innovation Australia. The company is owned by Challenge Dairy Co-operative Ltd, whose farmer-shareholders make up nearly half the dairy producers in WA. Challenge Australia’s CEO, Peter Giddy, said the company was looking forward to working with Dairy Innovation Australia. “The research program offered by Dairy Innovation Australia brings new opportunities for Challenge in an increasingly competitive global market, “ he said. Dairy Innovation Australia’s CEO, Lesley MacLeod, said Challenge Dairy will strengthen the organisation’s national footprint. It will also help Dairy Innovation Australia target its research projects in food technology, health and nutrition, microbiology and process engineering in a way that benefits its commercial stakeholders. Dairy Innovation Australia will help Challenge Australia to fund research and training activities in leadingedge dairy manufacturing. For more information on Dairy Innovation Australia membership, contact Mark Fink on (03) 9974 8910
“I consider Dairy Innovation Australia to be an integral part of the bigger ‘dairy tapestry’. It has an important networking role.”
Isabel brings to the Dairy Innovation Australia’s board a strong commercial experience, a consumer-branded products perspective, a background in dairy nutrition and experience in R&D, technology management and innovation. “Dairy Innovation Australia is becoming more mature in understanding what it can do and where it can make an impact,” Isabel said. “We’ve been strongly focused on the outcomes for the industry – processing efficiency, novel ingredients, increased capability. “An organisation like this is difficult to bring together at first, but it’s really come together with Dairy Innovation Australia. It hasn’t been easy times for the industry, so there’s a determination to make it work and make sure the industry stays competitive in the global market. “I consider Dairy Innovation Australia to be an integral part of the bigger ‘dairy tapestry’. It has an important networking role, and I hope that over the next few years it will continue building collaborations and seeking new opportunities for the industry.”
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New board member
New staff join the team at Werribee
Brenda Golebiowski Technical Officer
Brenda joined Dairy Innovation Australia from the Pathcare lab in Geelong. She has previously worked for the CSIRO Australian Animal Health Laboratory, where she was involved with exotic mammalian disease diagnosis. She was also part of the team sent by the Australian Government to help with the diagnosis of Foot and Mouth disease in the UK.
Richard Wallace has joined the Dairy Innovation Australia board. Richard has worked at the Warrnambool Cheese and Butter for the past 12 years. As General Manager of Operations, his responsibilities include the management of the company’s manufacturing and transport facilities. Richard also sits on the Board of Directors for Great Ocean Ingredients, a joint venture between Warrnambool Cheese and Butter and Friesland Foods, a Dutch dairy company. His other dairy industry experience includes seven years at Bonlac Foods. Richard holds a Diploma in Dairy Technology and a Masters of Business Administration. He grew up on a dairy farm at Nullawarre in Victoria’s south-west. Richard’s extensive knowledge of the dairy industry will underpin his contribution to the Dairy Innovation Australia board.
Jill Payne Technical Officer
For the past five years, Jill has worked at Fermex/Bakels Lesaffre, a largescale producers of bakers yeast. Her duties included sampling and testing products, as part of quality control, and some production. Jill is looking forward to the challenge of learning different production techniques and extending her knowledge in micro quality control testing.
Glen Smith Technical Officer
Glen Smith has recently joined Dairy Innovation Australia’s quality control team. Glen holds a BSc degree in Microbiology from New Zealand’s Otago University. He has most recently worked at two food testing labs in North Melbourne.
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The scientific committee for Functional Dairy Foods 2009. Left to right: J. Bruce German, Peter Roupas, Alice Cotter, John van Camp, Hannu Korhonen, Barbara MeurerGrimes and Sandra Tuijtelaars. Koen Dewettinck is not pictured.
Functional dairy
Image courtesy of the Dairy Industry Association of Australia.
Dairy expert shares his views on how milk benefits human health
Prof. J. Bruce German from University of California Berkley in the US was a keynote speaker at the Functional Dairy Foods Conference in Melbourne in February. He also spoke at a special seminar the day before the conference, sponsored in part by Dairy Innovation Australia. Prof. German is a strong advocate of the benefits of milk and dairy products and a widely published author in the field of genetics and the chemistry and biochemistry of milk. At the seminar, Prof. German outlined his integrated view of dairy science and demonstrated how deeply it was embedded in life science. He stressed that milk is nature’s product – produced by mammals to nurture the body and help the development of the next generation.
The International Dairy Federation and the Dairy Industry Association of Australia’s conference on Functional Dairy Foods was held in Melbourne on 24-25 February 2009. The conference brought together an outstanding number of international speakers. Its focus was on health and nutritional benefits of milk and milk components, in particular biologically active peptides. Dairy Innovation Australia’s Barbara Meurer-Grimes was a member of the conference’s scientific committee. Dairy Innovation Australia also sponsored a networking luncheon on the first day of the conference. The Dairy Health and Nutrition Consortium, Dairy Innovation Australia’s joint venture with the Gardiner Foundation, presented a poster at the conference. Prior to the conference, Dairy Innovation Australia invited researchers from the dairy ingredient company DSM and the Dutch research organisation NIZO to discuss the prevention of lifestylerelated diseases through dairy-rich diets with the Dairy Health and Nutrition Consortium. Several researchers from Deakin University, who work closely with Dairy Innovation Australia, attended the conference and valued the introductions, lectures and networking opportunities it provided. For more information, contact Barbara Meurer-Grimes on (03) 9974 8710
Understanding how milk benefits human health is an important step towards a holistic understanding of human health.
Prof. German talked about the need to understand how milk is digested and how milk components nurture the human body. He challenged the definition of health only as the absence of disease, advocating prevention over treatment. Instead of reacting to diseases and dysfunctions with treatment, he proposed approaching health as a natural condition that needed to be maintained. Understanding how milk benefited human health was an important step towards a holistic understanding of human health. Prof. German emphasised that scientific results had to be translated into commercial opportunities. Innovations only succeed when they find applications in everyday life through manufacturing, processing and services. This view is reflected in Dairy Innovation Australia’s efforts to turn new discoveries and technologies into commercial opportunities for the Australian dairy manufacturing industry. For more information, contact Barbara Meurer-Grimes on (03) 9974 8710
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DAIRY INDUSTRY CALENDAR
May 5-7, 2009
Vitafoods International, Flagship international exhibition for nutraceuticals Geneva, Switzerland
Students get a taste for dairy
Dairy Innovation Australia has run another successful summer Student Vacation Program. The program ran for 13 weeks starting in December 2008 and allowed students to gain valuable work experience while completing a project beneficial to their sponsor company. Six chemical engineering students were recruited from Melbourne University, Monash University and RMIT. One food technology student came from Ballarat University and was supported by the Cultures Division staff at Dairy Innovation Australia. Three students went to Murray Goulburn, two to Fonterra, and one each to Tatura and Bega. At the end of February, the students gave a formal presentation of their project findings to their sponsor companies and Dairy Innovation Australia staff. Common themes this year were water reduction and energy savings. Outcomes from this year’s projects included: mapping of a condensate system to identify opportunities for re-use, through creation of a process and instrumentation diagram and a comprehensive supervisor training manual; • optimisation and analysis of a packaging line, resulting in recommendations to minimise paper waste; • identification of energy use and potential savings and opportunities, including the design and costing of an energy recovery system; and • energy mapping of an entire factory, breaking energy usage down into steam and electrical (refrigeration, compressed air) and completing a full energy inventory. Ongoing industry support and the outstanding effort by the students ensured the program was a great success. Interviews for the next Student Vacation Program are expected to be held in August, with identification of potential projects scheduled to begin in September. For more information, contact Colin Jones on (03) 9974 8700 Give us your feedback and win! You may have noticed that Dairy Planet has a new look. We would love your feedback on the new look and on Dairy Planet more broadly. Go to www.dairyinnovation.com.au/dairyplanet.asp and answer two short questions to be in the draw to win a $50 retail voucher and $50 to a charity of your choice. Entries close 30 May, 2009. •
May 6-9, 2009
3rd Asia Pacific Nutrigenomics Conference – Diet – Gene Interaction in Human Health and Disease The Sebel Albert Park Hotel, Melbourne, Vic
May 13-14, 2009
ConTech Plus 2009, Confectionery Technical Conference Melbourne, Vic
May 12-16, 2009
IDF Dairy Science and Technology Week Quebec, Canada
May 15, 2009
Dairy Industry Association of Australia (DIAA) Victorian Conference Hilton Hotel, Melbourne, Vic
June 9-11, 2009
International Scientific Conference on Nutraceuticals and Functional Foods 2009 Zilina, Slovakia
July 13-16, 2009
42nd Annual AIFST Convention Brisbane, Qld
July 21-24, 2009
Food Pro 2008 Sydney Convention & Exhibition Centre, NSW
For more information on Dairy Innovation Australia or to contribute an article, please contact the editor: Nicole Mathewson Dairy Innovation Australia Private Bag 16 Werribee Victoria 3030 Telephone: (03) 9974 8700 enquiries@dairyinnovation.com.au www.dairyinnovation.com.au To receive this newsletter as a PDF e-mail attachment instead of a paper copy, please contact the editor.