Although the Group is relatively small, it is required to cover a wide spectrum of activity. The disciplines of Chemistry, Microbiology and Biochemistry are applied to research in food preservation and processing, food safety and raw material quality. Notable projects in the food preservation area include work on high-pressure processing, food irradiation detection and the development of improved starter cultures for use in food fermentations. Research led by Dr Don Johnston and Dr Margaret Patterson has shown that high pressure, several times higher than at the bottom of the deepest ocean, can improve the microbiological safety and shelf-life of foods, as well as giving the possibility of developing new products. This treatment can result in a 10,000 fold reduction in numbers of bacteria, such as Salmonella , in meat and milk.
Pressure can also alter the way proteins interact.
For example, yoghurts prepared from pressure-treated milk have improved texture and resistance to whey separation. Ongoing work aims to optimise the process for its commercial application in the local food industry. Research on food safety aspects ranges from the detection and control of residues to the detection, identification, typing and control of a number of food-borne pathogens in foods and food processing environments. Work on raw material quality is directed towards the integration of production and processing, especially in relation to the physico-chemical properties of butter, factors influencing poultry quality and flavour precursors in meat and flavour in farmed salmon. Also there is a strong effort in the area of microbial biochemistry associated with the UOA and investigations are ongoing into the role of chloromethane in fungal and plant metabolism.