Jointly led by researchers from CSIRO and Singapore’s innovation ecosystem, the ground breaking projects span a diverse range of focus areas—from continuous manufacturing of high-value ingredients to intelligent microbial design for plant-based foods. Each initiative reflects the program’s core mission: to strengthen food security, promote environmental sustainability, and deliver health-enhancing innovations with real-world impact.
These projects exemplify the shared commitment of both nations to advancing sustainable food systems through cutting-edge science, precision fermentation, and waste valorisation.
Microbial consortia for improved plant-based cheese flavour
Opportunity:
Smart fermentation to improve plant-based cheese flavour, powered by AI and Genomic-scale metabolic modelling.
Solutions:
- Reduce off-flavours and enhance dairy-like aromas in plant-based substrates.
- Apply platform to broader fermented food applications.
Impact:
- Economy: Supports market growth in plant-based dairy alternatives.
- Environment: Encourages sustainable, animal-free production.
- Society: Expands consumer options with better-tasting plant-based products.
- Food Safety: Enables more precise and consistent fermentation for the production of safe-to-eat foods.
Quote:
The integration of multi-omics, genomic-scale metabolic modelling and AI with traditional fermentation and flavour chemistry allows us to eliminate the costly trial-and-error fermentation cycle. This will allow us to predict and design the exact flavour profile we desire, marking a paradigm shift in plant-based food development.
Dr Amy Logan, Principal Research Scientist & Food Quality Group Leader
Precision Fermentation Upcycling
Opportunity:
Transform spent media and biomass from precision fermentation’s side stream into valuable food ingredients and fermentation feedstock.
Solutions:
- Recycle spent media to reduce water use and costs.
- Upcycle biomass using advanced profiling and extraction techniques paired with innovative technologies to inactivate fermenting microbes.
- Validate nutritional and functional properties for food grade ingredients through molecular profiling and product testing.
- Validate economic viability through techno-economic analysis.
Impact:
- Economy: Adds value to waste, boosting profitability and competitiveness.
- Environment: Promotes circularity and reduces food system waste.
- Society: Enhances food security with sustainable protein sources.
- Food Safety: Ensures food-grade processing and safety compliance.
Quote:
By reimagining spent media and biomass, we turn precision fermentation’s side streams into valuable resources, from functional ingredients to renewable feedstock for future fermentation, supporting a sustainable food future.
Dr Roya Afshari, Postdoctoral Research Fellow within the CSIRO Food Program
Enzymatic Delignification of Agrifood Waste
Opportunity:
Convert lignocellulosic agri-food waste into fermentable feedstock using engineered enzymes, which is then utilised for microbial protein production.
Solutions:
- Develop fast, efficient lignin-degrading enzyme cocktails.
- Use AI-assisted design and safety testing to optimize conversion.
- Evaluate microbial biomass for nutritional value.
Impact:
- Economy: Opens new biotech and protein market opportunities.
- Environment: Reduces waste and supports circular economy.
- Society: Provides sustainable, affordable protein alternatives.
- Food Safety: Ensures safe, scalable bioprocessing.
Continuous Manufacturing of Carotenoids from E. coli
Opportunity:
Develop a continuous fermentation system to produce carotenoids—natural colorants and health-promoting compounds—using engineered E. coli strains.
Solutions:
- Replace batch processing with a full continuous pipeline from fermentation to product recovery.
- Use omics and metabolic modelling to optimise strain performance.
- Focus on astaxanthin and zeaxanthin, with potential expansion to other terpenes.
Impact:
- Economy: Enables scalable, cost-effective production of high-value ingredients.
- Environment: Reduces energy, space, and waste compared to batch methods.
- Society: Improves access to affordable, nutritious additives.
- Food Safety: Supports consistent quality and traceability.
Jointly led by researchers from CSIRO and Singapore’s innovation ecosystem, the ground breaking projects span a diverse range of focus areas—from continuous manufacturing of high-value ingredients to intelligent microbial design for plant-based foods. Each initiative reflects the program’s core mission: to strengthen food security, promote environmental sustainability, and deliver health-enhancing innovations with real-world impact.
These projects exemplify the shared commitment of both nations to advancing sustainable food systems through cutting-edge science, precision fermentation, and waste valorisation.
Microbial consortia for improved plant-based cheese flavour
Opportunity:
Smart fermentation to improve plant-based cheese flavour, powered by AI and Genomic-scale metabolic modelling.
Solutions:
- Reduce off-flavours and enhance dairy-like aromas in plant-based substrates.
- Apply platform to broader fermented food applications.
Impact:
- Economy: Supports market growth in plant-based dairy alternatives.
- Environment: Encourages sustainable, animal-free production.
- Society: Expands consumer options with better-tasting plant-based products.
- Food Safety: Enables more precise and consistent fermentation for the production of safe-to-eat foods.
Quote:
The integration of multi-omics, genomic-scale metabolic modelling and AI with traditional fermentation and flavour chemistry allows us to eliminate the costly trial-and-error fermentation cycle. This will allow us to predict and design the exact flavour profile we desire, marking a paradigm shift in plant-based food development.
Dr Amy Logan, Principal Research Scientist & Food Quality Group Leader
Precision Fermentation Upcycling
Opportunity:
Transform spent media and biomass from precision fermentation’s side stream into valuable food ingredients and fermentation feedstock.
Solutions:
- Recycle spent media to reduce water use and costs.
- Upcycle biomass using advanced profiling and extraction techniques paired with innovative technologies to inactivate fermenting microbes.
- Validate nutritional and functional properties for food grade ingredients through molecular profiling and product testing.
- Validate economic viability through techno-economic analysis.
Impact:
- Economy: Adds value to waste, boosting profitability and competitiveness.
- Environment: Promotes circularity and reduces food system waste.
- Society: Enhances food security with sustainable protein sources.
- Food Safety: Ensures food-grade processing and safety compliance.
Quote:
By reimagining spent media and biomass, we turn precision fermentation’s side streams into valuable resources, from functional ingredients to renewable feedstock for future fermentation, supporting a sustainable food future.
Dr Roya Afshari, Postdoctoral Research Fellow within the CSIRO Food Program
Enzymatic Delignification of Agrifood Waste
Opportunity:
Convert lignocellulosic agri-food waste into fermentable feedstock using engineered enzymes, which is then utilised for microbial protein production.
Solutions:
- Develop fast, efficient lignin-degrading enzyme cocktails.
- Use AI-assisted design and safety testing to optimize conversion.
- Evaluate microbial biomass for nutritional value.
Impact:
- Economy: Opens new biotech and protein market opportunities.
- Environment: Reduces waste and supports circular economy.
- Society: Provides sustainable, affordable protein alternatives.
- Food Safety: Ensures safe, scalable bioprocessing.
Continuous Manufacturing of Carotenoids from E. coli
Opportunity:
Develop a continuous fermentation system to produce carotenoids—natural colorants and health-promoting compounds—using engineered E. coli strains.
Solutions:
- Replace batch processing with a full continuous pipeline from fermentation to product recovery.
- Use omics and metabolic modelling to optimise strain performance.
- Focus on astaxanthin and zeaxanthin, with potential expansion to other terpenes.
Impact:
- Economy: Enables scalable, cost-effective production of high-value ingredients.
- Environment: Reduces energy, space, and waste compared to batch methods.
- Society: Improves access to affordable, nutritious additives.
- Food Safety: Supports consistent quality and traceability.