Ultrasonic application in food

• High-power ultrasound in meat processing

• High-frequency ultrasound in meat quality analysis

Two scholarships available, one for each topic mentioned above
Only Australian citizens or permanent residents are eligible to apply

The Food Characterisation Group was initiated in 2001 by means of a UQ Collaborative Grant. This group comprises academic and senior research staff from the School of Land and Food Sciences, Department of Chemical Engineering and Centre for Magnetic Resonance. The current activities of this group involve characterisation of important food properties that influence the processing behaviour of food. The areas researched include rheology, rheo-NMR, extrusion, microencapsulation, ultrasonication and crystallisation.

Ultrasonication is an emerging technology in the food processing industry. High power ultrasound can be used for accelerating many physico-chemical changes in food materials. The first research project will investigate the application of ultrasound technology in accelerating the meat marination process. High-frequency (low power) ultrasound is a novel and powerful technique for material analysis in research, product development and analytical work. The second research project is focused on investigating the application of high-frequency ultrasound spectroscopy in meat analysis.

As a PhD candidate, you are expected to enrol at the University of Queensland. You should possess a BSc honour IIA as a minimum qualification in Food Technology, Food Science, Food Engineering, Chemistry, Biochemistry, Physics, Chemical Engineering, Biotechnology or other relevant fields.

Scholarships are provided by National Industry Meat Industry Training Council Ltd (MINTRAC). The scholarship is available for three years, and the stipend will be $22,000 per annum. There are additional benefits such as dependent spouse allowance. The conditions for scholarship and application form are available online (http://www.mintrac.com.au/mintracker_details.asp?news_id=152).

For further information about the projects, contact Dr Bhesh Bhandari or Dr Bruce D'Arcy. Telephone (07) 3346 9192 and (07) 3346 9190 or email bb@fst.uq.edu.au and bd@fst.uq.edu.au. Send applications to Dr Bhesh Bhandari, School of Land and Food Sciences, University of Queensland, St. Lucia, QLD 4072.
Closing date for applications: 10th May 2002.