Technology to make food last longer
It's being described as one of the future global mega-shocks, whether we will have enough food to feed the world in years to come.
"In the next 40 years, we are going to be eating as much food as we've eaten in the last 500 years," said Martin Cole, chief of the CSIRO's Animal, Food and Health Sciences division.
"We also waste half the food that we make."
CSIRO researchers at the organisation's food processing site at Werribee, west of Melbourne, are working with new technology to extend the shelf life of chilled products and reduce food waste.
CSIRO research scientist Kai Knoerzer and food processing centre manager Rod Smith operate a high pressure processing unit.
Senior research scientist Kai Knoerzer says food security is one of the biggest drivers of their research.
"Using new technologies to make food safe, more stable, longer lasting, having better quality," he said.
"We have a big portfolio of new technologies here and the interest from industry is increasing a lot and has been increasing a lot over the last few years."
One piece of equipment in the CSIRO portfolio is a high pressure processing machine which has been used to develop an apple fruit juice that tastes like fresh juice, but has a much longer shelf life.
Mr Knoerzer says there are several other food products that could potentially be processed using high pressure technology, such as ready to eat meals.
"If you apply this new technology then you get a ready to eat meal that is almost like you just prepared it in your kitchen yourself."
He says high-pressure processed avocado halves, which are commercially available in the United States, last much longer than the fresh product.
"(They) taste just like fresh avocado.
"It's not here in Australia yet, there are some avocado products, avocado purees, but when it comes to the whole fruit that may be another example where new technologies can deliver a sort of almost like-fresh product, but with the benefit of having a long shelf-life."
Source: ABC News, 3 September 2013
