Dairy Innovation Australia has launched the ARC Dairy Innovation Hub, a $12m five-year research and development program to boost dairy sector manufacturing and profitability.
The plan is to assist Australian dairy manufacturers to develop innovative, longer-lasting Australian dairy products with higher nutritional value to meet the increasing local and international demand for top quality dairy products particularly in Asia.
Potential new products could include easier-to-spread butter and dairy blends with improved taste, lactose-free and reduced fat, long-life milk that tastes like regular milk, yoghurt that can retain its texture for longer without “watering off” in the fridge, and a wider range of more consistent, natural cheese flavours and textures.
The initiative brings together three of Australia’s leading dairy research groups in a five-year, $12 million Industrial Transformation Research Program, co-funded by the Australian Research Council, Dairy Innovation Australia, The University of Melbourne and The University of Queensland.
Dr Lesley Macleod, CEO of Dairy Innovation Australia Limited, one of the main investors in the new venture, said the growth and sustainability of the dairy industry value chain as a major contributor to the Australian economy, relies on the ability of the manufacturing sector to be market leaders in a globally competitive environment.
“The new Diary Innovation Hub will create technologies capable of transforming the Australian dairy manufacturing sector, enabling growth and greater profitability,” said Dr Macleod.
“The collaboration between industry and research enabled by this new hub will ensure the translation of research excellence into industry value.”
The hub aims to help dairy manufacturers develop new products such as long-life milk that tastes like regular milk.
