Butter that is easier to spread, lactose-free milk that really does taste like milk, and yoghurt that doesn’t go watery in the fridge are just some of the products that could soon be created in Werribee.
A Dairy Innovation Hub, which brings together some of Australia’s leading dairy research groups, opened this week on the Princes Highway, where it is hoped researchers will create innovative, long-lasting dairy products with high nutritional value.
The hub is co-funded by the Australian Research Council, Dairy Innovation Australia, the University of Melbourne and the University of Queensland.
Its researchers will work together for five years on a $13 million program in the hope of better understanding the structures of dairy products.
Hub director Sally Gras said dairy manufacturing was worth more than $2 billion a year to the Australian economy. Associate Professor Gras said its worth would continue to increase as demand in Asia increased.
“We will work to find solutions and opportunities for the Australian dairy industry to make the most of our geographic location and grow our exports into the lucrative Asian market.”
Dairy Innovation Australia chief executive Lesley Macleod said the hub would assist dairy manufacturers to develop new products.
