CSIRO holds more than 3000 patents and is ranked in the top twenty patents holders by the World Intellectual Property Organisation.
In the agriculture and food areas, we have more than 200 inventions and associated know-how in our intellectual property inventory ready for partnering.
Our technologies and expertise available in food and agriculture include:
1. consumer preference and sensory perception
- sensory technology for flavour and aroma perception assessment and modelling
- consumer preference mapping for access to new markets.
2. functional foods and ingredients
- encapsulation technology for oils, micronutrients and probiotics
- nano emulsion formulation and preparation.
3. healthier foods
- reformulation strategies for lower fat, sugar and salt, dietary fibre and micro-nutrients.
4. value-added manufactured products
- high pressure processed next-generation products such as meal solutions
- extrusion of nutritionally enhanced products and ingredients.
5. sustainable manufacturing
- utilisation and value-addition of by-product for recovery and conversion into higher value ingredients and products
- separation technology for reduction in chemical usage and output.
6. agricultural production
- animal and plant breeding for production efficiency, quality and nutritional traits.
How we help the food manufacturing industry
We can help your company realise its growth potential through providing access to CSIRO expertise, infrastructure and protected technologies. Product development based on CSIRO existing patents and know-how can provide a springboard for developing proprietary advantage over your competitors.
Accessing existing CSIRO and new project intellectual property through licensing can provide you with a competitive advantage and protection of your investment in your manufacturing business.
CSIRO's food innovation centre:
- provides companies with specialist advice to identify and evaluate CSIRO intellectual property relevant to their business innovation interests
- undertakes confidential technology assessments identifying solutions to your innovation problems
- develops further the intellectual property's ownership position your company may already hold.
We are currently seeking industry partners for commercial application development and licensing opportunities.
Licensing case study: Clover-NuMega Ingredients
Fish oil is a good source of nutritious omega-3 fats but its chemical instability, often leading to off smells, has limited its use as a food ingredient.
CSIRO's scientists overcame these problems by developing a technology that encloses microscopic droplets of fish oil in robust films. MicroMAX® masks the fishy flavour and extends the shelf life of omega-3 oils. The technology has unmatched encapsulation efficiency, oil loading capacity and stability.
Fifteen years ago, Clover Corporation, then a small nutrition technology ingredient company based in Melbourne's west, licensed the technology from CSIRO and since then have been manufacturing omega-3 powder ingredients using CSIRO's MicroMAX® technology and supplying them to local and international food and infant formula companies. Australian supermarket shelves are now stocked with a range of healthy omega-3 enriched food choices created using this unique encapsulation system.
To discuss intellectual property opportunities for your business, contact
Dr Carla Chinni
Manager, Crops, Food & Biotech (Business Development & Global)