What we do in nutrition and health for industry and the community
CSIRO’s nutrition and health research team has substantial experience in designing and conducting a variety of preclinical and human clinical and community studies that deliver innovation to Australia’s food, health and wellness industries, resulting in significant health and economic benefits for the Australian community.
We help food and health companies and industries:
- understand consumer trends of in purchasing, preparing and consuming specific foods
- understand how to reduce the poor health consequences of obesity and diabetes, and to develop and implement scientifically-based, cost effective intervention strategies to improve health and wellbeing
- understand of the role of food and nutrition in gut health, for the development of diets, foods and supplements that improve the health of the digestive system
- understand how our genes, lifestyle preferences and environmental factors significantly influence our health over our lifespan
- develop foods, supplements and diets that improve the physical and cognitive health people of nutritionally vulnerable older people
- translate the benefits of scientifically substantiated research into food labelling messages/ front of pack health claims, change diet and best clinical practice guidelines, and develop community resources including nutrition fact sheets and books.
We’ve helped industry and the community in many ways including:
The CSIRO Total Wellbeing Diet Complete Recipe Collection is the ultimate compilation containing over 400 accessible recipes for breakfast, lunch and dinner in one volume.
- CSIRO Total Wellbeing Diet book series read by more than 500,000 Australians
- Diabetes and Healthy Heart Program publication
- Barleymax – supported successful substantiation and commercialisation
- in vitro GI assessment – development into commercialised instrument
- dietary guidelines – advisor on Nutrition and Environmental Sustainability
- Community Chef – a collaboration between Community Chef with CSIRO and Food Innovation Australia (FIAL) through the SME Solution Centre to support the long term food security and nutritional well-being of those most vulnerable in the community.
Key resources in nutrition and health available to the food industry
Key CSIRO resources available to industry include:
- expertise design and conducting a variety of preclinical and human clinical and community studies that abide with the Good Clinical Practice International Code of Conduct, and also in conducting Systematic literature reviews according to Johanna Briggs Institute and Cochrane guidelines
- dedicated private consulting rooms at our new nutrition and health research clinic to assess a variety of key health outcomes including:
- nutrition assessment and counselling
- continuous glucose monitoring systems to assess blood glucose response
- dual energy x-ray absorptiometry and bioelectrical impedance equipment to assess changes in body composition (i.e. fat and lean masses and bone density)
- accelerometry to assess the quantity and intensity of physical activity/inactivity
- cognitive Assessment Battery to assess changes in cognition
- dedicated laboratories housing sophisticated analytical equipment including:
- extensive in vitro and in vivo pre-clinical models of obesity, diabetes, irritable bowel disease, ageing
- Beckman AU480 auto clinical analyser to assess biochemical metabolites
- Magpix Multiplex reader for inflammatory marker analysis
- high performance liquid/ion chromatography with pulse amphometric detection for vitamin, mineral and carbohydrate analysis to conduct the dual sugar intestinal permeability test
- gas chromatography for fatty acid analysis
- Beckman Coulter Biomek 4000 Automated Workstation fluid handling platform and Illumina MiSeq (David R Gunn Genomics Facility) for sequencing analysis.
Companies can be certain that their work with us is totally confidential.
To discuss nutrition and health opportunities for your business, contact
Dr Welma Stonehouse
Principal Research Scientist And Research Group Leader, Health and Biosecurity, CSIRO (HEALTH & BIOSECURITY)