Research Fields
Postharvest Biosystems and Agroprocessing
- Focused on understanding the physiological and underpinning molecular responses of fruit and vegetables from farm-gate to the consumer table.
- Exploring various sustainable food preservation strategies including refrigeration, packaging systems, irradiation and other non-thermal technologies to minimize postharvest losses.
- Various conventional and advanced tools are applied to transform agricultural produce into products of convenience with added value and creating new
product.
Cereal Science & Brewing Technology
- This research explores the complex biochemical reactions in cereals using physicochemical, rheological, and advanced analytical techniques.
- Investigation into ancient grains and alternative raw materials for brewing and distilling
- Near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy and hyperspectral imaging are applied to characterise wheat, barley, and other commodities such as hops
- The goal is to advance non-invasive analytical approaches to cereal quality assurance and drive innovation in food and beverage applications.
Near-infrared (NIR) Spectroscopy and Hyperspectral Imaging
- NIR Spectroscopy and Hyperspectral Imaging: Non-destructive food quality assessment and authentication
- Chemical Mapping: Spatially resolved composition analysis across food matrices
- Lab & Field Solutions: Benchtop and portable devices for real-time quality control
- Goal: Transform food quality control through spectroscopic innovation
Sensory Science and Sensometrics
- Sensory Research focuses on understanding consumers perception and product experience, using advanced sensory evaluation and statistical modelling
- Conducts descriptive and affective tests, consumer behaviour studies, and sensometric analyses
- Supports product development, quality optimisation, and innovation in food and beverage sectors
- Provides facilities for academic and industry collaboration, including contract testing and customised sensory solutions
Sensory for the Food Industry
- Sensory Research applies descriptive analysis, sensometrics, and advanced statistical tools to link sensory attributes with ingredients, processing, and physicochemical properties of food and beverages.
- The research spans diverse food matrices, with strong expertise in profiling indigenous South African products and in developing sensory communication tools, such as aroma and flavour wheels.
- It supports industry through product benchmarking, monitoring consistency, product profiling, consumer studies, and identifying drivers of liking.
- The team offers training workshops, conducts independent sensory research, and builds national and international collaborations to advance sensory science
New Product Development & Functional Foods
- New Product Development (NPD) Research will be focused on nutrition and how it can be used as a tool to assist in combatting and preventing the looming health crises in our general population.
- Innovation of the NPD Process will form part of the ongoing research in this area, considering new methods of sensory analysis, data analysis and AI.
- The potential of functional foods to act as preventative medicine will be investigated.
Food and Water Quality and Safety
- Multidisciplinary, One Health–focused research addressing food and water quality and safety across the agricultural-food system, linking pathogens to public health outcomes, and incorporating food safety communication and stakeholder engagement.
- Identification, survival, and tracking of microbial populations in food and water using phenotypic and molecular approaches, (e.g. whole-genome sequencing and metagenomics).
- Antimicrobial resistance, sanitiser tolerance, and evaluation of disinfection technologies (e.g., UV).
- Food commodities e.g. Ready-to eat foods, fresh produce, dairy, meat, protein powders, fermented foods.
- Microbial populations e.g. Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella, C. difficile, Enterobacterales etc
Centre for Food Safety (CFS)
- Multidisciplinary research addressing food safety across the agri-food system, from farm to fork, in collaboration with industry, veterinarians, academia, government, and healthcare.
- Over the past 5 years, the CFS has driven internationally relevant food safety research, training, and capacity building through strong national and global collaborations.
- Fully equipped BSL-2 food microbiology laboratories that enable high-quality research and rapid response to emerging risks.
- One health approach emphasizes the interconnectedness of human, animal and environmental health to ensure food safety and address global food safety challenges.
- Whole genome sequencing technologies to strengthen foodborne disease surveillance and response (precision food safety).
Food Biochemistry
* Information coming soon *