Dr Mary Ann Augustin

Dr Mary Ann Augustin became an internationally renowned dairy scientist early in her career. She has since developed her expertise to better understand, at the molecular level, the interactions between different milk components.This knowledge contributes to the improvement of dairy ingredients and food processes with a view to the health and wellbeing of consumers.She is also the scientific force behind CSIRO's patented microencapsulation system, a high-tech ingredient delivery technology.This technology is creating healthy processed foods that deliver targeted omega-3 oils, probiotics or other beneficial components to the gastrointestinal tract for maximum health benefits. Dr Augustin has a long history of engaging with industry partners, particularly from the dairy and oil sectors and more recently with the horticultural industry and plant-based meat alternatives research. She has recently been involved in co-developing a research platform aimed at reducing food loss and waste and making edible food loss the new raw ingredient for the food industry and the development of texturized plant-based protein ingredients for meat mimetics. She has also been involved in research aimed at optimising traditional food processing technologies such as drying, extrusion and thermal processing developing emerging food processing technologies such as high pressure processing and ultrasonics. She is a Fellow of the Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering (ATSE).