Cutting-edge research transforming the way we produce, process, and consume food.
What if our food could do more than nourish us? What if it could heal the planet, reduce obesity and disease, and transform waste into wellness?
As the world races toward a population of 10 billion, with the World Health Organisation warning that 582 million people could face undernourishment in 2030, the pressure on our food systems has never been greater. Climate change, nutrition-related disease, and supply chain instability are colliding to create one of humanity’s most urgent challenges: how do we feed everyone — not just fairly and sustainably, but in a way that also combats obesity, improves nutrition, and supports long-term health?
At RMIT University, that challenge is met not with caution, but with bold, multidisciplinary innovation. Researchers and students across the School of Science are reimagining how we grow, process, eat, and understand food — combining cutting-edge science with a commitment to health, equity, and the environment. From laboratories filled with edible aerogels to industry collaborations redefining what we do with waste, RMIT’s food science and technology researchers are crafting the future of food.
Smart ingredients from food science for better health
“People often think food science is just about taste or packaging. But it’s deeply linked to health, sustainability, and even global food security. Small innovations in ingredients — like invisible fibre — can have a huge ripple effect on population health and food systems.” Professor Asgar Farahnaky.
Not all revolutions are loud. Some begin in the quiet hum of a laboratory, where scientists rework the molecular architecture of everyday ingredients to improve public health — all without changing the texture or taste of foods we know and love. That’s precisely what’s happening at RMIT with FiberX — a breakthrough in invisible fibre.
Australians, like many around the world, don’t get enough dietary fibre. It’s a key contributor to gut health, heart health, and metabolic wellbeing, but efforts to boost fibre in food have long battled an inconvenient truth: fibre can ruin a good loaf of bread. Gritty textures, altered flavours, and dense results have kept many fortified products off shopping lists.
RMIT’s solution? Reimagine fibre entirely.
Developed by Professor Asgar Farahnaky and Dr Mahsa Majzoobi — with support from a team of eager research students and in collaboration with Microtec Engineering Group and the Fight Food Waste CRC — FiberX modifies common starches, like those from wheat, corn, and cassava, into resistant fibre that behaves just like the original ingredient in taste and texture. Even when the fibre content is increased by up to 20% with FiberX, white bread still looks and tastes like white bread. Cakes remain soft, and pasta, silky. But the health benefit is quietly profound.
Better still, it’s sustainable. The project has already begun breathing new life into starch-rich waste from other food production processes, transforming byproducts that might otherwise be discarded into high-value functional ingredients. And the process converts more than 80% of the starch into resistant fibre.
As food manufacturers look to address chronic disease through diet, this kind of innovation could become a quiet game-changer — delivering real health outcomes without disrupting the foods people love. And for a future where nutrition must scale with population, that subtlety may be its greatest strength.
Fighting obesity with a flower
In a modest RMIT lab, a deep crimson flower is quietly challenging one of the world’s most pervasive health issues: obesity. It’s called roselle — and it might just be the next frontier in plant-based wellness.
The research, led by Professors Benu Adhikari, Charles Brennan, and Ravi Shukla alongside Dr Thilini Thrimawithana and PhD scholar, Manisha Singh, investigated the anti-obesity properties of natural compounds found in Hibiscus sabdariffa. Known for its use in teas and traditional medicines, roselle has long been part of cultural health practices. But what RMIT scientists have uncovered pushes its promise into clinical territory.
Using a human cell model, the team discovered that phenolic extracts from roselle reduce fat cell formation by up to 95% and can also inhibit dietary fat absorption. That’s two mechanisms of action, both significant. It positions the extract as a potential natural fat blocker, minus the side effects common in current pharmaceutical options, such as Ozempic.
The implications are wide-reaching. With obesity now recognised as a global epidemic linked to chronic illness, the search for safe, sustainable interventions is more urgent than ever. This research offers a compelling path forward — one that’s plant-derived, cost-effective, and scalable. Roselle, after all, is drought-tolerant, disease-resistant, and easy to grow in diverse environments.
Next steps for the team include encapsulating the bioactives for functional food and beverage applications, turning the humble flower into a powerful tool in the fight for better public health. Indeed, Professor Adhikari said “People often think of food as just nutrition or pleasure. But food is medicine, especially when we understand its chemical components. Plants like roselle aren’t just pretty or tasty — they can be powerful tools for managing health if we study them properly.”
If food is medicine, RMIT’s work with roselle is a reminder that some of the most promising treatments are already growing in the ground — we just need to know where to look.
Waste not — From food waste to food technology and health innovation
If waste starch can be reimagined as fibre and flowers can fight fat, then it doesn’t seem like too much of a leap for other waste sources to be used to fight obesity. At RMIT, a team of researchers is doing just that — transforming what’s left behind during food production into powerful food technology as a tool for better health, longer shelf life, and a lighter environmental footprint.
Led by Dr Tuyen Truong and Professor Stefan Kasapis — with PhD scholar, Haoxin Wang, and students from the RMIT Vietnam campus — this project is tackling two of the food industry’s most persistent challenges: excess waste and excess fat. Their solution is as elegant as it is effective — turn one into the answer for the other. “Basically, we’re turning trash into treasure, and helping the environment too!” the researchers said.
Using the peel from citrus fruits like pomelo, the team has created natural powders that absorb oil during cooking, lowering fat content in processed foods without sacrificing texture or taste. In trials, the absorption rate reached an astonishing 90% — a breakthrough for manufacturers seeking clean-label alternatives to synthetic fat replacers.
At the same time, the researchers are exploring macroalgae-derived packaging that could extend the shelf life of fresh produce while replacing petroleum-based plastics. Early results suggest these biodegradable, seaweed-based films may also offer natural antimicrobial properties, adding a layer of protection that’s as smart as it is sustainable.
The project reflects a circular economy mindset: reimagining agricultural byproducts as resources rather than refuse. For juice manufacturers and food processors, it’s a chance to turn disposal costs into revenue streams. For consumers, it’s the promise of healthier, more eco-conscious options. And for the planet, it’s one more way science is closing the loop between production and preservation.
Shaping the future of food through innovative nutrition science and food technology
From invisible fibres that quietly improve our health to flowers and waste-spun powders that fight fat, RMIT is rethinking food from the molecule up. This is food science as a force for good: multidisciplinary, impact-driven, and deeply human in its vision.
At the heart of it all is a commitment to creating solutions that nourish both people and our planet. Through collaborations with industry, hands-on student involvement, and world-class research infrastructure, RMIT is translating scientific discovery into real-world outcomes — healthier products, more resilient food systems, and a future where nothing good is wasted.
If you’re looking to make an impact in food technology, nutrition, or sustainability, RMIT University is the place where science meets innovation, and research builds real-world solutions.
Explore RMIT’s undergraduate and postgraduate nutrition and food science & technology courses, or reach out to discuss innovation partnerships.