Press, The; Christchurch, New Zealand (Apr 15, 04:24 PM) Snack food which battled disease could be developed by a team of Canterbury-led scientists after it received a multimillion-dollar Government research grant in the latest round of science funding.
Crop and Food scientists have been given $18.4 million to produce long-life convenience foods with the potential to prevent diseases and manage conditions like diabetes.
The Lincoln entity, which lost seven of its senior staff in a charter- plane crash last year, has been awarded the money by the Foundation for Research and Science Technology.
The foundation announced yesterday it would fund 67 new research programmes over the next six years to the tune of $80 million.
"Foods that fit the convenience lifestyle market, yet are good for you, offer industry exciting growth opportunities," Crop and Food chief executive Paul Tocker said. "At the moment, such snacks have a short shelf life and this limits their export potential.
"By removing the technical barriers to exporting these high- value convenience foods to the Asia Pacific region, we give New Zealand a significant boost to its export earnings."
The research will focus on foods that rely on New Zealand's arable and vegetable industries for raw ingredients.
A food industry panel will oversee the research. The programme has attracted a further $3.4 million from the industry, including the New Zealand Association of Bakers and Veg Fed.
More than 180 applications were made for funding, and it had taken a panel of experts since last September to agree on which to fund.
In total, $14m per annum will go towards researching natural hazards, $44m a year will be spent on generating export business, and $22m a year on researching food and drink.
Crop and Food appears to be one of the biggest winners in the round.
Its scientists have also been given a share of $19.2m to help research how food affects gut health at a genetic level, and $2.4m to lead research into food that prevents gastritis, ulcers, and gastric cancer.
Other recipients include the Canterbury District Health Board, which will receive $492,400 a year to research procedures for examining and treating the human brain and its disorders.
Canterbury-based Syft Technologies Ltd will be able to further its research into breath-test disease diagnosis with the help of a $1.2m per annum award.
Lincoln Ventures, a subsidiary of Lincoln University, has been granted $670,000 a year to develop a non-invasive moisture sensor.
