Publications by authors named "Michael E Netzel"

Citrus fruit are well-known for their characteristic flavour and nutritional value. Global citrus production has increased by 528% between 1961 and 2021, and in Australia, citrus is the most exported fresh fruit product by volume. There are six described species endemic to Australia: (Australian finger lime), (round lime), (Mount White lime), (desert lime), (Humpty Doo lime), and (Russell River lime).

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Objective: This study aims to explore the perspectives of urban and regional living Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults and children regarding Bush Foods, nutrition and health to advocate for future culturally informed programmes and policy.

Design: The qualitative study conducted nine Yarning sessions, which were recorded and transcribed verbatim. An inductive, reflexive thematic analysis using a codebook was employed to analyse the data.

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is commonly referred to as Burdekin plums (BPs) in Australia. Despite BP fruits being traditionally consumed by Indigenous Australians, little research on their potential food applications is available. With the increasing demand for healthy snacks and the importance of sensory quality in consumer choice of food products, this study explored the sensory profiles and acceptability of five formulations of BP fruit leathers (20BP, 40BP, 60BP, 80BP, and 100BP, containing 20-100% BP).

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Strawberries are highly perishable fruits harvested at full ripeness, and their nutritional quality together with their phytochemical composition can be significantly affected by storage duration and temperature. This study investigated the changes in key bioactive compounds, including folate, vitamin C, anthocyanins, quercetin-3-glucoside, ellagic acid, and organic acids, in "Red Rhapsody" strawberries stored at two typical household temperatures (4 °C and 23 °C). While storage duration and temperature did not have a significant impact ( > 0.

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This study investigated the effect of gum Arabic on curcumin's phototoxicity against Botrytis cinerea, a significant cause of postharvest losses in horticultural produce. Curcumin-loaded nanoparticle suspensions and emulsions stabilized with gum Arabic were prepared and their absorbance, fluorescence emission, physicochemical properties, antimicrobial photodynamic activity (using response surface methodology (RSM)), and reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation (via electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy) were evaluated. Fluorescence emission exhibited a blue shift (510-550 nm) in both formulations, with emulsions showing higher intensities due to a more hydrophobic environment.

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Domestic storage conditions can have a significant impact on the composition of phytochemicals and sugars in stone fruits. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of two domestic storage temperatures (4 and 23 °C) on the physicochemical properties, phytochemical composition, and sugars of 'Rubycot' (RC) plumcot, a novel stone fruit variety, and 'Queen Garnet' (QG) plum. Initially, RC had a lower total anthocyanin concentration (TAC) than QG, but TAC in RC increased significantly ( < 0.

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This study assessed the metabolite content and bioactivities of Kakadu plum (KP) from Western Australia (WA). LC-MS/MS and UHPLC-PDA analyzed sugar, vitamin C, and ellagic acid (EA). Functional properties were evaluated by spectroscopic technique, agar well diffusion, and microplate dilution methods.

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This study investigated the potential use of curcumin-mediated photodynamic treatment as a postharvest decontamination technique to reduce microbial load and growth and therefore extend the shelf life of strawberries. Curcumin was applied on strawberries, followed by illumination and storage at 4°C for 16 days. Strawberries were evaluated for decay, microbial load, and physicochemical properties such as weight loss, color, and firmness during storage.

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Article Synopsis
  • Increased salt intake raises blood pressure and cardiovascular disease risk, so finding natural salt substitutes like Australian indigenous edible halophytes (AIEH) is important for public health.
  • The study assessed the sensory qualities and nutritional value of four AIEH species (samphire, seapurslane, seablite, and saltbush) to evaluate their suitability as alternatives to sodium chloride.
  • Results showed samphire had the best sensory attributes and nutritional quality, suggesting AIEH can effectively replace traditional salt in diets while offering health benefits.
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In recent decades, natural plant-based foods have been increasingly used to improve human health due to unhealthy modern dietary patterns, such as the consumption of foods high in sugar and fat. Many indigenous species have been used by Aboriginal peoples for their food and therapeutic properties. Thus, it is important to understand the health-enhancing bioactive profile of Australian indigenous species.

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Article Synopsis
  • Halophytes like saltbush and samphire show potential as functional foods due to their high protein and mineral content, but more research is needed on how well they are digested and absorbed.
  • The study found that samphire has better protein digestibility than saltbush, despite saltbush having a higher overall protein content.
  • Additionally, the type of food matrix affects mineral absorption, with samphire leading to a higher intestinal absorption rate of iron compared to saltbush.
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Article Synopsis
  • Burdekin plum (BP) is a native Australian fruit with notable traditional uses, but limited information on its nutritional value and storage changes exists.
  • Proximate analysis showed that BP has high dietary fiber (7-10 g/100 g), but storage for a week at room temperature led to significant weight (15-30%) and firmness loss (60-90%), along with changes in color and increased soluble solids (from 11 to 21 °Brix).
  • Key nutrients in BP included vitamin C (29-59 mg/100g) and folate (0.3-5.9 μg/100g), plus a wide array of phenolic compounds that showcase strong antioxidant properties and notable sensory diversity in taste,
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, and are understudied native Australian plants. This study aimed to characterise the non-anthocyanin phenolic and organic acid profiles of the aqueous extracts obtained from the leaves of . and fruits of .

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Article Synopsis
  • Acacia seeds are nutrient-rich but contain protease inhibitors that impair protein digestibility, prompting the need to study how roasting affects their nutritional qualities.
  • Roasting the seeds for 7 minutes significantly improved protein digestibility in two out of three species tested, while different roasting times impacted trypsin inhibitor levels and other physicochemical properties.
  • Despite enhancements in protein digestibility and functional properties, roasting did not significantly affect intestinal iron absorption compared to raw samples.
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In this study, partial or full replacement of 6% soy protein isolate (SPI) with 2, 4 and 6% roasted Acacia seed flour (ASRo) and Acacia seed protein concentrates (ASPC) in emulsified beef sausage were investigated. Emulsion stability and cooking loss were lower in samples formulated with ASPC at all levels and control samples compared to ASRo formulated samples. ASRo generated softer and less chewy sausages than ASPC.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study examined the impact of fruit maturity on the nutrient and bioactive properties of Kakadu plum, revealing that certain tannins and phenolic acids decreased as the fruit matured, while others peaked during early growth stages but fell off by full maturity.
  • Levels of hydrolysable tannins and phenolic acids were significantly lower in fully mature fruits compared to immature ones, yet total phenolic content and antioxidant activity remained consistent across maturity stages.
  • The analysis indicated a notable difference in nutritional profiles between immature and mature plums, as well as variability among individual trees, emphasizing challenges in harvesting wild fruit.
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Controlling microbial contamination in foods using effective clean and green technologies is important in producing food with less contaminants. This study investigates the effect of photosensitization treatment using naturally occurring curcumin on inactivating spores on peanuts. Light dosages of 76.

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This study identified and quantified hydrolysable tannins (HTs) in Terminalia ferdinandiana Exell (Kakadu plum) fruit, freeze dried powder extracted with 80% aqueous acetone (AA) and 80% aqueous acidified ethanol (AAE), using UHPLC-Q/Orbitrap/MS/MS. The vitamin C and ellagic acid were quantified by UHPLC-PDA. A total of seven HTs were identified: corilagin, 3,4,6-tri-O-galloyl-β-d-glucose, elaeocarpusin, chebulinic acid, chebulagic acid, helioscopin B, and punicalagin, with five classified as ellagitannins.

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Salinization is gradually increasing over cropping soils and is challenging Governments in many countries, including Australia. There has been a high demand for utilizing arid and semi-arid land for sustainable food production. Currently, the main crops and forage plants are salt sensitive, while halophytes can tolerate a wide range of salinities.

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Background: Terminalia ferdinandiana, common name Kakadu plum (KP), fruit is a valuable source of vitamin C, and its concentration can be used as a quality index of KP products, such as dried fruit powder. The present study investigated the effects of two drying methods (freeze-drying and oven-drying) and the addition of maltodextrin (0-25%) on vitamin C, Maillard products, and overall quality of KP fruit powder.

Results: Freeze-drying was a better dehydration technique than oven-drying in retaining vitamin C, reducing the formation of non-enzymatic browning and oxidation products, and improving powder colour (P < 0.

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Comminuted meat products are highly susceptible to safety and quality degradation partly because of their large interfacial area in the emulsion. The food industry extensively uses synthetic chemical preservatives to delay that degradation which is caused by microbial growth, enzyme activities and oxidation reactions. However, due to the potential health damage (e.

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Due to high perishability, plums are harvested at an early stage of maturity to extend postharvest storage life. Storage time and temperature can significantly affect the phytochemical and sugar composition of plums, altering their palatability and nutritional quality. In this study, variations in physiochemical properties (total soluble solids (TSS), titratable acidity (TA), color (chroma and hue angle)), phytochemical composition (total phenolic content (TPC), total anthocyanin content (TAC), and carotenoids), and sugars in three different tissues of the Queen Garnet plum (QGP) during storage at two common domestic storage temperatures (4 and 23 °C) were evaluated.

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Background: Acacia seed (AS) is an underutilized legume widely distributed in the world, with majority of the species (>70%) found in Australia. Generally, the seeds are not only rich in protein, dietary fibre and potassium, but also possess anti-nutritional compounds. In recent years, there have been an increase in the cultivation of some Australian acacia species such as Acacia victoriae, Acacia cowleana and Acacia coriacea from different regions.

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