Dr Yasmina Sultanbawa

Senior Research Fellow, CNAFS

Dr Yasmina Sultanbawa

Research interests include:

• Elucidating mechanisms of antimicrobial action
• Shelf-life extension with natural antimicrobials
• Retaining bioactivity during processing and storage
• Search for natural inhibitors from Australian native plants
• Use of bioactive honey from leptospermum polygalifolium in treating microbial infections

Understanding of microbial communication and inhibition has diverse applications in natural preservation of foods, wound healing and the development of platform technologies for the delivery of bioactives.

Many fresh foods including seafood, meat and horticultural products have limited storage life resulting in continuing commercial pressures to use preservatives. Currently a wide variety of chemical preservatives are permitted. The type of preservative, amount allowed and on which foods vary between countries. Preservative use, however, is increasingly being perceived by consumers as negative.

Natural antimicrobials are obtained from raw materials of vegetable, fruit, herbs/spices or microbiological origin. An example is plant extracts which can provide e.g. antioxidants, shelf-life extension (natural antimicrobials), trace-nutrients (vitamins/ minerals) and exciting flavours.

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