Lipids
With our world-leading team of experts, we aim to generate new niche high-value and complex lipid ingredients for export markets.
Lipids are a class of compound that have important – and often beneficial – bioactive properties. They can be used to fortify foods, and as the active ingredients in nutraceuticals and cosmeceuticals.
Our areas of expertise
Extraction, isolation and characterisation of lipids
Covering dairy, meat, seafood, horticulture, forestry, bacterial and algal.
Advanced lipid analysis
We employ tailored analytical methods for quality determination and to assess conformity to product specifications. We have an ability to identify and characterise a wide range of lipid classes including fatty acids, neutral lipids, phospholipids, ceramides and gangliosides.
Adding value to lipids
Including enrichment, fractionation, encapsulation, purification and enzymatic/chemical modifications.
Case study
Milk fat globule membrane (MFGM) analysis
Business opportunity
New Zealand infant formula and dairy ingredients producers have an increasing interest in MFGM (milk fat globule membrane) applications in novel “human milk like” infant formulas and functional food. MFGM milk fractions contains a wide spectrum of complex lipids and proteins which possess potent bioactive properties especially for cognitive development, brain health and infection protection.
What we did
Callaghan Innovation has used its multi-decade expertise in lipid and protein science to develop a set of highly specialised analytical methods to study and better understand MFGM composition. We also ran an in-house screening programme to better understand MFGM composition in a wide variety of New Zealand and Australian dairy animal milks, including cow, sheep, goat, buffalo and even camel.
Result
Using the analytical data industrial partners are able to design better value-added functional products and stand-out from the crowd in a highly competitive market.