An example of native food confectionery creations from past UQ students, including medicinal lozenges flavoured with lemon myrtle, a bunya and boppal brittle, a quandong and burdekin plum sherbet, desert lime jubes and sour lollies from Davidson plums.

Expect more delicious and premium Australian food in fridges across the globe, with the creation of The University of Queensland’s Agri-Food Innovation Alliance.

18 November 2021
Hand holding chickpea seeds. Supplied by Dr Rajeev Varshney

A massive international research effort has led to development of a genetic model for the ‘ultimate’ chickpea, with the potential to lift crop yields by up to 12 per cent.

11 November 2021
A cross section of a taro.

The tropical root vegetable taro, known as the ‘food of the gods’ in the Pacific, is under threat from rising sea levels but wild Australian plants being cultivated by The University of Queensland may help boost food security in the region.

21 October 2021
Two koalas sitting on fallen tree trunks

The first comprehensive list of the threats to Australia’s most endangered plants and animals reveals blunt news about the future for some of the country’s favourite species.

2 September 2021
Tetragonula honey pots. Image: (c) Tobias Smith University of Queensland

The mystery of what creates the rare, healthy sugar found in stingless bee honey, has been solved by researchers at The University of Queensland, in collaboration with Queensland Health Forensic and Scientific Services.

25 August 2021
Three types of native bush foods arranged together on wooden backdrop

Indigenous communities can now assess the quality and sweetness of their wild-harvested native bush fruits in the field, rather than sending samples off to food science laboratories.

22 July 2021
Wild pigs in scrubland

By uprooting carbon trapped in soil, wild pigs are releasing around 4.9 million metric tonnes of carbon dioxide annually across the globe, the equivalent of 1.1 million cars.

20 July 2021
(L-R) UQ's Prof. Ben Ahern with a LAMP Genie III diagnostic machine, veterinary nurse Gabriella Doxey with horse Cartouche and veterinary researcher Lyndal Hulse holding the Hendra diagnostic sampling kit.

University of Queensland vets are diagnosing the deadly Hendra virus in horses faster than ever, developing a diagnostic point-of-care kit that can detect the pathogen in under an hour, rather than days.

20 July 2021
A hand holding a beetle

A destructive pest beetle is edging closer to Australia as biological controls fail, destroying home gardens, plantations and biodiversity as they surge through nearby Pacific islands.

17 June 2021
Sorghum crop lodging, with stalks fallen over onto the ground

After decades of study, University of Queensland researchers have identified a genetic solution to the problem of sorghum lodging and falling down, which affects 10 per cent of sorghum crops each year.

31 March 2021
Professor Matthew Morell, Director, QAAFI at University of Queensland – with sorghum in glasshouse.

Agriculture has entered a new era where advanced, multidisciplinary sciences are harnessed to meet consumer demands for safe, ethically and sustainably produced foods, according to the incoming director of a key research institute.

26 March 2021
(L-R) Ed Kerr and Dr Ben Schulz have shrunk critical beer experiments, potentially leading to whole new beer varieties.

A PhD student and ‘beer scientist’ has inadvertently discovered a way to conduct extremely small-scale brewing experiments, potentially leading to better beer.

28 January 2021
Flock of sheep standing close together looking in direction of camera

More frequently sheared pregnant sheep are more active, have lower stress levels and produce lambs with finer wool, according to University of Queensland research.

3 December 2020
Neon jellyfish in aquarium

Jellyfish could replace fish and chips on a new sustainable takeaway menu to help keep threatened species off the plate.

22 September 2020
Close up of cellulose fibre network

The secret of how fibre shapes the structure of plant cell walls has been revealed, with potentially wide-ranging applications ranging from nutrition and health to agriculture.

17 September 2020
A close up of a parasitic wasp against a white background

Biological control of insect pests – where ‘natural enemies’ keep pests at bay – is saving farmers in Asia and the Pacific billions of dollars, according to University of Queensland-led research.

3 September 2020

Robots working in abattoirs, sky-high vertical farms, more gene-edited foods in our supermarkets and automated farming systems could all help guarantee food supply in the next pandemic.

31 July 2020
(L-R) UQ’s Ciara O’Brien and Brooke Johnstone sizing up a giant, invasive Chinese elm tree.

Giant, invasive Chinese elm trees with a trunk circumference of up to three metres are being swiftly slain thanks to a new herbicide technology developed by The University of Queensland and BioHerbicides Australia.

23 July 2020

Advanced herbicides and treatments for infection may result from the unravelling of a 50-year-old mystery by University of Queensland researchers.

10 July 2020
UQ’s Associate Professor Yasmina Sultanbawa and Maylla Wunungmurra, Gulkula Mining Company Pty Ltd investigate a green plum tree in East Arnhem Land. © Margaret Puls, UQ

An Indigenous fruit which is one of the earliest known plant foods eaten in Australia could be the next big thing in the bush foods industry.

31 May 2020