Murdoch University PhD candidate Charlotte Rowley is working with world-leading scientists at Murdoch University’s Australian National Phenome Centre (ANPC) to obtain molecular phenotypes of WA produce including olive oils and fruit, contributing valuable data on provenance and quality that could aid in the development of high-value precision nutrition products. In Part 1 of her two-part thesis, Rowley tested various olive oil samples using Bruker NMR FoodScreener® methods (ISO number 17025), adding data on provenance, authenticity and quality to Bruker’s olive oil database. In Part 2, she’ll employ Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) and Rapid Evaporative Ionization Mass Spectrometry (REIMS) techniques to generate molecular profiles of WA-grown fruits (berries, bananas); use these to establish potential biomarkers indicating ingestion of specific fruits; then conduct human clinical trials to assess subsequent changes in metabolism. “I love that my career allows me to be involved in the latest research in nutrition science as well as working one-on-one with clients to put our findings into practice,” Rowley says. Senior researcher Professor Elaine Holmes is supervising Rowley’s PhD, which is supported by top-up scholarship funding from the FFSCRC. Find out more about Rowley’s research here.
