Three new million-dollar projects for AgResearch

What the three projects have in common is being successful in the just-announced High Value Nutrition contestable funding round.

"The High Value Nutrition Science Challenge's focus is on foods with scientifically validated health benefits, and that's exactly what these are. We're looking at how we can increase value for New Zealand through proven health claims for our food and beverage exports," says AgResearch research director, professor Warren McNabb.

All three projects are funded for three years with $1m each from the challenge, as well as co-investment from industry partners.

"Complex beef lipids for metabolic health" is led by Dr Emma Bermingham. She says meat from grass-fed animals may contain bioactive complex lipids that have the potential to improve metabolic health.

"We want to provide robust scientific evidence that consuming complex lipids extracted from New Zealand grass-fed meat will lead to reduced cholesterol levels," says Bermingham.

Reducing the risks of developing allergies in children is the aim of the project "Natural protection of milk" led by Dr Alison Hodgkinson. The project is in partnership with Miraka, a Maori-owned dairy processing and exporting company looking to expand their business by diversifying into higher-value dairy products.

The third project, "a2 Milk for gut comfort" is aimed at demonstrating the health benefits of a2 Milk for people who believe they are intolerant to cows' milk and is led by Dr Matthew Barnett.

"We will be running human clinical studies to confirm the benefits of dairy products that are exclusively of the A2 protein type on increased gut comfort through preventing intestinal inflammation in some consumers," says Barnett.

Today's announcement follows AgResearch's success in the Priority Research programme, where it receives $3.6m for research into the relationship between nutrition and gut health.