Kakadu plum value chain

Research project update

Project name:
Improving the efficiency of Kakadu Plum/Gubinge value chains to grow a robust and sustainable industry

Participants:

Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation (QAAFI), The University of Queensland and support from the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries.
Charles Darwin University
Kindred Spirits Enterprises Pty Ltd – Traditional Homeland Enterprises (T. H. E.)

Summary:
This project brings together existing partners the UQ QAAFI, Kindred Spirits Enterprises – Traditional Homeland Enterprises (T.H.E.) and Charles Darwin University to review the existing value chains within the established Kakadu Plum (KP)/ Gubinge (Terminalia ferdinandiana) industry to address the issue of supplying consistently high quality KP/ Gubinge products to ensure a more reliable supply of products which can better capture market access and grow customer loyalty.

Existing Aboriginal suppliers of KP/Gubinge in the Thamarrurr Region of NT and the Kimberley region of WA will work with researchers to undertake an extensive review of the existing value chain by mapping, analysing and identifying efficiencies, identifying impediments and solutions to overcome them. Innovative solutions to local processing and maintaining fruit quality will be trialled and new commercial applications will be developed.

In addition to identifying production and facilities enhancements, the project will also work to develop training tools for product costing, start-up businesses, hygienic processing of food and quality assurance.

Project update: Kakadu plum value chain project, February 2020

PhD candidate: Mr Eshetu Mulisa Bobasa

Mr Eshetu Mulisa Bobasa is a PhD candidate at the Queensland Alliance Agriculture and Food Innovation (QAAFI), University of Queensland, currently involved in the Cooperative Research Centre for Northern Australia (CRCNA) Kakadu plum value chain project. His advisory team include: A/Prof Yasmina Sultanbawa (principal advisor), Dr Michael Netzel (co-advisor), Dr Smita Chaliha (co-advisor) and Dr Anh Phan (co-advisor).

Born in a small village located in Ethiopia, Eshetu received his Bachelor of Pharmacy and MSc in Pharmacology from Ethiopian Universities (The University of Gondar and Addis Ababa University, respectively). After graduation, he began his career as a research supervisor at Jimma University, Ethiopia. He has a strong interest in studying the functional and health properties of plant-based foods.

His PhD project focuses on exploring the biofunctionality of Kakadu Plum (Terminalia ferdinandiana) metabolites. He obtained his PhD confirmation milestone in April 2019 and presented a poster in the TropAg 2019 conference on his research findings.

Pic: Eshetu Mulisa Bobasa, is pictured here in the labs located in the Health and Food Sciences Precinct.

Access and Benefit Sharing:

One of the key aspects of the CRCNA Kakadu plum value chain project is to facilitate the development of access and benefit sharing agreements to ensure Indigenous ownership and control. Toward this end, Prof Brad Sherman, Dr Allison Fish and Dr Kamalesh Adhikari from School of Law, UQ are working toward establishing benefit sharing agreements. Successful management of IP and benefit sharing agreements will encourage further participation of Indigenous communities in developing such value chains and finding new markets for Kakadu plum and other native foods.

Kimberley update:

The CRCNA Kakadu plum value chain team from QAAFI, UQ, recently led a project trip to Broome (Jan 26 – Feb 2, 2020), Western Australia to collect Kakadu plum (Gubinge) fruits for analysing the nutritional potential and to explore enterprise priorities.

The team from QAAFI consisting of A/Prof Yasmina Sultanbawa, Dr Smita Chaliha, Mr Eshetu Bobasa and Mr Oladipupo Adiamo (PhD student, ARC Training Centre for Uniquely Australian Foods studying protein value of wattle seeds), were also joined by Prof Peter Botsman (University of Melbourne), Mr Paul Lane (The Kimberley Institute Ltd), Ms Lizzie Webb and Ms Jacqui Bell (from Kindred Spirit Enterprises). The team met with three of the Indigenous research partners of this project, Karajarri Traditional Lands Association, Nyamba Buru Yawuru and Twin Lakes Cultural Park.

Another highlight of this trip was a cultural tour with Mr Robert Dann from the Kimberley Cultural Adventures. The CRCNA project team went on an informative journey with Robert to obtain a better understating of the bushfoods of Kimberley regions that are used for food as well as medicinal purposes by the Indigenous communities.

Enterprise Development Workshop

In mid-November 2019 project partner Traditional Homeland Enterprises facilitated a day long Enterprise Development Workshop with industry partners and Indigenous Research Partners focussing on enterprise planning, quality management, process certification and product innovation in native botanicals.

The workshop was hosted by lead Project Partner - The University of Queensland, at the research facilities within the Health and Food Sciences Precinct at Coopers Plains, Brisbane.

Workshop participants undertook a tour of the food sciences laboratories, met the research team who are analysing native botanical samples for the Project and met CRCNA project manager Catherine Marriott. The laboratory tour was complemented by food safety and hygiene workshop, which aligned with the broader workshop theme of quality management.

Contact: Associate Professor Yasmina Sultanbawa, Director, ARC Training Centre for Uniquely Australian Foods and Principal Research Fellow at the Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation, The University of Queensland, T: 07 344 32471, M: 0455 934 640, E: y.sultanbawa@uq.edu.au, W: qaafi.uq.edu.au, W: uniquelyaustralianfoods.org

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