Student wins world leader’s legacy prize

A TASMANIAN university student has received a new award for her work looking at ways to reduce food waste. 

Ramida Varahakaporn, a Master of Agricultural Science and Food Science student, is the inaugural recipient of the Professor Tom McMeekin Prize which was awarded at a ceremony in Hobart. 

Her research work focused on finding new ways to use second-grade strawberries. 

The prize was established to encourage students into food microbiology or food safety research at the University of Tasmania, and to honour the memory and lasting legacy of Prof McMeekin who passed away in 2021.

Prof McMeekin was acknowledged as one of the world’s leading Ramida Varahakaporn food microbiologists and his expertise established new systems of improving food safety around the world. 

Ms Varahakaporn was recognised for her outstanding Masters research thesis on the impact of cold storage and second-grade fruit on the quality of freeze-dried berries. 

“It’s really meaningful for me to receive the Tom McMeekin Award,” she said. 

“My hard work has paid off with the award that I received, I’m really grateful for it.” 

She now hopes her research has an impact. “I hope this will reduce the amount food waste in Australia as it’s currently a big issue,” she said. 

“My project assesses the quality of the freeze-dried strawberries using the second-grade strawberries to reduce the food waste problem that we have.” She said Australia produced over seven-million tonnes of food waste every year. 

“I want to divert some of that into a new product that’s of good quality and accepted by consumers,” she said. 

The prize was established by a donation made by Professor John Bowman, Centre Leader for Food Safety and Innovation at the Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture. 

Prof McMeekin pioneered the development of predictive microbiology and established the University of Tasmania as the world leader in predictive modelling of microbial behaviour in foods. 

The founding father of the world-renowned Food Safety Centre at the Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture, Prof McMeekin was also involved in the development of the Refrigeration Index for the meat industry which is now mandated by the Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service. 

He contributed to more than 200 publications and was the author of the influential monograph Predictive Microbiology: Theory and Application. 

After coming to Australia from Northern Ireland in 1974, the McMeekins intended to stay for only three years. 

Their decision to make Australia their home has enriched our reputation as a global leader, not only in the field of food microbiology, but also in science innovation, research and education. 

Professor McMeekin was honoured as an Officer of the Order of Australia in 2013.