Located in the heart of Australia’s sugarcane region in Mackay, QUT has completed an $18 million upgrade to its Pioneer BioPilot, which was formerly called the Mackay Renewable Biocommodities Pilot Plant (MRBPP). The upgrade has transformed the plant into a pilot-scale food-grade fermentation facility which has the potential to advance many biomanufacturing opportunities — including creating new types of food ingredients and other bioproducts, in addition to further biofuel developments. Sugarcane bagasse ready for processing, inside the QUT Pioneer BioPilot. “Precision fermentation is a technology that allows us to convert sugars into a range of other food ingredients and products in brewery-style fermentation tanks,” O’Hara said. Using the Pioneer BioPilot, QUT researchers are partnering with Eclipse Ingredients and other institutions in a $5.5 million project to commercialise human lactoferrin.