Swinburne wins University Research of the Year for spice research

Swinburne University of Technology was announced the winner of University Research of the Year at the inaugural NutraIngredients Awards held in Geneva, Switzerland, for research on the cognitive effects of an extract found in turmeric.

NutraIngredients hosted the awards at Vitafoods Europe to celebrate and reward true innovation and cutting edge research in healthy foods, supplements and nutrition.

The Swinburne study, supported by funding from Verdure Sciences™ Pty, looked at the effects of curcumin on cognitive function and mood in the healthy older population, with results indicating remarkable improvements in levels of fatigue and memory.

Director of Swinburne’s Centre for Human Psychopharmacology, Professor Andrew Scholey and PhD student, Katherine Cox were both thrilled to hear their project received first place in the research category of the Awards.

“To see our research being acknowledged is a great example of how linking with industry allows for rapid translation of scientific evidence into the health benefits for end users based on sound empirical research,” Professor Scholey said.

“The compound used in this study, Longvida® is many times more readily absorbed into the bloodstream than pure curcumin. It is now licensed in Australia by Blackmores, directly off the back of our research showing benefits to cognition, mood and fatigue in older adults.”

The award highlights Swinburne's strength in fostering industry collaborations.

“It’s fantastic that a European prize has been awarded to an Australian university for a PhD project. Katherine is an outstanding PhD student and has done a great job,” Professor Scholey said.

Findings from the study have been published in the Journal of Psychopharmacology.