The Starter Kit

A sample of the Bushfoods Starter Kit, available on CD.

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The Antioxidants cometh...

antioxidant burdekin health kakadu

Native fruits bear sweet antioxidants

Food Science Australia researcher, Dr Izabela Konczak

Reference: 07/137

Twelve native Australian fruits that are exceptional sources of antioxidants have been identified in research published in the journal Innovative Food Science & Emerging Technologies, 1 August 2007

The fruits: Kakadu plum, Illawarra plum, Burdekin plum, Davidson’s plum, riberry, red and yellow finger limes , Tasmanian pepper, brush cherry, Cedar Bay cherry, muntries and Molucca raspberry; were compared with blueberries (cultivar Biloxi) – a fruit renowned for its high antioxidant properties.

“Finding unique food ingredients and flavours with health-promoting properties is a key market requirement these days,” says research team leader, Food Science Australia’s Izabela Konczak. “And, by encouraging growers to cultivate native fruits, we are also contributing to the growing need to ensure agriculture becomes more sustainable.”

Bush fruits rich in antioxidants

antioxidant burdekin davidson finger-lime illawarra kakadu muntrie muntry pepper riberry

Cosmos  magazine

Thursday, 2 August 2007

by John Pickrell Cosmos Online Bush tucker: The Illawarra plum has a subtle flavour, but is blessed with an antioxidant level many times higher than blueberries, a more typical fruit thought of as antioxidant-rich.

SYDNEY: Some indigenous Australian fruits, such as the Kakadu and Burdekin plums, have been found to be many times richer in cancer-fighting antioxidants than than even the blueberry, which is renowned for its high antioxidant levels.

A study commissioned by Food Science Australia found that 12 native fruits are exceptional sources of antioxidants, which can reduce oxidative stress in our bodies and minimise damage to DNA and proteins by mopping up highly reactive free radical molecules.

While indigenous people have eaten Australian native fruits for thousands of years, this is the first scientific study of the fruits as a source of antioxidants.

A tour round Townsville

boobiala burdekin cherry dodder dog balls fig gardenia kapok laurel mango

Photos and Story by Braydon Moloney 

Townsville common

Townsville is situated in the coastal dry tropics of northern Queensland. It is a popular tourist stop-off, with most visitors using it as a base for exploring Magnetic Island, the Great Barrier Reef or the historic inland area around Charters Towers. It is also a popular place for holidaying birdwatchers - there are a plethora of RAMSAR listed wetlands around the city, which attract migrant waterbirds from both the north and south, and its proximity to the Wet Tropics sees the occasional appearance of exotic rainforest vagrants as they hop between patches of monsoon vine thickets. But if you look past the colourful birds and begin to examine what they're sitting on, what they're eating, and what they're 'depositing', a new story beings to unfold. Welcome to the coastal dry tropics and its incredible diversity of bush food.

Super fruits?

antioxidant burdekin health juice kakadu

Australian Fruit Juice Association News

Is Down Under the new Amazon for superfruits?

Fri 29 June 2007

By Stephen Daniells

14/06/2007

Scientists in Australia are scrutinizing the country's flora for fruit with the potential to tap into the growing trend of exotic fruits as sources of colours, flavours and health ingredients.

Market analysts Mintel predicted last year that interest in fruits sourced from the Amazon would continue to grow due to consumer trends towards natural products and exotic ingredients. Exotic fruits such as acai and cupuacu are gaining notoriety for both their anti-aging benefits and through a link to the "super-foods" concept.

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