
Overview
Background
Since joining the Centre for Nutrition and Food Science in 2004, my work has focussed on food structure and how it changes during digestion and fermentation. I use NMR spectroscopy and wet chemistry techniques, to characterise polysaccharides particularly: starch, plant cell walls, dietary fibre and cellulose. My research has resulted in the publication of 93 papers with over 6000 citations and a H-index of 39 (scopus). I regularly review papers for Food Hydrocolloids and Carbohydrate polymers. I have co-supervised eight PhDs to completion and am currently co-supervising four PhD students and am principal supervisor to one PhD and two masters students.
After graduating with a Bachelor of Science (Honours, 1997, UQ) and PhD in Inorganic Chemistry (2002, UQ) I worked with Prof David Fairlie (h-index 104, 42, 140 citations) to study peptide synthesis and high-field, multi-dimensional NMR.
I have practical experience with in vitro and digestion and fermentation and havecollaborated to perfect a batch fermentation system to compare the fermentability of a number of complex dietary fibres using human faecal inoculum. Using this methodology, I have studied how the chemistry and architecture of dietary fibres affects the digestion and fermentation of starches and dietary fibres. My Skills in NMR spectroscopy have enabled me to develop methods for quantifying starch molecular order and to quantify Short Chain Fatty acids and other fermemetabolites.
Availability
- Dr Bernadine Flanagan is:
- Available for supervision
Fields of research
Qualifications
- Bachelor (Honours) of Science (Advanced), The University of Queensland
- Doctor of Philosophy, The University of Queensland
Research interests
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Investigating food structure and how it affects digestibility and fermentability.
Characterising starch and dietary fibres and exploring how they change in response to differences in processing conditions. How does food architecture affect the digestibility and fermentability of food and feeds. Using spectroscopy and analytical chemistry techniques to explore the composition and structures of food and feeds. Determining how the interaction of plant cell wall polysaccharides influences their structure and function with particular focus on the interactions of cellulose hemicelluloses. How the density and solubility of plant cell wall components drives fermentability.
Research impacts
Over the last twenty years (13 years FTE) I have been part of many multi-disciplinary teams working with industry, government and fellow university based researchers nationally and internationally. For Six years as part of the CSIRO Food Futures Flagship and then for 7 years as a member of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Plant Cell walls, a team of over 80 researchers, based at UA, UM, ANSTO and international collaborators in the UK and Sweden. These collaborations lead to many multi-disciplinary publications with a focus of polysaccharide structure and function. Using NMR, I established new methods for polysaccharide structure analysis and increased our understanding of complex plant cell wall structure relationships.
In 2005 I was awarded a UQ New Staff Research Start Up Fund. In 2023 I was a CI on a successful $1.68 million ARC LIEF bid for a national network for magnetic resonance spectroscopy. I am a CI on a recently awarded a $788, 130 ARC Linkage grant, LP240100343, in this project I will lead the activities in polysaccharide structure and characterisation. As a result of my interest in plant polysaccharides, I was voted Vice Chair of Australasian Grain Science Association (AGSA) and was appointed 2025 AGSA Brisbane conference chair.
Works
Search Professor Bernadine Flanagan’s works on UQ eSpace
2026
Journal Article
The effect of resistant starch type 1, delivered as intact chickpea cells, on intestinal health and blood pressure
Xiong, Weiyan, Jama, Hamdi A., Flanagan, Bernadine M., Peh, Alex, Antonacci, Simona, Xu, Chudan, Dhital, Sushil and Marques, Francine Z. (2026). The effect of resistant starch type 1, delivered as intact chickpea cells, on intestinal health and blood pressure. Food Hydrocolloids, 172 111878, 111878. doi: 10.1016/j.foodhyd.2025.111878
2025
Journal Article
Prebiotic fibre enteral supplementation post allogeneic transplantation; feasibility and impact on the microbiome
Andersen, Sarah, Kennedy, Glen A., Banks, Merrilyn, Flanagan, Bernadine Mary and Henden, Andrea S. (2025). Prebiotic fibre enteral supplementation post allogeneic transplantation; feasibility and impact on the microbiome. Blood Advances, 9 (16), 4167-4179. doi: 10.1182/bloodadvances.2024015703
2025
Conference Publication
78. Particle size of cereals shapes piglet gut microbiota during in vitro fermentation
Tran, V.H., Liu, X., Flanagan, B.M., Williams, B.A., Feng, G., Navarro, M., Roura, E., Gidley, M.J., Wu, X., Omaleki, L. and Turni, C. (2025). 78. Particle size of cereals shapes piglet gut microbiota during in vitro fermentation. 16th International Symposium on Digestive Physiology of Pigs (DPP2025), Lake Geneva, WI, United States, 20-23 May 2025. Netherlands: Elsevier BV. doi: 10.1016/j.anscip.2025.07.079
2025
Journal Article
18. Improving starch digestion in barley, wheat and maize by xylanase/glucanase, phytase, protease and their combination in an in vitro digestion model
Liu, X., Flanagan, B.M., Roura, E. and Gidley, M.J. (2025). 18. Improving starch digestion in barley, wheat and maize by xylanase/glucanase, phytase, protease and their combination in an in vitro digestion model. Animal - Science proceedings, 16 (2), 315. doi: 10.1016/j.anscip.2025.07.019
2025
Journal Article
Valorising legume protein extraction side-streams: Isolation and characterisation of fibre-rich and starch-rich co-products from wet fractionation of five legumes
Liu, Ruoxin, Flanagan, Bernadine M., Ratanpaul, Vishal and Gidley, Michael J. (2025). Valorising legume protein extraction side-streams: Isolation and characterisation of fibre-rich and starch-rich co-products from wet fractionation of five legumes. Food Hydrocolloids, 164 111191, 1-9. doi: 10.1016/j.foodhyd.2025.111191
2025
Journal Article
Impact of pectin and alginate gel particle size and concentration on in vitro gut fermentation
Li, Anqi, Shewan, Heather M., Flanagan, Bernadine M., Williams, Barbara A., Mikkelsen, Deirdre and Gidley, Michael J. (2025). Impact of pectin and alginate gel particle size and concentration on in vitro gut fermentation. Food Hydrocolloids, 160 110808. doi: 10.1016/j.foodhyd.2024.110808
2025
Journal Article
Starch digestion enhancement by phytase, protease and xylanase/glucanase in milled maize, wheat and barley grains depends on cereal type and particle size
Liu, Xianyi, Flanagan, Bernadine M., Roura, Eugeni and Gidley, Michael J. (2025). Starch digestion enhancement by phytase, protease and xylanase/glucanase in milled maize, wheat and barley grains depends on cereal type and particle size. Journal of Cereal Science, 122 104107. doi: 10.1016/j.jcs.2025.104107
2025
Journal Article
Nutritional, functional and rheological properties of bunya nut flour as a versatile gluten-free option
Moura Nadolny, Jaqueline, Flanagan, Bernadine M., Shewan, Heather M., Smyth, Heather E., Best, Odette and Stokes, Jason R. (2025). Nutritional, functional and rheological properties of bunya nut flour as a versatile gluten-free option. Food Research International, 202 115627, 1-14. doi: 10.1016/j.foodres.2024.115627
2025
Journal Article
Factors affecting plant food particle behaviour during in vitro colonic microbial fermentation
Yao, Hong, Flanagan, Bernadine M., Williams, Barbara A., Mikkelsen, Deirdre and Gidley, Michael J. (2025). Factors affecting plant food particle behaviour during in vitro colonic microbial fermentation. Trends in Food Science and Technology, 155 104802, 1-9. doi: 10.1016/j.tifs.2024.104802
2024
Journal Article
Differential effects of pectin-based dietary fibre type and gut microbiota composition on in vitro fermentation outcomes
Yao, Hong, Flanagan, Bernadine M., Williams, Barbara A., Wu, Xiyang, Mikkelsen, Deirdre and Gidley, Michael J. (2024). Differential effects of pectin-based dietary fibre type and gut microbiota composition on in vitro fermentation outcomes. Carbohydrate Polymers, 339 122284, 122284. doi: 10.1016/j.carbpol.2024.122284
2024
Journal Article
Biomass attachment and microbiota shifts during porcine faecal in vitro fermentation of almond and macadamia nuts differing in particle sizes
Bermudez, Cindy, Yao, Hong, Widaningrum, Williams, Barbara A., Flanagan, Bernadine M., Gidley, Michael J. and Mikkelsen, Deirdre (2024). Biomass attachment and microbiota shifts during porcine faecal in vitro fermentation of almond and macadamia nuts differing in particle sizes. Food and Function, 15 (5), 2406-2421. doi: 10.1039/d3fo03612j
2024
Journal Article
Near infrared spectroscopy combined with chemometrics as tool to monitor starch hydrolysis
Visnupriyan, R., Flanagan, B.M., Harper, K.J. and Cozzolino, D. (2024). Near infrared spectroscopy combined with chemometrics as tool to monitor starch hydrolysis. Carbohydrate Polymers, 324 121469, 121469. doi: 10.1016/j.carbpol.2023.121469
2024
Journal Article
In vitro fermentation characteristics of fruit and vegetable juicing wastes using human fecal inoculum are determined by cell wall architecture
Widaningrum, Flanagan, Bernadine M., Williams, Barbara A., Sonni, Francesca, Mikkelsen, Deirdre and Gidley, Michael J. (2024). In vitro fermentation characteristics of fruit and vegetable juicing wastes using human fecal inoculum are determined by cell wall architecture. Food Hydrocolloids, 146 (Part A) 109205, 109205. doi: 10.1016/j.foodhyd.2023.109205
2024
Journal Article
Bringing back a forgotten legume—sensory profiles of Australian native wattleseeds reveal potential for novel food applications
Jacob, Sera Susan, Flanagan, Bernadine M., Williams, Barbara A., Brown, Rayleen, Hickey, Sarah, Gidley, Michael J. and Smyth, Heather E. (2024). Bringing back a forgotten legume—sensory profiles of Australian native wattleseeds reveal potential for novel food applications. Journal of Food Science, 89 (1), 656-670. doi: 10.1111/1750-3841.16860
2023
Conference Publication
Retracing ‘food’ steps- exploring Australia’s native legumes for novel food applications
Jacob, Sera Susan, Gidley, Mike, Smyth, Heather, Flanagan, Bernadine, Williams, Barbara and Hickey, Sarah (2023). Retracing ‘food’ steps- exploring Australia’s native legumes for novel food applications. 7th International Conference on Food Structures, Digestion and Health, Queenstown, New Zealand, 14-17 November 2023.
2023
Journal Article
Plant cell wall composition modulates the gut microbiota and metabolites in in-vitro fermentation
Xiong, Weiyan, Devkota, Lavaraj, Flanagan, Bernadine M., Gu, Zhipeng, Zhang, Bin and Dhital, Sushil (2023). Plant cell wall composition modulates the gut microbiota and metabolites in in-vitro fermentation. Carbohydrate Polymers, 316 121074, 121074. doi: 10.1016/j.carbpol.2023.121074
2023
Journal Article
Enzymatic arabinose depletion of wheat arabinoxylan regulates in vitro fermentation profiles and potential microbial degraders
Yao, Hong, Flanagan, Bernadine M., Williams, Barbara A., Ismail, Munirah, Ersya, Astrada Dyna, Gidley, Michael J. and Mikkelsen, Deirdre (2023). Enzymatic arabinose depletion of wheat arabinoxylan regulates in vitro fermentation profiles and potential microbial degraders. Food Hydrocolloids, 142 108743, 1-10. doi: 10.1016/j.foodhyd.2023.108743
2023
Journal Article
Using mid infrared spectroscopy combined with chemometrics to determine digested starch and maltose concentration during in‐vitro digestion of starches
Visnupriyan, Ramanah, Flanagan, Bernadine, Harper, Karen and Cozzolino, Daniel (2023). Using mid infrared spectroscopy combined with chemometrics to determine digested starch and maltose concentration during in‐vitro digestion of starches. International Journal of Food Science and Technology, 58 (9), 4675-4682. doi: 10.1111/ijfs.16573
2023
Journal Article
Composition and functional profiles of human faecal microbiota fermenting plant-based food particles are related to water-holding capacity more than particle size
Yao, Hong, Williams, Barbara A., Mikkelsen, Deirdre, Flanagan, Bernadine M. and Gidley, Michael J. (2023). Composition and functional profiles of human faecal microbiota fermenting plant-based food particles are related to water-holding capacity more than particle size. Food Hydrocolloids, 141 108714, 1-11. doi: 10.1016/j.foodhyd.2023.108714
2023
Journal Article
Lactate and buyrate proportions, methanogen growth and gas production during in vitro dietary fibre fermentation all depend on fibre concentration
Yao, Hong, Flanagan, Bernadine M., Williams, Barbara A., Mikkelsen, Deirdre and Gidley, Michael J. (2023). Lactate and buyrate proportions, methanogen growth and gas production during in vitro dietary fibre fermentation all depend on fibre concentration. Food Hydrocolloids, 134 108061, 1-11. doi: 10.1016/j.foodhyd.2022.108061
Supervision
Availability
- Dr Bernadine Flanagan is:
- Available for supervision
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Supervision history
Current supervision
-
Doctor Philosophy
Improving protein digestion in broiler chicken by application of exogenous enzymes
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Mike Gidley, Professor Eugeni Roura
-
Doctor Philosophy
Utilization of non-protein fractions of legumes in the food industry
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Mike Gidley
-
Doctor Philosophy
Sustainable Precision Feeding in Broiler Chickens in Australia
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Mike Gidley, Professor Eugeni Roura
-
Doctor Philosophy
Understanding the relationship between the shape, size and local density of food gels and their functionality in vitro
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Deirdre Mikkelsen, Professor Mike Gidley
-
Doctor Philosophy
Controlling feed digestion in pigs to remove the need for antimicrobials
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Eugeni Roura, Professor Mike Gidley
Completed supervision
-
2025
Doctor Philosophy
Xylo-oligosaccharides, gastrointestinal function and microbiota in broiler chickens
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Conny Turni, Dr Lida Omaleki, Professor Eugeni Roura
-
2024
Doctor Philosophy
Wattleseeds for nutritional foods
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Mike Gidley
-
2024
Doctor Philosophy
Microbiota interactions and functionality in response to nut consumption and in vitro fermentation
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Mike Gidley, Dr Deirdre Mikkelsen
-
2023
Doctor Philosophy
Dietary fibre concentration and particle size drive in vitro gut microbial fermentation behaviours
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Deirdre Mikkelsen, Professor Mike Gidley
-
2022
Doctor Philosophy
Preparation and characterization of chemically modified wheat starch as a depressant of pyrite and graphite
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Mike Gidley
-
2021
Doctor Philosophy
In Vitro Fermentation of Insoluble Dietary Fibers and Undigested Fractions from Plant Food Sources
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Deirdre Mikkelsen, Professor Mike Gidley
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2021
Doctor Philosophy
In vitro gut microbial fermentation of models for plant dietary fibre
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Deirdre Mikkelsen, Professor Mike Gidley
-
2019
Doctor Philosophy
BACTERIAL MEDIATED ENZYMATIC METABOLISM OF ARABINOXYLAN AND GALACTOXYLOGLUCAN UNDER IN VITRO FERMENTATION CONDITIONS
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Deirdre Mikkelsen, Professor Mike Gidley
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2012
Doctor Philosophy
Mechanisms behind the cholesterol-reducing effect of cereal soluble dietary fibres: (1,3:1,4) beta glucan & arabinoxylan
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Mike Gidley
Media
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