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Novel study on food

— PHOTO: AP

Unhealthy food habits and obesity will also be the focus of the study.

CANBERRA: Australia's top scientific and nuclear research bodies launched a bold new project on Tuesday to investigate the atomic structure of human beings' food, which may have massive implications for future food.

Peter Lillford, a food scientist with the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), said the project could have massive health implications if researchers figure out how to modify ingredients to lessen the risk of disease.

As many as 50 researchers will be working for the Sydney-based joint project of the CSIRO and Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation.

They will use a new nuclear reactor worth $220 million and a technology called neutron scattering to look at food materials 100,000 times smaller than the width of a human hair.

Australian Associated Press on Tuesday quoted Mr. Lillford as saying that the food industry has been using hand lenses and lower power microscopes for too long, ``but these are really no good for seeing inside what we eat.'' He said the researchers will look at the common carbohydrate starch in particular and the role it plays in diabetes and cancer.

They are also interested in finding out the make-up of proteins, a key component in weight loss. — Xinhua

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