CSIRO has discovered a new class of fatty acids which could be used as sensors in industrial maintenance applications.
The alpha-hydroxy polyacetylenic fatty acids can be used to detect changes in temperature and mechanical stress loads. They are also self-assembling and some have anti-microbial properties.
The researchers outlined these discoveries on 28 April 2008 during the Fifth Annual World Congress on Industrial Biotechnology and Bioprocessing.
This discovery is part of a project which has for the past 12 years been developing technologies to produce industrial compounds from genetically modified oilseed crops. It is a joint venture between CSIRO and the Grains Research and Development Corporation.
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