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Dr Rodney Mailer
BAppSc, MSc (ANU), PhD (Manitoba)
Position Research Fellow
Canola and Olive Oil Research
Associate Professor, CSU
Location Australian Oils Research, PO Box 914, Wagga Wagga NSW
Phone 02 6933 1501
Mobile 0417 201 032
Fax 02 6933 1501
Email rod.mailer@australian-oils-research.com
Career Brief
Dr Mailer graduated with a BAppSc and MSc from Australian National University . He workded in private industry in Sydney with companies such as Boots Pharmaceuticals and others where he gained experience in laboratory techniques including infrared spectrometry, gas-chromatography and HPLC. He joined the Department of Agriculture (now Industry & Investment NSW) in 1979 and became involved in the canola breeding program at Wagga Wagga. Dr Mailer studied and obtained his PhD at the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg , Canada using HPLC and DNA-PCR technology to measure canola cultivar variation.
Dr Mailer has been developing an olive oil research program looking at effects of harvest timing, irrigation and cultivar on quality. He has developed a commercial service for analysis for growers and the industry, based at Wagga Wagga Agricultural Institute. Much of his work has been focussed on industry requirements and consequently he has developed strong ties with organisations such as the Australian Oilseed Federation and Australian Olive Association.
Research and Teaching
Dr Mailer heads the NSW DPI edible oil research program. He established a laboratory and methods for the evaluation of bulk samples for screening for the NSW DPI canola breeding program.
The oil testing laboratory Dr Mailer established has been accredited by the International Olive Council (IOC) and American Oil Chemists' Society (AOCS) and analysis made available to commercial growers since 2001. Dr Mailer has also obtained funding Horticulture Australia Limited to develop a sensory panel for evaluation of edible oil which is now the only internationally accredited chemical and sensory laboratory in Australia .
Dr Mailer's current work is related to compliance of Australian oil products to international standards and ensuring international recognition of the Australian product. This is particularly true where International Olive Council standards and those of the European Community often result in Australian export product being rejected in world trade. Dr Mailer's current research into alternative tests to detect adulteration of olive oil is being undertaken with collaboration with researchers in Italy, Spain and Chile .
Dr Mailer has been a joint supervisor on various graduate students.
Professional Links
- Past President - International Society for Fat Research.
- Chair - World Congress on Fats and Oils and ISF Congress, 2009
- Executive Board member - Groupe Consultatif International de Recherche sur le Colza, France)
- Honorary member - Australian Olive Association
- President of the International Society for Fat Research ( Munster , Germany )
- NSW DPI technical advisor to Australian Oilseed Federation
- Australian representative - International Standards Organisation for Fats and Oils Committee SC34/TC 11, Standards Australia
- Technical advisor on Codex Australia
- Adjunct Associate Professor - CSU
Interests
- Composition of canola and safflower oil and selection of new cultivars with improved quality traits
- Improving canola oil to promote longer shelf life and cooking time
- effects of industrial processing on oil and meal quality in canola, particularly for animal feed
- developing methods to determine olive oil oxidative stability and determining the optimum chemical quality for long shelf life olive oil.
Selected Publications
Mailer RJ, Ayton J and Conlan D (2007) Influence of harvest timing on Olive (Olea europaea) oil accumulation and fruit characteristics under Australian conditions. Journal of Food, Agriculture and Environment 5 (3 & 4), 58-63.
Ayton J, Mailer RJ, Haigh A, Tronson D, Conlan D (2006) Quality and oxidative stability of Australian olive oil according to harvest date and irrigation. Journal of Food Lipids 14 , 138-156.
Aksouh NM , Campbell LC, and Mailer RJ (2006) Canola response to high and moderate temperature stresses. Canadian Journal of Plant Science 86 ( 4), 967-980.
Mailer RJ (2005) Variation in oil quality and fatty acid composition in Australian olive oil. Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture 45 ,115-119.
Mailer RJ (2004) Rapid evaluation of olive oil by NIR reflectance spectroscopy. Journal of American Oil Chemists' Society 81 (9), 823-827.
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