Research interests

• Factors impacting on the tenderisation of meat
• Growth, carcase composition and meat quality in sheep
• Application of electrical technologies to the sheep processing industry
• Dehydration of lambs and sheep pre-slaughter
• Development of an eating quality scheme for Australia
• Quality of beef meat for Japan
• Genetic parameter estimation for the Merino industry

Background

David Hopkins has two degrees from the University of Melbourne and completed his PhD at the University of New England focussing on biochemical mechanisms responsible for tenderisation in meat. He worked for the Tasmanian Department of Agriculture for six years before moving into a newly created position with NSW DPI. As a Principal Research Scientist with a focus on meat science he has built a team of people, with two other researchers and three technical staff and also supervises post-graduate students.

He is the sole meat scientist in NSW DPI and has published extensively (more than 200 papers) on meat and carcase studies and sits on the Editorial board of two journals. He has authored a number of seminal papers and been invited to write several book chapters. He has led several projects in the Australian Sheep Industry Cooperative Research Centre and has conducted numerous studies with Meat & Livestock Australia funding.

David is a born-again Christian who grew up on a grazing property in the South West of Victoria.

Qualifications

• Bachelor of Agricultural Science (B. Agr. Sc.)
  University of Melbourne, 1978-81
• Master of Agricultural Science (M. Agr. Sc.)
  University of Melbourne, 1982 84
• Doctor of Philosophy (Meat Science) (PhD)
  University of New England, 1998-2000

Current projects

• Meat electronics for goats
• Accelerated sheep meat processing
• Application of processing technologies for sheep meat
• New meat phenotypes described for integration into sheep selection systems
• Production aspects associated with an Information nucleus
• Study of the biology and production systems for expression of meat phenotypes
• Impact of pH decline on beef meat for Japan

Select Publications

Hegarty RS, Hopkins DL, Farrell TC, Banks R and Harden S (2006) Effects of available nutrition and the growth and muscling potential of sires on the development of crossbred lambs. 2: Composition and commercial yield. Australian Journal of Agricultural Research 57, Nos. 6. 617-626.

Hopkins DL, Shaw FD, Baud S and Walker PJ (2006) Electrical currents applied to lamb carcases – effects on blood release and meat quality. Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture 46, Nos. 6&7. 885-889.

Hopkins DL and Huff-Lonergan E (2004) Tenderising mechanisms: Chemical/ Enzymatic.  In Encyclopedia of Meat Sciences, pp. 1363-1369, (Ed Jensen, W, Devine, C. and Dikeman, M.), Elsevier: Oxford.

Hopkins DL and Taylor RG (2004) Post-mortem muscle proteolysis and meat tenderness.  In Muscle Development of Livestock Animals: Physiology, Genetics, and Meat Quality, pp. 363-388, (Ed Everts, M, te Pas, M. and Haagsman, H.), CAB International, UK.

Hwang IH, Devine CE and Hopkins DL (2003) The biochemical and physical effects of electrical stimulation on beef and sheep meat tenderness – a review. Meat Science, 65, No.2, 677-691.

Hopkins DL and Thompson JM (2002) The degradation of myofibrillar proteins in beef and lamb meat using denaturing electrophoresis – An overview. Journal of Muscle Foods 13, No. 2, 81-102.

Hopkins DL and Thompson JM (2002) Factors contributing to proteolysis and disruption of myofibrillar proteins and the impact on tenderisation in beef and sheep meat. Australian Journal of Agricultural Research 53, No. 2, 149-166.

Hopkins DL and Thompson JM (2001) Inhibition of protease activity 2. Degradation of myofibrillar proteins, myofibril examination and determination of free calcium levels. Meat Science 59, No. 2, 199-209.

Hopkins DL and Thompson JM (2001) The relationship between tenderness, proteolysis, muscle contraction and dissociation of actomyosin. Meat Science 57, No. 1, 1-12.

Fogarty NM, Hopkins DL and van de Ven R (2000) Lamb production from diverse genotypes. 2. Carcass characteristics. Animal Science 70, 147-156.

Hopkins DL, Wotton JSA, Gamble DJ, and Atkinson WR (1995) Lamb carcass characteristics 2. Estimation of the percentage of saleable cuts for carcasses prepared as trim and traditional cuts using carcass weight, fat depth, eye muscle area, sex and conformation. Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture 35, No. 2 161-169.

Hopkins DL, and Roberts AHK (1993) Australian grass-fed beef for Japan 1. Carcass quality characteristics, saleable meat yield and the value of various carcass measurements for predicting yield. Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture. 33, No. 6 685-91.

Hopkins DL and Tulloh NM (1985) Effects of a severe nutritional check in early post natal life on the subsequent growth of sheep to the age of 12 14 months. Journal of Agricultural Science 105, 551 562.

Professional associations and activities

• Editorial Board member of the International Journal of Meat Science
• Editorial Board member of the International Journal of Sheep and Wool Science
• Australian Society of Animal Production
• New Zealand Society of Animal Production
• Co-ordinating Editor for a Special Issue of Australian Journal of Agricultural Research: Growth and Carcass Characteristics of Lambs — Nutritional and Genetic Influences – 2006.
• Co-ordinating Editor for a Special Issue of Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture: Lamb and hogget growth, carcase composition, muscle and fat biochemistry and meat quality – 2007.

Fields of Research

• 060107 Enzymes
• 060807 Animal Structure and Function
• 060603 Animal Physiology – Systems
• 070202 Animal Growth and Development
• 070203 Animal Management
• 070299 Animal Production not elsewhere classified

Australian and New Zealand Standard Research Classification (ANZSRC)

Keyword/phrase list of research interests

• Meat
• tenderisation
• carcase composition
• eating quality

Related web links

• Sheep CRC 'Practical wisdom' notes
  A series of technical notes on enterprise management, nutrition and quality sheepmeat.
  

Contact details