Research interests

• Factors impacting on the tenderisation of meat
• Growth, carcase composition and meat quality in sheep
• Application of electrical technologies to the processing industry
• Application of Raman spectroscopy to the meat industry
• Methods to improve the quality of lamb, beef, goat and alpaca meat
• Assessment of technology for predicting meat yield and quality traits

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 Senior Principal Research Scientist with a focus on meat science he has built a team of people, and currently supervises three technical staff and also supervises post-graduate students from around the world.

He is the sole meat scientist in NSW DPI and has published extensively (more than 370 papers) on meat and carcase studies and sits on the editorial board of two journals including a role as an Associate Editor for the journal Meat Science. He is an Adjunct Professor (CSU & UNE). He has authored a number of seminal papers and been invited to write 11 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 and works collaboratively with scientists internationally.

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

• Application of processing and measurement technologies for sheep meat
• New meat phenotypes described for integration into sheep selection systems
  
• Production aspects associated with an Information nucleus
  
• Measurement of meat traits using Raman Spectroscopy
• Evaluation of methods to measure tenderness
• Application of SmartShape™/ SmartStretch™ for beef and sheep meat
• Influence of temperature on the measurement of marbling in beef using CT scanning
• Investigation of quality attributes and consumer acceptance of Australian alpaca meat
• Enhancement of meat quality by pulsed electric field application
• Predicting colour and flavour stabilities of meat from pre-slaughter assessments

Select Publications

Taylor, J.M., Toohey, E.S., van de Ven, R., and Hopkins, D.L. (2013). SmartStretch™ technology. VI. The impact on the meat quality of hot-boned beef striploin (m. longissimus lumborum). Meat Science, 93, 413-419.

Toohey, E.S., van de Ven, R., Thompson, J.M., Geesink, G.H., and Hopkins, D.L. (2013) SmartStretch™ Technology. III. The impact of medium voltage stimulation and SmartStretch™ technology on sheep topside (m. semimembranosus) meat quality traits under commercial processing conditions. Meat Science, 93, 187-193.

Minh Ha, Alaa El-Din Bekhit, Carne, A. and Hopkins, D.L. (2013).  Characterization of kiwifruit and asparagus enzyme extracts and their activities toward meat proteins. Food Chemistry, 136, 989-998.

Schmidt, H., Scheier, R. and Hopkins, D.L. (2013). Preliminary investigation on the relationship of Raman spectra of sheep meat with shear force and cooking loss. Meat Science, 93, 79-84.

van de Ven, R.J., Pearce, K.L., & Hopkins, D.L. (2013). Modelling the decline of pH in muscles of lamb carcases. Meat Science, 93, 138-143.

Najafi, M.H., Zeinoaldini, S., Ganjkhanlou, M., Mohammadi, H., Hopkins, D.L., and Ponnampalam, EN. (2012). Performance, carcass traits, muscle fatty acid composition and meat sensory properties of male Mahabadi goat kids fed palm oil, soybean oil or fish oil. Meat Science, 92, 848-854.

Siddell, J., McLeod, B.M., Toohey, E.S., van de Ven, R., and Hopkins, D.L. (2012). The prediction of meat yield in lamb carcases using primal cut weights, carcase measures and the Hennessey Grading Probe. Animal Production Science, 52, 584-590.

Toohey, E.S., van de Ven, R., Thompson, J.M., Geesink, G.H., and Hopkins, D.L. (2012). SmartStretch™ Technology. V. The impact of SmartStretch™ technology on beef topsides (m. semimembranosus) meat quality traits under commercial processing conditions. Meat Science, 92, 24-29.

Taylor, J.M., Toohey, E.S., van de Ven, R., and Hopkins, D.L. (2012). SmartStretch™ technology. IV. The impact on the meat quality of hot-boned beef rostbiff (m gluteus medius). Meat Science, 91, 527-532.

Minh Ha, Alaa El-Din Bekhit, Carne, A. and Hopkins, D.L. (2012). Characterization of commercial papain, bromelain, actinidin and zingibain protease preparations and their activities toward meat proteins. Food Chemistry, 134, 95-105.

Toohey, E.S., van de Ven, R., Thompson, J.M., Geesink, G.H. and Hopkins, D.L. (2012). SmartStretch™ Technology. II. Improving the tenderness of leg meat from sheep using a meat stretching device. Meat Science, 91, 125-130.

Toohey, E.S., van de Ven, R., Thompson, J.M., Geesink, G.H. and Hopkins, D.L. (2012). SmartStretch™ Technology. I. Improving the tenderness of sheep topsides (m. semimembranosus) using a meat stretching device. Meat Science, 91, 142-147.

Ponnampalam, E.N., Butler, K.L., McDonagh, M.B., Jacobs, J.L. and Hopkins, D.L. (2012). Relationship between muscle antioxidant status, forms of iron, polyunsaturated fatty acids and functionality (retail colour) of meat in lambs. Meat Science 90, 297-303.

Hopkins, D.L., Fogarty, N.M., and Mortimer, S.I. (2011). Genetic related effects on sheep meat quality – a review. Small Ruminant Research 101, 160-172.

Pearce, K.L., Rosenvold, K., Andersen, H.J. and Hopkins, D.L. (2011). Water distribution and mobility in meat during the conversion of muscle to meat and ageing and the impacts on fresh meat quality attributes- a review. Meat Science 89, 111-124.

Hopkins, D.L. (2011). Processing technology changes in the Australian Sheep meat industry: an overview. Animal Production Science 51, 399-405.

Taylor, J. M. and Hopkins, D. L. (2011). Patents for stretching and shaping meats. Recent Patents on Food, Nutrition & Agriculture 3, 91-101.

Hopkins, D.L., Toohey, E.S., Lamb, T.A., Kerr, M.J., van de Ven, R. and Refshauge, G. (2011). Explaining the variation in the shear force of lamb meat using sarcomere length, the rate of rigor onset and pH. Meat Science 88, 794-796.

Toohey, E.S., Kerr, M.J., van de Ven, R. and Hopkins, D.L. (2011). The effect of a kiwi fruit based solution on meat traits in beef m. semimembranous. Meat Science 88, 468-471.

Hopkins, D.L., Toohey, E.S., Kerr, M.J. and van de Ven, R. (2011). Comparison of the G2 Tenderometer and the Lloyd Texture Analyser for measuring shear force in sheep and beef meats. Animal Production Science 51, 71-76.

Hopkins, D.L. (2010). Processing of sheep and sheep meat. International Sheep and Wool Handbook, pp. 691-710, (Ed D.J.Cottle), Nottingham University Press, UK.

Pearce, K.L., Norman, H.C., and Hopkins, D.L. (2010). The role of saltbush based pasture systems for the production of high quality sheep and goat meat – a review. Small Ruminant Research 91, 29-38.

Hopkins, D.L. and Geesink, G.H. (2009).  Protein degradation post mortem and tenderisation. Applied Muscle Biology and Meat Science, pp. 149-173, (Ed Du, M. and McCormick, R.), CRC Press, Taylor & Francis Group, USA.

Professional associations and activities

• Editorial Board member of the International Journal of Meat Science and Associate Editor
• Previously Associate editor of Animal Production Science and Editorial Board member
• Previously Associate editor of the International Journal of Sheep and Wool Science (Journal ceased)
• Editorial board member of Recent Patents on Food, Nutrition & Agriculture
  
• 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.
  
• Joint Editor for a Special Issue of Animal Production Science – For the Joint ASAP/NZSAP conference – 2012.
• Joint Editor for a Special Issue of Meat Science – Sheep CRC Meat Program outcomes – 2012. 

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.