Research assistants: Justine Stockley, BSc(Hons)
Wang Yan, MSc(Hons)
Research to assist the profitable commercial development of plantations of Melaleuca for the production of Tea Tree Oil. A combination of gas chromatographic analysis and microbiological assay was used to determine the optimal composition of the oil against a variety of microbes. A program of selection has identified several trees with superior growth rates and which produce oil with high antimicrobial activity. Clones of the selected trees are being produced for commercial plantations in the Far North Queensland region of Australia where a tropical climate assisted by irrigation provides optimal growth rates.
Working with Australian Tea Tree Management Ltd. seed plots of selected trees are new being established in Far North Queensland to ultimately provide high quality seed which when planted out should lead to the identification of further superior plants for commercial propagation.
Working with International Essential Oils P/L the high quality tea tree oil produced by the clones is being evaluated for use in a variety of theapeutic applications including products for thrush, tinea, burns, acne and dandruff. A range of natural products for Agricultural applications is also being formulated.
SELECTED PUBLICATIONS
L.R. Williams,V.N.Home and I.Lusunzi (1993). "An evaluation of the contribution of cineole and terpinen-4-ol to the overall antimicrobial activity of tea tree oil" Cosmetics, Aerosols and Toiletries in Australia, Vol 7(3), 25-28, 34.
L.R. Williams and V.N. Home (1995). "Factors determining the quality of tea tree oil in formulations for clinical use." Cosmetics, Aerosols and Toiletries in Australia, Vol9, No2, 14-18, 24.
L.R. Williams and V.N. Home, (1995). "A comparative study of some essential oils for potential use in topical applications for the treatment of the yeast Candida albicans."Aust. J. Med. Herbalism, Vol 7(3), 57-62
L.R. Williams and Wang Yan (1996). "Selection of superior trees of Melaleuca species to increase the commercial potential for the production of tea tree oil." Proceedings First Australian New Crops Conference,Gatton July, Vol 2, 299-306.
L.R. Williams, J.K. Stockley, V.N. Home and Wang Yan (1997). "Therapeutic use for Tea Tree Oil."Aust. J. Pharm.,Vol 78, 285-287.