Food Engineering/Value Added Processing

MachineryImproving thermal processes for foods and adding value to agricultural products are goals of this research. Major areas of study include extrusion, rheology, and structure-function relationships.

Current projects include structure of starch plastic polymers; moisture and fat management in food products; improving shelf-life and texture of foods; measurement of rheological properties; using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to study barley malting and cheese cooling processes; making value-added products from agricultural fibrous residues; and utilization of agricultural products in biodegradable plastics.

Key Faculty

Mrinal Bhattacharya

Blending of natural and synthetic polymers. Biodegradable polymers. Processing of starch/protein-based plastics. Biomaterials for tissue engineering.

Roger Ruan

MRI, NMR, machine vision, UV, NIR, and other imaging and spectroscopy technology development and applications in the studies of moisture and fat management and structure-function relationships of biological and food materials. Shelf-life prediction and extension. Biorefining, bioprocessing, and value-added process development. Pulsed electric field, ozone, and non-thermal plasma development and application. Advanced artificial intelligence and control systems development for biological and food process control.