Food Science and Bioresource Technology

Food Science and Bioresource Technology research takes an integrated approach to value-added utilization of agricultural commodities, targeting both food and industrial products. We have leading edge research programs in food microbiology and food safety, food processing, food chemistry and functionality, functional foods and nutraceuticals, carcass and meat science, sensory and consumer science and bioresource technology. Research addresses consumer demand for nutritious, safe, high quality foods and beverages, develops novel food processing technologies, creates innovative food and industrial products, and develops valuable bioproducts from agricultural commodities and waste.

Research Areas:

Cellular Agriculture: The production of food or feed ingredients by culturing microbes or animal and plant cells in bioreactors as an alternative to traditional plant- or animal-based production systems. The term integrates distinct concepts including the cultivation of microbial cells for use as ingredients in food or feed.  It incorporates synthetic biology and biochemical engineering approaches to sustainably produce proteins, lipids, carbohydrates or other macronutrients and micronutrients in single cell or microbial expression systems. The use of cell culture complements, or replaces, animal agriculture for meat and milk production. Current research efforts aim to scale production processes, improve sustainability, and reduce costs. Cellular agriculture provides a sustainable and scalable solution to meet global food demands while addressing the ethical issues associated with animal farming.

Team:  Michael Gaenzle, David Bressler,  Ning Xiang

Food Chemistry, Functional Foods, Nutraceuticals, and Toxicology: Evaluating and developing functional foods, ingredients and bioactive components to improve public health, lower the risk of chronic diseases and minimize harmful products during food processing by understanding the principles of food chemistry. Research is also conducted to better understand the impact of processing on sensory quality and consumer acceptance of foods, and changes in sensory perception in health and disease.

Team: Lingyun Chen, Aman Ullah, Thava Vasanthan, Wendy Wismer, Jianping Wu, Ning Xiang

Food Microbiology, Microbial Food Safety, and Probiotics: Application of microbiological principles to improve public food safety by preventing food spoilage and foodborne pathogens. Research also includes the development of novel functional food applications such as probiotics, and innovative processes for fermentation and food preservation.

Team: Michael Gänzle, Roopesh Syamaladevi Mohandas

Food Processing: Understanding of food physics and food engineering to develop novel processing and packaging technologies for value-added food products and high value components/ingredients from meat, milk, eggs, grains and plants.

Team: Marleny Aranda-Saldaña, Thava Vasanthan, Aman Ullah, Roopesh Syamaladevi Mohandas

Carcass and Meat Science: Understanding the effects of ante-mortem and post-mortem factors on carcass and meat quality. Research is conducted on the study of meat processing and products leading to improved meat quality and safety, and new product development applied to multiple meat species.

Team: Michael Gänzle, Wendy Wismer

Bioresource Technology: Application of chemical, thermal, mechanical and biological processes for the conversion of agricultural and forestry feedstocks into bio-based materials, biofuels, platform chemicals, and other value-added commodities of industrial relevance. Research is multidisciplinary in nature, and includes chemistry, enzymology, engineering, materials science, and other areas of specialization.

Team: Marleny Aranda-Saldaña, David Bressler, Aman Ullah, Thava Vasanthan, Lingyun Chen, Jianping Wu, Ning Xiang