Professor of Food Technology

Subjects Taught
Chemistry of Food Constituents, Food Additives, Chemistry of Foods, Dairy Technology, Technology of Plantation Products, Carbohydrate Chemistry and Technology, Food Safety and Toxicology, Laboratory courses in Analysis of Food Constituents and Analysis of Foods

Research Interests
Carbohydrate Chemistry and Technology, Fermentation technology and downstream processes for production of enzymes, microbial polysaccharides and antibiotics, Supercritical carbon dioxide extraction of novel food constituents, Authentication of spice and spice-based products

Academic Positions Held
• Associate Lecturer in Chemical Technology: August 1989 – March 1991
• Lecturer in Food Technology: March 1991 – March 1995
• Senior Lecturer in Food Technology: March 1995 – March 2000
• Reader in Food Technology: March 2000 – March 2006
• Professor of Food Technology: March 2006 – till date

Industrial Experience/ Consultancy Projects
• Involved in various industrial projects such as Heinz India Nutrition Foundation, Chennai; Mahaan Proteins, New Delhi; Land Research Institute, Mumbai; Cadbury India Ltd, Mumbai

Research Experience

Carbohydrate Chemistry and Technology
• Modified starches: Carboxymethylation, oxidation, hydroxypropylation and succinylation of corn starch and waxy amaranth starch has been studied with respect to process optimization, physicochemical and functional properties as a function of the extent of modification, and applications in food systems.
• Studies on frying: Traditional legume based products of Indian subcontinent such as 'sevs', 'papads' and 'boondis' have been studied with respect to frying behaviour with particular reference to use of hydrocolloids for reducing the oil uptake. Regeneration of fried oils using different adsorbents, singly and in combination has also been successfully done.
• Starch-protein interactions and starch-hydrocolloid interactions
• Microencapsulation of spice oleoresins in gum Arabic, maltodextrin and modified starch (starch octenyl succinate) and evaluation in terms of stability of character-impact compound, total volatiles and non-volatiles. Pepper, cardamom, cumin, cinnamon and turmeric oleoresins have been studied.
• Starch based spherical aggregates for microentrapment of model flavouring compounds such as vanillin.
• A study on the chemistry for the production of starch octenyl succinate, the correlation of degree of substitution with encapsulation efficiency and stability of a wide range of sensitive food constituents such as vitamins, colours, flavours and enzymes has been completed. A comparison with commonly used wall materials, alone and in combination with the optimized product has been done. The rheological profile and physicochemical properties of such modified starches as a function of the extent of modification has been investigated.
• A project of similar nature as above, but using starch oleates, and hydrolysed hydroxypropyl starch is under investigation, wherein the extent of modification, the extent of hydrolysis, a study of the film forming properties is in progress.  
   
  Fermentation technology and downstream processes for production of enzymes, microbial polysaccharides and antibiotics
• Fermentation studies and downstream processing of microbial polysaccharides such as pullulan, curdlan, scleroglucan, schizophyllan, gellan and -glucan.
• Solid-state fermentation (SSF) for griseofulvin, lovastatin, -linolenic acid from fungal strains and its downstream processing using supercritical carbon dioxide extraction.
• SSF for production of cephamycin and chromatographic separations from the fermentation broth
• Isolation and purification of 5'-phosphodiesterase for the production of flavour nucleotides; and RNAase as a therapeutic enzyme
• Enzymes of microbial origin such as naringinase, inulinase and 5'-phosphodiesterase with respect to production via fermentation, optimization of fermentation conditions, immobilization and downstream processing.
• Studies on fermentative production and downstream processing of clavulanic acid, compactin, glutaminases of marine origin, carotenoids  
   
  Supercritical carbon dioxide extraction of novel food constituents
• Hydrocarbon biomarkers of irradiation
• 2-Acetyl pyrroline from pandanus leaves,
• Squalene from amaranth grains and from yeast biomass after anaerobic fermentation
• Constituents serving as markers of adulteration of papaya seeds in black pepper, and
• Edible oil from cottonseed  
   
  Authentication of spice and spice-based products  
   
  Miscellaneous
• Enzyme modification with a view to alter the pH optima so as to widen the industrial application eg. Using non-conventional enzymes for detergents after modification of enzymes.
• Chemistry and technology of cashew nuts with respect to monitoring of uric acid as such and after low-dose irradiation to combat insect infestation. Antioxidant efficacy of cashew nuts as compared to other tree nuts, and effect of irradiation thereon has been done.
• Kinetics of degradation of food quality parameters such as water soluble B-vitamins and vitamin C in selected model systems, colours in different food systems, and piperine in pepper oleoresin at different rates of cooking - mainly to compare the slow cooking vis-à-vis rapid cooking. Prediction based on the first order degradation kinetics and excel programming has been done in the identified food systems and compared with the actual degradation.
• Traditional Indian sweets such as gulab jamun are being studied from the point of view of diffusion characteristics of sugar syrup and other details  
   
  Other Research Experience
• Co-investigator of an AICTE sponsored project on `Cryopreservation and cryoprocessing of foods', which has been completed in December 2000 (completed)
• Co-investigator of a DBT sponsored project on `Biotechnological fruit juice processing of minor exotic fruits of Indian origin' (completed).
• Involved in various industrial projects such as Heinz India Nutrition Foundation, Chennai; Mahaan Proteins, New Delhi; Land Research Institute, Mumbai; Cadbury India Ltd, Mumbai
• Investigator of UGC-sponsored project on 'Studies in acrylamide formation in traditional Indian processed foods' (Ongoing).

• Departmental scholarships in the first and second year of B.Sc (Tech) for standing first among the students of Food Technology

• The Whitehall Fund Prize for securing the highest marks in B. Sc (Tech) Food Technology for the year 1984.

• The Association of Food Scientists and Technologists (India) Prize for securing the highest marks in B.Sc (Tech) Food Technology for the year 1984.

• The Mrs. Soonabai Master Prize for securing the highest marks in B.Sc (Tech) Food Technology for the year 1984.

• Received the Young Scientist Award from AFST (I), Mysore for the year 1995.

• Awarded first prize for the best article in Bombay Technologist in the year 1990 - 1991.

• Awarded several prizes for best posters at various national and international conferences (see publications).

• Students under guidance have received best thesis award for masters (03) and for doctoral degrees (02).

• UGC junior research fellowship for the year 1984 – 1986).

• UGC senior research fellowship for the year 1986 – 1989.

• Fellowship, Maharashtra Academy of Sciences for significant contributions to Enginnering Sciences and Technology for the year 2007.

• Member of the Editorial Board, Bombay Technologist since 1991.
• Member, Editorial Board, AFST (I) Newsletter since the year 1998.
• Editor-in-chief, AFST Newsletter, since July 2004.
• Served in various capacities such as the LEC member, joint secretary and secretary of the AFST (I) since 1994.
• Involved in organizations of seminars and conferences at the Departmental level and on the platform of AFST (I).
• Delivered invited lectures at various places.
• Contributed regularly to All India Radio on topics of scientific interest.
• Collaborated with scientists from Forest Research Institute, Dehradun, and National Botanical Research Institute, Lucknow on projects of common interest.
• Served on departmental committees to select best students from UDCT for the past 10 years.
• Referee, International Journal of Food Science and Nutrition, UK
• Referee, Carbohydrate Polymers, UK
• Referee, Journal of Food Science and Technology, Mysore, India
• Referee, Plant Foods for Human Nutrition, Netherlands
• Referee, Indian Journal of Biotechnology, Delhi
• Referee, Biotechnology Progress, USA.
• Referee, International Journal of Food Science and Technology, UK .
• Referee, Bioresource Technology UK.
• Referee, Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, USA
• Referee, Journal of Food Engineering, UK
• Referee, Biosystems and Bioprocess Engineering
• Referee, Food and Bioprocess Technology
• Referee, Process Biochemistry, UK
• Referee, LWT-Food Science and Technology, UK
• Referee, Food Research International, UK
• Reviewer, Project submitted under US-Israel Binational Science Foundation
• Member, Selection Committee for promotions, BARC, Mumbai.
• Member, Selection Committee, Selection of scientists, RRL, Trivandrum.
• Member, Recruitment and Assessment Board, CSIR, New Delhi.
• Examiner, Ph.D thesis, Forest Research Institute, Dehradun.
• Examiner, Ph.D thesis, Forest Research Institute, Dehradun; Kerala University; Bhavnagar University
• Expert, UGC-DSA Programme, University of Mysore
• Member, National Core Group appointed by ICAR, New Delhi – 110 012 for restructuring of Masters and Doctoral Course Curricula and Syllabi in Food Science and Technology in Universities that come under the purview of ICAR
• Member Task Force, Department of Biotechnology, Government of India
• Member, Recruitment and Assessment Board, CSIR, New Delhi.
• Ad-hoc consultant to a food analysis laboratory
• Member, Editorial Board, Plant Foods for Human Nutrition, Netherlands