My research interests lie at the intersection of Food Processing, Computational Modeling, and Food Sustainability. I am interested in the development of novel product and process technologies for the food industry and in understanding the effects of food processing on food safety and quality characteristics using AI/ML applications, Chemometrics, Foodomics approaches. My goal is to develop an understanding of advanced thermal and non-thermal processes using modern computational tools and to work on sustainable technologies, mechanization, and automation in the food and dairy industry. I work on multidisciplinary research areas namely:
1. Novel and Advanced Thermal and Non-thermal Process Development
Development of novel thermal and non-thermal techniques (pulsed UV light, UV-C LED, cold plasma, ns/μs-PEF, agitation retort, RF heating, advanced dehydration using μwave-vacuum drying, assistive drying, novel baking) and using them in combination with other assistive technologies as hurdles for scale-up and commercialization.
2. Computer-Aided Food Engineering (CAFE)
The conventional mechanistic and empirical approaches for studying food processing operations have limitations. In a real world food processing environment, several factors affect the processes. I plan to employ modern computational tools, CAD, AI/ML, multiphysics simulation and modeling to design food processing operations/equipment. Simulations and modeling considering compressibility, fracture, porosity deformation, adiabatic heating, shrinkage coupled with AI/ML will improve overall understanding.
3. Food Sustainability
Food waste is a major problem in the current food system. There is an opportunity to valorize the food waste by extracting valuable components like dietary fibers, antioxidants, polyphenols, proteins, antimicrobial compounds, or pigments. I plan to use novel technologies for the extraction of valuable components from food waste and create niche applications, develop new products. This will not only help in building a circular economy but also a better and sustainable food industry.
4. Dairy Process Engineering
Applications of novel and nonthermal methods for dairy processing.Mechanization in dairy industry.
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Effect of UV Filters during the Application of Pulsed Light to Reduce Lactobacillus brevis Contamination and 3-Methylbut-2-ene-1-thiol Formation While Preserving the Physicochemical Attributes of Blonde Ale and Centennial Red Ale Beers by Pratap-singh A., Suwardi A. , Mandal R. , Pico J. , Castellarin S. D., Kitts D. D., Singh A. Foods 12 684- (2023)
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Effect of high-pressure processing on enzyme activity in roots, cereals, nuts, and their products by Chung L. K., Sanders A. D., Mandal R. , Dee D. R., Pratap-singh A. , Yada R. Y. Effect of High-Pressure Technologies on Enzymes 299-329 (2023)
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Effects of Pulsed Light on the PostHarvest Quality and Shelf-life of Highbush Blueberries (cv. Draper) by Pratap-singh A., Shojaei M. , Singh A. , Ye Y. , Mandal R. , Yan Y. , Pico J. , Gerbrandt E. , Castellarin S. D. Applied Food Research 3 100273- (2023)
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Kinetics of Anthocyanin Condensation Reaction in Model Wine Solution Under Pulsed Light Treatment by Mohammadi X., Matinfar G. , Mandal R. , Singh A. , Fiutak G. , Kitts D. D., Singh A. P. Food Chemistry 405 134600- (2023)
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Antimicrobial properties of spray-dried cellulose nanocrystals and metal oxide-based nanoparticles-in-microspheres by Baldelli A., Etayash H. , Oguzlu H. , Mandal R. , Jiang F. , Hancock R. E., Pratap-singh A. Chemical Engineering Journal Advances 10 100273- (2022)
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Characterization of continuous-flow Pulsed UV light reactors for processing of liquid foods in annular tube and coiled tube configurations using actinometry and computational fluid dynamics by Mandal R., Pratap-singh A. Journal of Food Engineering 304 110590- (2021)
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Comparison of quality characteristics of tomato paste produced under ohmic-vacuum combination heating and conventional heating by Alkanan Z. T., Al-hilphy A. R., Altemimi A. B., Mandal R. , Pratap-singh A. Applied Food Research 1 100014- (2021)
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Pulsed UV light irradiation processing of black tea infusions: effect on color, phenolics content and antioxidant capacity by Mandal R., Wiktor A. , Mohammadi X. , Pratap-singh A. Food and Bioprocess Technology 15 92-104 (2021)
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Effect of high voltage electrostatic field thawing on the functional and physicochemical properties of myofibrillar proteins by Amiri A., Mousakhani-ganjeh A. , Shafiekhani S. , Mandal R. , Pratap-singh A. Innovative Food Science & Emerging Technologies 56 102191- (2019)
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Recent Developments in cold plasma decontamination technology in the food industry by Mandal R., Singh A. , Singh A. P. Trends in Food Science and Technology 80 93-103 (2018)
Principal Investigator
- Design and development of a lab-scale continuous-flow photosonic reactor for milk pasteurization Sponsored Research and Industrial Consultancy (SRIC)
- Moodies Ice cream: Development and Commercialization of AI-Integrated Personalized Ice Cream Recommendation System and Dispensing Machine-subproject under Moodies Food and Beverage Innovation Hub (Project code-R/FBI) GloballyGI Experiences Pvt. Ltd.
- Samosa 2.0- Subproject of Moodies - Food and Beverages Innovation Hub (Project Code-R/FBI) GLOBALLYGI EXPERIENCES PRIVATE LIMITED
Ph. D. Students
Debmalya Halder
Area of Research: Ice cream and frozen dessert processing
Sohan Shuvro Mondal
Area of Research: Novel Dairy Processing
