Faculty Directory

• Membrane processing
• Functional modification of milk proteins
• Dairy-derived ingredients
• Physical properties of dairy foods
• Micro- and nano-bubbles in dairy processing

• Non-thermal modifications of cereals and cereal products
• Cereal grain quality and functionality
• Ingredient interactions in cereals (Starch-protein-lipid interactions)
• Starch structure and digestibility
• Gluten/Proteins
• β-glucan functionality
• Phenolics/Antioxidants

• Genetic characterization of foodborne pathogens in foods and food environments.
• Biological control of foodborne pathogens using intrinsic microorganisms to exclude pathogens.
• Bacteriophage isolation, characterization and bioengineering as targeted antimicrobials.

• food safety microbiology
• food defense against intentional contamination
• environmental stress on microorganisms

• Mechanistic investigations on the metabolic changes induced by dietary, chemical, microbial, and pathophysiological challenges through mass-spec metabolomics, metabolite analysis, stable isotope tracing, in vitro biochemical analysis, animal model, and human intervention treatment.
• Metabolite profiling and analysis in the lab cover both endogenous metabolites (lipids, amino acids, organic acids, aldehydes, ketones, and microbial metabolites) and exogenous metabolites (phytochemicals, pharmaceuticals, carcinogens, and their metabolites) in biofluids, wastes, tissue and cell extracts

• The molecular mechanisms underlying adipose tissue dysfunction in obesity and during aging.
• The molecular mechanisms by which dietary components regulate energy metabolism and prevent metabolic diseases.
• The dietary regulation of aging and aging-related metabolic diseases.

• Value-added animal product processing and safety
• Feeding biofuel by-products to livestock and effect on meat quality and safety
• Pre-harvest effects on meat quality: The effect of alternative finishing systems on the consumer perception of quality
• Processed meat technology: Alternative methods to providing safe and wholesome products to the consumer

• Food chemistry and nutritional biochemistry
• Free radical induced oxidative degradation of fatty acids, in vitro and in vivo systems, in fats, oil and various lipids
• Isolation and identification of degradation products with special reference to toxic compounds such as HNE
• Protective effects of antioxidants with special reference to vitamin E in lipid peroxidation and degradation

• Lipid Chemistry (lipid characterization, lipid oxidation, primary- oxylipins, and secondary volatile oxidation products)
• Green extraction strategies (use of greener and safer solvents to extract and fractionate food components)
• Effects of environmentally friendly strategies on lipidomic markers of oil quality, and extractability, bioactivity and bioaccessibility of phytochemicals.

• Food safety
• Food processing
• Food microbiology
• Hazard analysis
• HAACP

• Biochemical and Physiological Nutrition
• Cancer Research
• Diabetes and obesity

• Exploring food and health with cultural communities holding knowledge that does not correspond with Western science perspectives. This work pivots the culture/science relationship as it repositions scientific inquiry alongside ancient, ancestral and experiential understandings of food and health.
• Creating models of cross-cultural engagement that reform scientific inquiry to be more respectful of diverse ways of knowing. Examples include: 1) Using principles of Chinese medical theory and contemporary sensory analysis to explicate medicinal herb quality; 2) Using indigenous heirloom crop varieties, including wild rice, to explore Indigenous and biomedical worldviews; 3) Faculty development and cross-cultural symposia that embrace multiple worldview orientations.

• The University of Minnesota Center for Spirituality & Healing
• The Inter-institutional Consortium for Indigenous Knowledge at Penn State University
• The Cultural Wellness Center in Minneapolis and St. Paul
• The White Earth Tribal Council

• Breast Cancer
• Nutrition, including Maternal Nutrition
• Obesity
• Cancer Prevention
• Epigenetics
• Inflammation
• Cancer Immune Microenvironment
• Gut Microbiota
• Stress and Cancer

• Mineral metabolism in kidney disease.
• Medical nutrition therapy for kidney disease.
• Phosphorus, calcium, and magnesium.
• Controlled feeding, metabolic balance, and kinetic studies.
• Clinical and translational research.

• Protein chemistry
• Structure/function relationship of proteins
• Sustainable crops for functional ingredients
• Protein structural characterization using proteomics
• Optimization of protein extractions following industry feasible approaches
• Protein functionalization

• Human nutrition
• Phytoestrogens
• Soy
• Diet and reproductive hormones
• Estrogen Metabolism in humans

Neuroregulation of Food Intake and Energy Expenditure

• Food process engineering, process modeling, and optimization.
• Non-contact, non-destructive sensing and extraction of phytochemicals. 
• Electronic nose, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy.
• Novel processing technologies (PEF and Cold Plasma)
• Dairy processing and characterization
• Extraction of phytochemicals (MW and Ultrasound)

• Whole grains and health
• Individual, environmental and behavioral factors influencing barriers, motivators and consumption of whole grain foods
• Examining the supply chain related to the gradual incorporation of whole grain foods into children’s diets through school foodservice

• Genomics of bifidobacteria and lactic acid bacteria (LAB)
• Engineering lactic acid bacteria to produce novel enzymes and antimicrobial peptides (AMPs)
• Gut microbiome and specific health impacts
• Novel fermented foods for strengthening immune functions

• Agri-food byproduct valorization
• Precision fermentation and bioprocess development
• Alternative protein development
• Intelligent packaging/edible coating/renewable polymers
• Lipid chemistry/crystallization and modification
• Protein-polysaccharide interaction/modification

• Community nutrition education research and programming
• Eating patterns and physical activity among diverse families
• Men/father nutrition education
• Cooking education

• Needs and trends of the industry which have evolved over time
• Flavor challenges in plant proteins – e.g. off flavors in plant protein isolates, and the chemical reaction of flavor compounds with plant protein isolates.  
• Encapsulation of food ingredients, emulsions and flavoromics (chemometrics as applied to flavor chemistry)

• Fruit and vegetable processing
• Quality and safety at the consumer and processing levels

• Dietary fiber and gut physiology
• Protein needs across the life cycle
• Whole grains and sustainable food grade grains
• Dietary guidance including dietary guidance and nutrient recommendations
• Food processing and nutrient fortification
• Sustainable food systems

• Value-added dairy products, such as milk protein fractions and the addition of prebiotics to dairy products

Medical Nutrition Therapy
Nutrition Assessment
Body Composition Technologies
Gut Microbiome
Gut microbiome targeted diet therapies
Metabolic potential of the microbiome and implications for health and disease

• Disordered eating
• Nutrition and neurodivergence
• Nutritional implications of gender-affirming care 
• Child and adolescent nutrition 
• Motivational interviewing
• Food insecurity
• Nutrition and mental health

• Science and Technology of High-Solids Foods
• Processing and characterization of starch-based foods
• Processing and characterization of (plant) protein-based foods
• Technology and application of food powders
• Encapsulation and delivery of bioactive compounds
• Science-based cooking and culinary development,

• Food acceptability