Position & Department: Director General/Professor, National Institute of Food Science and Technology, Faculty of Food, Nutrition & Home Sciences
Research Intersts: Food science and technology is an ever-expanding profession, in processing, packaging, preservation, value addition, nutrition, and consumer food safety. Pakistan (5th largest milk-producing country) needs to be exploited in processing and production technology (cheese, butter, yoghurt, condensed milk, ghee, sweets) to compete in the World market utilizing effective resources. Opportunities for value-added products: Nutritional, Functional, infants formula for newly borne and Probiotic foods are the potential areas yet to be designed and roofed in Pakistan. To accomplish the needs of industrial technology in this regard is a fascinating challenge. Food microbiology is the basic underpinning for study in the field of food safety, bio-technology, bio-preservation and product development (starter cultures, fermented foods, etc.). Several research activities (identification, isolation, purification, preservation and control of bacteria) not only in dairy processing technology but also for other food groups require diligent attention. Hence, to work with the objectives stated herein is of great personal and professional interest, while simultaneously providing services for safe, qualitative and versatile food with respect better communications for science and humanity.
Position & Department: Professor/Dean, National Institute of Food Science and Technology, Faculty of Food, Nutrition & Home Sciences
Research Intersts: Working mainly in the domain of human nutrition with special reference to functional & nutraceutical foods and their mechanisms against various metabolic syndromes. Plant based bioactive molecules, antioxidants and their allied health enhancing perspectives to prevent various maladies. Moreover, assessment of nutraceutics in the form of designer foods to alleviate lifestyle related disorders involving hidden hunger, diabetes, cardiovascular complications and cancer protection are amongst the core research areas. Additionally, working on food preservation by the application of edible coatings to improve the quality and shelf life of whole and minimally processed fruits. Besides, wheat flour fortification is also one of the expertise domains.
Position & Department: Professor, National Institute of Food Science and Technology, Faculty of Food, Nutrition & Home Sciences
Research Intersts: Pakistan has the potential to increase the milk production from cow, buffalo, sheep, goat and camel. Milk from each dairy animal has particular nutritional importance. With the increase in the milk production, its transformation into product becomes compulsory. Goat milk has more digestibility and suitable for the children and can be transformed into goat milk type chesses. Milk is the suitable medium for the growth of friendly bacteria because of the prebiotic components it contains. Many bioactive peptides are produced during fermentation which promotes the health of consumers. Among the probiotic products, a small work has been conducted on yoghurt, acidophilus milk and cheese. Main area of interest is to work on the comparative study of milk from different species and its transformation into different products: yoghurt, cheese, pasteurized and UHT milk, powders and whey products. The factors which can influence the yield, production and quality of these products during storage have to be discovered in Pakistan.
Position & Department: Associate Professor, National Institute of Food Science and Technology, Faculty of Food, Nutrition & Home Sciences
Research Intersts: Food Science & Technology, Cereal Science: wheat quality and characterization, Milling and baking science, Food analysis: Instrumental techniques like chromatography (GC-MS, HPLC), spectroscopy (FTIR, Atomic absorption & emission), electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE, Agarose)
Position & Department: Assistant Professor, National Institute of Food Science and Technology, Faculty of Food, Nutrition & Home Sciences
Research Intersts: • Post-Harvest Processing of Fruits and Vegetables • Food Safety
Research Intersts: My current research is focused in the area of Meat Science and Functional Foods development. Completed a research project on “Tackling metabolic syndrome by developing functional foods” and current in progress projects are “Development, evaluation and promoting of cost effective and low polluting fish feed for Labeo rohita to enhance productivity” and “Development of Conditioned (Omega-3 rich) meat and eggs through modifications in feed ingredients”. The laboratory work is is focused on exploring potential of agricultural waste to utilize as a source of natural antioxidant in broiler feed. Assessment of nutritional quality and biochemical characterization of Pakistani indigenous chicken is also in progress. Value addition of meat by-products by exploring their potential for therapeutic application is also a work domain of laboratory. The research work is focused on assessment of meat quality and to ensure best quality meat products to consumers.
Research Intersts: Dairy technology, with reference to milk and milk products, working on different types of cheese e.g., Cheddar, Mozzarella, soft cheeses, dairy spread and yoghurt. Development of stabilizer for dairy product, dairy ingredients
Research Intersts: Dietary fibre, nutrition
Research Intersts: Cereal grains are grown in greater quantities and provide more food energy worldwide than any other type of crop; they are therefore staple crops. Although considerable work has been done on cereals throughout the world but scientific, technological and nutritional aspects of different cereals needs further study. My interests are focused on exploring these aspects along with utilization of cereals for meeting balanced diet. The rheological properties of different cereals e.g. wheat flour dough are important during different stages of baking because they contribute to the performance of bread making process and, consequently, the quality of bread obtained and these aspects were also focused during my doctoral studies in France. Currently, I am also working on nutritional, rheological and textural aspects of different cereals particularly, wheat and maize flours in order to determine their impact on dough behaviour in the later operations of the process of baking.
Research Intersts: Fruits and Vegetables Processing
Research Intersts: My area of interest is Advanced Food Rheology and Fats and Oils technology. My recent research was related to the utilization of dairy byproduct proteins, their modifications and use as functional ingredients to study the physical, thermal and advanced rheological properties of the frozen dough bakery products. Currently my postgraduate students are working on the Sesame and Peanut oils, their characteristics and further utilization in different food products.
Research Intersts: Food microbiology is the main field of interest. Isolation, characterization and utilization of numerous strains of beneficial lactic acid bacteria at indigenous level. Potential application of Lactobacillus species have potential role in industrial application for the production of different food products: instrumental techniques like HPLC, GC-MS
Research Intersts: Pakistani population is suffering from a variety of nutritional deficiency disorders which range from protein-calorie malnutrition to micronutrient deficiencies like Fe, Zn, Iodine and vitamin A. Besides micronutrient deficiencies, metabolic disorders like hypercholesterolemia, hyperglycemia, elevated blood pressure, diabetes and cancer are also prevalent among the masses. To overcome the menace, there is dire need to focus on diet diversification and diet modification. I have worked on extraction and utilization of rice bran oil as edible oil and in various baked products. My current research interest is on fortification of food especially wheat, rice, processed foods (like kheer, noodles, VitaRice, puffed rice), composite flour technology, and food allergens. I am also working on value addition in agricultural commodities through processing, curtailment of postharvest losses by the use of edible coating, preparation of syrups, jams, jellies.
Research Intersts: I am working in the domain of Edible Fats and Oils in relation to their Nutrition, safety and processing. The primary health risk identified for undesirable fats like (transfats) consumption is an elevated risk of coronary heart disease (CHD). It is the highly unorganized segment of Pakistan where issues related to food safety are still to be addressed. Moreover the culture of value addition in this sector is very stumpy. I am focusing on product development, nutritional attributes regarding its valuable ingredients of various edible oils and safety aspects like Trans fats, heavy metals, aflatoxin etc.
Research Intersts: • Post-Harvest Technology • Fruits and Vegetables Processing and Preservation
Research Intersts: Development of rapid methods based on spectroscopy & chemometrics to determine the quality of Food
Research Intersts: Novel Technologies, High Hydrostatic Pressure Processing, Ultraviolet Light processing, Food microbiology, Juices and dairy processing
Research Intersts: Non-thermal processing techniques, sonication, thermosonication, Pulsed Electric Field, High Pressure Processing, fresh juice processing
Research Intersts: Milk and milk products quality and safety. Dairy laboratory testing procedures and standards. Development of new dairy frozen fermented products with probiotics and prebiotics. Improvement of nutritional quality of existing dairy foods. Development of innovative solutions to technical problems and cost effective production in the dairy industry
Research Intersts:
Research Intersts: Microfluidic emulsification, microencapsulation, coating and packaging.
Research Intersts: Encapsulation, Food and Nutrition,
Research Intersts: Food product development and improvement with the application of Food Biotechnology is the main area of entrust. However functional foods, food safety, processing of plant materials and Nutrition are also under focus. Soy products possess significant nutritional potential to meet the nutritional deficiencies of Pakistani population; therefore, the development of products with modified flavor to meet the requirements of this community will help the popularization of these products in Pakistan.
Research Intersts: Sustainable production, Edible coating, Encapsulation, Food Process Engineering
Position & Department: Lecturer, National Institute of Food Science and Technology, Faculty of Food, Nutrition & Home Sciences
Research Intersts: Mr. Ali Hassan did B.Sc. (Hons.) Food Science & Technology from University of Agriculture Faisalabad. After that, he did Masters from London (UK) with specialization in Food Safety & Quality Management. His research was on National Food Control System of Pakistan in which he has also recommended a model food control system for overcoming the gaps. His main areas of expertise in research are Food Safety, Food Safety & Quality Management Systems, HACCP modeling, Food Microbiology, Pre-harvest & Postharvest Quality Management of Food Commodities and Food Product & Process development