Nonthermal Plasma Technology for Food and Food Products

Explores the techniques and methods of processing food products without subjecting them to heat treatment, using cold plasma for food preservation and maintenance of food safety. Introduces and reviews principles of cold plasma technology, also discussing the design and generation of cold plasma. Covers advances in cold plasma technology.

R. Mahendran, PhD, is working as Professor and Head of the Centre of Excellence in Nonthermal Processing (CENTP) at the National Institute of Food Technology, Entrepreneurship and Management -Thanjavur (NIFTEM-T), India. Prior to his association with NIFTEM-Thanjavur, he worked as a Production Officer in the Fermentation Department of Krebs Biochemicals and Industries Ltd., Nellore, Andhra Pradesh, and also worked as a Scientist in the TIFAC/Department of Science and Technology, Government of India, New Delhi. Dr. Mahendran’s research focus includes cold plasma applications on agri-food, food structure shape transformation, and novel nonthermal processing on food systems. Dr. Mahendran has authored over 75 publications in reputed journals as well as popular articles and book chapters. He is also a member of several professional bodies of food/chemical engineering, and he serves as editor, editorial board member, and reviewer for a number of reputed food processing journals. Dr. Mahendran graduated with a BTech (Chemical Engineering) and MTech (Industrial Biotechnology) from SASTRA University, and PhD in Food Process Engineering from Tamilnadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore, India.

Preeti Birwal, PhD, is working as a Scientist (processing and food engineering) in the Department of Processing and Food Engineering at the College of Agricultural Engineering and Technology at Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, India. She is currently working in nonthermal food preservation, fermented beverages, food packaging, and technology of millet-based beer. She served at Jain Deemed to be University, Bangalore, as a member of the board of examiners and placements. She has participated at several national and international conferences and seminars and has delivered lectures as a resource person on doubling farmers’ income through dairy technology in training sponsored by the Directorate of Extension, Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Government of India. Dr. Birwal has to her credit research papers, edited books, book chapters, popular articles, conference papers, abstracts, and editorial opinions. She is advising several MTech scholars in food technology and has successfully guided postgraduate students for their dissertation work. She also serves as an external examiner for various Indian state agricultural universities and as an editor and reviewer for several journals. Dr. Birwal has been named outstanding reviewer of the month by the online journal Current Research in Nutrition and Food Science. She holds BSc in Dairy Technology from ICAR-National Dairy Research Institute (NDRI), Karnal; MSc in Food Process Engineering and Management from NIFTEM, Haryana; and PhD (Dairy Engineering) from ICAR-NDRI, Bangalore. She is recipient of several fellowships. She successfully completed her AUTOCAD 2D & 3D certification.

Megh R. Goyal, PhD, PE, is a Retired Professor in Agricultural and Biomedical Engineering from the General Engineering Department in the College of Engineering at the University of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez Campus. He has worked as a Soil Conservation Inspector and as a Research Assistant at Haryana Agricultural University and Ohio State University. He was the first agricultural engineer to receive the professional license in Agricultural Engineering from the College of Engineers and Surveyors of Puerto Rico and was proclaimed as the ＂Father of Irrigation Engineering in Puerto Rico for the twentieth century＂ by the ASABE, Puerto Rico Section, for his pioneering work on micro irrigation, evapotranspiration, agroclimatology, and soil and water engineering. During his professional career of over 52 years, he has received many prestigious awards. A prolific author and editor, he has written more than 200 journal articles and several textbooks and has edited over 100 books.