About

Kumar Mallikarjunan, Ph.D., is a Professor in the Department of Food Science and Nutrition at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities. His areas of interest include food process engineering, process modeling, and optimization, as well as non-contact, non-destructive sensing and extraction of phytochemicals. His research encompasses electronic nose technology, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and novel processing technologies such as pulsed electric field (PEF) and cold plasma. He is involved in research projects that include pulsed electric field processing of dairy proteins, cold plasma treatment of chili peppers, raw milk, and sugar beets, spectroscopic characterization of dairy powders, and giant magnetic resonance-based detection of foodborne pathogens. Dr. Mallikarjunan has contributed to the field through his expertise in food processing technologies and phytochemical extraction, and he has been recognized as an IFT Fellow in 2020.

Research topics

• Sociology
• Computer Science
• Pedagogy
• Engineering management
• Engineering
• Mathematics education
• Business
• Library science
• Mathematics

Selected publications

• Pulsed Electric Field Processing of Liquid Milk Protein Concentrate 85 (<scp>MPC85</scp>) to Enhance Protein Functionality

  Journal of Food Process Engineering · 2025-07-28 · 1 citations

  articleOpen accessCorresponding

  ABSTRACT Milk protein concentrate 85 (MPC85) is a high‐protein dairy ingredient widely used in a variety of foods and prone to performance challenges with certain applications. To address the performance limitations, this study explored pulsed electric field (PEF) processing, a nonthermal method known to alter protein behavior and functional properties. The impact of PEF processing on liquid MPC85 was assessed for solubility, foaming capacity and stability, emulsion stability, gel strength, and water‐holding capacity. Key parameters examined were temperature (25°C–50°C), electric field strength (4–20 kV/cm), and frequency (30–300 Hz). Predicted individual optimized conditions were as follows: For foaming capacity, the minimum (92.35 mL/g; 29.4% lower than the control) was predicted at 25°C, 12.45 kV/cm, and 32.21 Hz and maximum (153.86 mL/g; 17% higher than the control) was predicted at 49.35°C, 19.58 kV/cm, and 119.06 Hz. Maximum emulsion stability (55.12 min; 70.2% higher than the control) was at 50°C, 5.9 kV/cm, and 30 Hz, and the maximum gel strength (4751.33 N; 131% greater than the control) was at 50°C, 4 kV/cm, and 300 Hz. All models showed a good fit to the experimental data. Results demonstrated that foaming stability, water‐holding capacity, and solubility did not show significant improvement under the tested conditions. In conclusion, PEF could be potentially used as a tool to modify the structure of the MPC85 to further promote the application of high‐protein ingredients in the dairy industry.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Effect of Radio Frequency Cold Plasma on Secondary Structure of Pea Protein Isolate 

  2025-01-01

  article

  <b><sc>Abstract.</sc></b> The market for pea protein isolate (PPI) is expanding due to the increasing consumer demand for plant-based protein alternatives. However, its application in food formulations is limited because of its poor functionality. To broaden the application of pea proteins in the food industry, PPI was treated with radio-frequency cold plasma (RFCP) to enhance its structural modifications. A mixture of gases (CO₂/Argon) was used to generate the plasma, and the resulting ionized energy was transferred to PPI for structural modification. For the treatment, 10 g of PPI sample was placed in glass Petri dishes, followed by RFCP treatment at various combinations of power, time, and flow rate (power levels: 0, 60, and 120 W; times: 10, 15, and 30 min; and flow rates of CO₂: 15, 25, and 35 sccm, while the flow rate of Ar remained constant at 10 sccm). The data obtained from a response surface experimental method was fitted to second-order polynomial equations with values above 80%. The FTIR spectrum confirmed changes in the secondary structure, particularly in the amide I region (1600-1700 cm-1), following RFCP treatment. Optimization was employed in this study regarding the conditions of RFCP. The desirability results showed that the optimal conditions for secondary structure changes (β-sheet and α-helix) of PPI were induced at power level, time, and flow rate of 120 W, 30 min, and 35:10 sccm. Similarly, the optimal conditions for the overall color difference (ΔE 24.20) were achieved at the RFCP settings of 120 W, 20 min, and 15:10 sccm. While further analysis is necessary to correlate the structural modification with the functionality of PPI, this study indicates that RFCP has the potential to improve the functionality of PPI.

  PublisherDOI

• Optimization of pulsed electric field processing to reduce the viscosity of micellar casein concentrate

  Innovative Food Science & Emerging Technologies · 2024-07-11 · 6 citations

  articleSenior authorCorresponding
  PublisherDOI

• Processing Technologies for the Extraction of Value-Added Bioactive Compounds from Tea

  Food Engineering Reviews · 2023-02-25 · 64 citations

  reviewOpen accessSenior author
  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Changes in Sensory and Volatile Profiles of Peanuts as Affected by Mild Heat Treatment, Storage Temperature, Packaging Materials and Storage Time

  SSRN Electronic Journal · 2022-01-01

  articleOpen accessSenior author
  PublisherDOI

• Giant Magnetoresistance Biosensors for Food Safety Applications

  Sensors · 2022-07-28 · 22 citations

  reviewOpen accessCorresponding

  Nowadays, the increasing number of foodborne disease outbreaks around the globe has aroused the wide attention of the food industry and regulators. During food production, processing, storage, and transportation, microorganisms may grow and secrete toxins as well as other harmful substances. These kinds of food contamination from microbiological and chemical sources can seriously endanger human health. The traditional detection methods such as cell culture and colony counting cannot meet the requirements of rapid detection due to some intrinsic shortcomings, such as being time-consuming, laborious, and requiring expensive instrumentation or a central laboratory. In the past decade, efforts have been made to develop rapid, sensitive, and easy-to-use detection platforms for on-site food safety regulation. Herein, we review one type of promising biosensing platform that may revolutionize the current food surveillance approaches, the giant magnetoresistance (GMR) biosensors. Benefiting from the advances of nanotechnology, hundreds to thousands of GMR biosensors can be integrated into a fingernail-sized area, allowing the higher throughput screening of food samples at a lower cost. In addition, combined with on-chip microfluidic channels and filtration function, this type of GMR biosensing system can be fully automatic, and less operator training is required. Furthermore, the compact-sized GMR biosensor platforms could be further extended to related food contamination and the field screening of other pathogen targets.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Effect of Radio Frequency Low Pressure Cold Plasma on Total Phenol, Antioxidant Activity and Colour Degradation Kinetics of Red Chilli Pepper Powder

  Journal of Agricultural Engineering (India) · 2021-10-08 · 6 citations

  article

  The study was aimed to analyse the effect of low pressure cold plasma treatment [operated at 60.8 kPa on the quality parameters of red chilli pepper powder (RCPP)]. The experiments were conducted at two radio frequency power levels (60 W, 120 W) over a time range from 0 to 10 min. Total phenols, antioxidant activity, colour, and moisture content were determined. Results showed that radio frequency operating power and treatment time had significant negative effects (p &lt; 0.05) on the quality parameters analysed. Cold plasma treatment reduced the redness, total phenol content, moisture content, and increased the antioxidant activity of the RCPP. Changes in the quality of the treated samples, especially the colour degradation were significant after 4 min of treatment. Degradation kinetics was determined for parameters studied to ascertain their order of reaction during cold plasma treatment. The order of reaction was decided from best fit models with the highest R2, minimum bias, and error sum of squares. Total phenol followed a zero-order, whereas antioxidant activity and colour followed first-order reactions. The study explored the possibilities and impact of using cold plasma for powdered food materials.

  PublisherDOI

• Prevalence of aflatoxin contamination in red chilli pepper ( <i>Capsicum annum</i> L.) from India

  International Journal of Food Science & Technology · 2021-05-06 · 16 citations

  articleCorresponding

  Summary The aflatoxin contamination of chilli pepper grown and marketed in Tamil Nadu, a southern Indian state, was assessed. Chilli samples were collected at different stages of the value chain and were quantified using the enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) test. Forty‐two representative samples were collected from four districts identified as the hub for production, distribution, agro‐processing industries and retail stores. In addition, interviews were conducted among the chilli farmers, vendors and agro‐industrialists across the hubs to assess their knowledge on aflatoxin contamination and safe handling practices. The maximum aflatoxin content determined in the chilli pepper was 37.8 µg kg −1 . Almost 66.7% of samples collected from the retail outlets had aflatoxin values above 10 µg kg −1 . The total aflatoxin content in the samples collected across the value chain was in the range of 3.83 to 37.80 µg kg −1 . Statistical analysis on aflatoxin contents showed that there were significant differences ( P &lt; 0.05) between the districts representing different operations of value chain. The detected aflatoxin content was highest in samples collected from Dindigul district and least in Erode district. The results of the perception study showed that respondents into farming and trade activities had very little or no knowledge of aflatoxin contamination of chilli. The prevalence of unacceptable levels of aflatoxin in the chilli supply chain in the districts studied is probably due to tropical climatic conditions and poor handling practices of chilli.

  PublisherDOI

• Therapeutic Potential of Nutraceuticals and Dietary Supplements in the Prevention of Viral Diseases: A Review

  Frontiers in Nutrition · 2021-09-17 · 39 citations

  reviewOpen accessCorresponding

  Nowadays, despite enormous scientific advances, viral diseases remain the leading cause of morbidity worldwide, and their potential to spread is escalating, eventually turning into pandemics. Nutrition can play a major role in supporting the immune system of the body and for the optimal functioning of the cells of the immune system. A healthy diet encompassing vitamins, multi-nutrient supplements, functional foods, nutraceuticals, and probiotics can play a pivotal role in combating several viral invasions in addition to strengthening the immune system. This review provides comprehensive information on diet-based scientific recommendations, evidence, and worldwide case studies in light of the current pandemic and also with a particular focus on virus-induced respiratory tract infections. After reviewing the immune potential of nutraceuticals based on the lab studies and on human studies, it was concluded that bioactive compounds such as nutraceuticals, vitamins, and functional foods (honey, berries, etc.) with proven antiviral efficacy, in addition to pharmaceutical medication or alone as dietary supplements, can prove instrumental in treating a range of virus-induced infections in addition to strengthening the immune system. Milk proteins and peptides can also act as adjuvants for the design of more potent novel antiviral drugs.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Author response for "Prevalence of Aflatoxin Contamination in Red Chilli Pepper ( Capsicum annum L.) from India"

  2021-04-10

  peer-review
  PublisherDOI

Frequent coauthors

• Nicholas M. Holden

  38 shared

• Demetres Briassoulis

  38 shared

• Eutiquio Gallego

  38 shared

• Philip Owende

  Technological University Dublin

  38 shared

• Antonio Pantaleo

  38 shared

• K. Ting

  National Taiwan Normal University

  36 shared

• Shahin Roohinejad

  Clemson University

  26 shared

• Francisco J. Barba

  Universitat de València

  9 shared

Education

• Ph.D., Biological Engineering

  University of Guelph

  1993

• M.Eng, Agricultural and Food Engineering

  Asiant Institute of Technology

  1988

• B.E. (AG), Agricultural Engineering

  Tamil Nadu Agricultural University

  1986

Awards & honors

• 2020 IFT Fellow