Mary Ann Lila
North Carolina State University · Food, Nutrition, and Health
Active 1986–2026
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About
Mary Ann Lila is the David H. Murdock Distinguished Professor of Food Bioprocessing and Nutrition Sciences at North Carolina State University. Her research focuses on bioactive phytochemical components and their capacity to mitigate immunosuppression and inflammation. She specializes in rigorous structural characterization of phytoactive metabolites, elucidation of potentiating phytochemical interactions, bioavailability and bioaccessibility, and functional ingredient characterization. Her work includes research on edible protein-phytoactive colloidal aggregate formulations as functional food ingredients and for attenuation of food allergies. Professor Lila investigates how the combination of flavonoid-rich diets and routine aerobic exercise may potentiate cognitive benefits and reduce cognitive decline in aging populations through mechanisms mediated by the gut microbiome. She has held various service roles, including Director of the Plants for Human Health Institute and Vice-President of the Global Institute for Bioexploration (GIBEX). Her academic background includes a Ph.D. in Plant Biology from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, and degrees in Plant Pathology and Horticultural Sciences from the University of Illinois. Her numerous awards include the Senior Outstanding Global Engagement Award, the Copernico Bronze Medal for research in food technology and nutrition, and the Babcock-Hart Award, among others. She is actively involved in professional memberships and…
Research topics
- Biology
- Political Science
- Food science
- Biotechnology
- Business
- Economics
- Botany
- Medicine
- Marketing
- Geography
Selected publications
Annual Review of Food Science and Technology · 2020 · 167 citations
Senior authorCorrespondingThere is an increasing consumer demand for natural colors in foods. However, there is a limited number of available natural food sources for use by the food industry because of technical and regulatory limitations. Natural colors are less stable and have less vibrant hues compared to their synthetic color counterparts. Natural pigments also have known health benefits that are seldom leveraged by the food industry. Betalains, carotenoids, phycocyanins, and anthocyanins are major food colorants us…
Building a Resilient, Sustainable, and Healthier Food Supply Through Innovation and Technology
Annual Review of Food Science and Technology · 2020 · 105 citations
, we highlight some of the major challenges confronting the modern food supply chain as well as how innovations in policy and technology can be used to address them. Pertinent technological innovations include robotics, machine learning, artificial intelligence, advanced diagnostics, nanotechnology, biotechnology, gene editing, vertical farming, and soft matter physics. Many of these technologies are already being employed across the food chain by farmers, distributors, manufacturers, and consum…
Food Chemistry · 2020 · 102 citations
Senior authorCorrespondingHorticulture Research · 2022 · 77 citations
berry crops on topics that span taxonomy to genetics and genomics to breeding. We highlight the accomplishments made thus far for each of these crops, along their journey from the wild, and propose research areas and questions that will require investments by the community over the coming decades to guide future crop improvement efforts. New tools and resources are needed to underpin the development of superior cultivars that are not only more resilient to various environmental stresses and high…
Spray dried insect protein-polyphenol particles deliver health-relevant value-added food ingredients
Future Foods · 2024-02-04 · 23 citations
articleOpen accessA novel strategy to create value-added insect protein-derived ingredients is presented in this study. Spray dried protein-polyphenol particles were produced using aqueous polyphenol extracts of rosemary (RM) or muscadine grape pomace (MG) complexed with insect protein (IP) alone or blended with pea protein 50:50 (IPP). The spray drying process was evaluated (solids recovery SR and polyphenol retention PR) and the four experimental protein-polyphenol treatments IP–RM, IP-MG, IPP–RM and IPP–MG wer…
Frequent coauthors
- 186 shared
Mary H. Grace
North Carolina State University
- 171 shared
Gad G. Yousef
North Carolina State University
- 102 shared
Randy B. Rogers
- 79 shared
Ilya Raskin
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
- 71 shared
Mário G. Ferruzzi
Arkansas Children's Nutrition Center
- 65 shared
John W. Erdman
- 60 shared
Elvira González de Mejı́a
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
- 59 shared
Débora Esposito
North Carolina State University
Labs
Education
- 1995
Ph.D., Food Science and Technology
University of California, Davis
- 1991
M.S., Food Science and Technology
University of California, Davis
- 1989
B.S., Food Science and Technology
University of California, Davis
Awards & honors
- Senior Outstanding Global Engagement Award, Office of Global…
- Copernico Bronze Medal, awarded by Provost Giorgio Zauli, Un…
- David H. Murdock Distinguished Professor, 2010-present
- Babcock-Hart Award, 2020
- Spitze Land-Grant Professorial Career Excellence Award, 2007
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