About

Professor Osvaldo H. Campanella holds a degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Buenos Aires, Argentina, and a PhD in Food Engineering from the University of Massachusetts, USA. After completing his PhD, he moved to New Zealand to serve as a faculty member in the Department of Food Technology at Massey University, where he focused his research on Food Engineering, Heat Transfer Modeling, Food Extrusion, Rheology, and Dairy Technology. In 1999, Professor Campanella was appointed at Purdue University, where he continued working on Food Engineering and Rheology applied to biomaterials, with a particular emphasis on Thermal Processing. He joined Ohio State University in 2019 as the Carl E. Haas Endowed Chair in Food Industries. His areas of expertise include food processing engineering, extrusion, rheology, modeling food processes, structure-function relationships of foods and ingredients, and modeling the kinetics of microorganism survival and food nutrients during thermal and non-thermal processes.

Research topics

• Biochemistry
• Organic chemistry
• Chemistry
• Materials science
• Computer Science
• Crystallography
• Chromatography
• Food science
• Chemical engineering
• Biology
• Nanotechnology
• Physics
• Biophysics
• Optics
• Biological system
• Nuclear chemistry
• Stereochemistry
• Computational chemistry
• Composite material

Selected publications

• Extrusion-based production of <i>fura</i> flour, a popular Sahelian pearl millet thin porridge beverage, and its market potential

  International Journal of Food Science & Technology · 2026-01-01

  articleOpen access

  Abstract Fura is a popular pearl millet-based thin porridge beverage consumed in Sahelian West Africa. The traditional fura process is laborious and time-consuming, and consumers often purchase fura pre-made from neighbourhood women. A modification of an efficient, low-cost, single-screw extrusion process for thick porridge flour was used to produce a consistent quality, ready-to-use, or instant-type extruded fura flour for broader distribution into the market. Physicochemical characteristics, consumer acceptability, and sales potential in Niamey, Niger, were assessed. Fully gelatinized millet extrudate rods were produced, dried, and ground to a coarse flour. Extruded millet fura porridge had higher elasticity, lower shear thinning property, better textural attributes (creamy, elastic, gelling), and a lighter colour (L* = 51.6 vs. 47.2) than the traditional porridge. A home-use test showed overall consumer acceptability of the extruded fura, ranging between Good and Very Good (3.1 and 3.6) on a 5-point hedonic scale. A 10-week market test in Niamey showed repeat purchases with good frequency of sale. Extruded fura flour sold second best compared to 34 other traditional cereal foods, with total sales of 630 kg (equivalent to ~ 1,000,000 FCFA/2,000 USD), showing it to be well accepted by the target population in Niamey. Process innovations to increase the availability of convenient, high-quality millet foods have good potential in West Africa.

  PublisherDOI

• Complex coacervation encapsulation of Hibiscus decoction calyces

  Food and Bioproducts Processing · 2026-05-16

  article
  PublisherDOI

• Standardization of Solvent Type and Extraction Time for Lipid Extraction From Brewers' Spent Grain ( <scp>BSG</scp> ) by Soxhlet Method

  Food Science & Nutrition · 2026-01-01

  articleOpen accessSenior authorCorresponding

  Brewers' spent grain (BSG)'s potential use as a food ingredient is being evaluated, and thus, an accurate characterization of its proximate composition, particularly lipids, becomes essential. While the Soxhlet method is a widely recognized official standard test used for lipids measurement in food products, inconsistencies in solvent selection have led to variable and often no comparable results across studies. This is the first study that attempts to address that gap by systematically evaluating the impact of solvent type and extraction time on lipid yield from BSG. Five solvents and solvent mixtures, including acetone, ethanol, hexane, petroleum ether, and n-hexane, were used for lipid extraction. In the initial phase, 5 g BSG was extracted using 125 mL of various solvents over 5 h. Lipid yields from BSG varied from 4.54% to 8.44% depending on the solvent type, in which ethanol yielded the highest lipid content. Based on these results, ethanol was selected for further studies on the effect of extraction time. Soxhlet extractions were performed using ethanol and it's binary mixtures with hexane and n-hexane for 3, 5, and 7 h. The lipid yield from BSG varied from 7.66% to 8.44%, while the statistical analysis indicated no significant difference in lipid yield across the time range under studied conditions. Based on the findings from the study, it is recommended to use ethanol as a single solvent for 3-h extraction, as the method balances efficiency and resource use. The results from this study is beneficial for the laboratories to choose the proper solvent and extraction time for measuring lipids in BSG using the Soxhlet method.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Tuning Gelation of Insect Proteins: Effect of Ionic Strength on &lt;i&gt;Acheta domesticus&lt;/i&gt; Protein Extracts

  Preprints.org · 2025-10-27 · 1 citations

  preprintOpen access

  Protein gelation is a key mechanism for structuring food systems, as it determines texture, water retention, and overall product stability. Therefore, understanding how processing factors influence gelation is essential for designing functional protein-based matrices. In this work, the effect of ionic strength on the gelation and techno-functional properties of Acheta domesticus (house cricket) protein extract is investigated. Protein gels were prepared with increasing NaCl concentrations (0 – 0.5 M) and evaluated using rheological analysis. Additionally, techno-functional properties of the cricket protein extract, including solubility, emulsifying properties and water/oil holding capacity, were determined. Small-amplitude oscillatory shear tests revealed that moderate salt levels enhance gel elasticity, while excessive ionic strength produces brittle structures with reduced deformability. Frequency sweeps revealed decreasing tan δ and n values, confirming a transition from weakly entangled to strong, solid-like networks. These molecular changes were mirrored by functional responses: water-holding capacity increased at high salt concentration, whereas solubility and emulsifying activity declined. Collectively, the results highlight ionic strength as a tunable parameter linking protein interactions to macroscopic texture. By adjusting salt concentration, elasticity, hydration, and interfacial stability can be strategically modulated, enabling the rational design of insect-based food gels for different applications, from emulsified matrices to fibrous meat analogues.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• A self-assembled nanocomplex from starch-protein- fatty acid: Thermodynamics of self-assembly

  Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences · 2025-10-08

  articleSenior author
  PublisherDOI

• Predicting equilibrium water activity using different moisture isotherms and estimating moisture transfer in a multicomponent mixture for vegetable chips

  LWT · 2025-04-04 · 4 citations

  articleOpen accessSenior authorCorresponding

  The objective of this work was to develop a prediction model to calculate the equilibrium water activity ( a w e ) of a formulation blend used to manufacture vegetable chips and to assess the moisture transfer occurring among the formulation constituents. Experimental moisture sorption isotherms were determined for each ingredient and described by different models. The Guggenheim-Anderson-de Boer (GAB) model better described the isotherms of dry ingredients whereas piecewise models better described wet ingredients as determined by the Bayesian Information Criterion (BIC). The blend equilibrium water activity, a w e , was determined using the most suitable models describing each ingredient's isotherm and assuming the blend's initial moisture content remains constant at equilibrium. The prediction model had high accuracy demonstrated by the low values of key statistical parameters like the Mean Absolute Error (MAE), the Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) and the Mean Absolute Percentage Error (MAPE), calculated as 0.007, 0.008 and, 0.73 %, respectively. Investigation into moisture transfer revealed that mashed potatoes lost 29 % moisture, while a flavor powder ingredient exhibited a notable 7525 % increase due to deliquescent properties. The findings suggest that the equilibrium water activity can be reliably calculated and utilized to estimate moisture redistribution among the blend's constituents in the vegetable chip formulations. • GAB model best fit dry ingredients showing gradual moisture uptake as a w increased. • Piecewise models best fit ingredients with rapid moisture uptake above a critical a w . • Bayesian Information Criterion used to evaluate moisture sorption models' adequacy. • Developed model predicts equilibrium water activity with high accuracy, RMSE = 0.008. • Sweet potato retained more moisture than mashed potato due to higher sugar content.

  PublisherDOI

• Author response for "Sustainable Valorization of Fish Byproducts and Acid Whey through Lactic Acid Bacteria Fermentation into Bioactive Hydrolysates"

  2025-09-05

  peer-reviewSenior author
  PublisherDOI

• Novel Extruded Instant Millet Fura (Thin Porridge) is Popular Among Nigerien Consumers

  SSRN Electronic Journal · 2025-01-01

  preprintOpen access
  PublisherDOI

• Development of an Extruded Instant Millet Thick Porridge (Tuwo) and Market Testing in Niger

  SSRN Electronic Journal · 2025-01-01

  preprintOpen access
  PublisherDOI

• Associations of Wheat Flour Protein Characteristics With the Rheological Properties of Flour‐Water Noodle and Tortilla Dough Sheets

  Cereal Chemistry · 2025-11-14

  articleOpen access

  ABSTRACT Background and Objectives As an appropriate amount of water is required for full gluten development, the relationships between protein and dough characteristics may be influenced by water availability. Twenty soft wheat varieties were analyzed to examine the influences of protein characteristics on the rheological properties of flour‐water noodle (FWN; low water absorption) and flour‐water tortilla (FWT; high water absorption) doughs. Findings Flour protein content and the proportion of HMW‐GSs at the Glu‐B1 locus showed positive relationships with the stickiness of FWN dough, while only lactic acid solvent retention capacity (SRC) showed a negative correlation with the stickiness of FWT dough. The correlations between protein characteristics and dough rupture force and stretchability were weaker in FWN dough compared to FWT dough. Conclusions Protein characteristics are positively associated with dough stickiness under low water absorption but negatively under high water absorption. The effects of protein on rupture force and stretchability appear to be more pronounced in high‐absorption dough than in low‐absorption dough. Significance and Novelty The results demonstrate that the effects of protein on dough properties are dependent on water absorption, and highlight the need to redefine the role of proteins in doughs prepared with insufficient water for full gluten development.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

Frequent coauthors

• Bruce R. Hamaker

  Purdue University West Lafayette

  76 shared

• Ming Miao

  Jiangnan University

  55 shared

• Paulo S. Santos

  Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina

  37 shared

• Carlos M. Corvalán

  Purdue University West Lafayette

  33 shared

• Micha Peleg

  27 shared

• Owen G. Jones

  Purdue University West Lafayette

  26 shared

• Marcelo A. Carignano

  25 shared

• Da Chen

  24 shared

Labs

• Food Industries Center, Ohio State UniversityPI

Education

• Ph.D., Food Science and Technology

  The Ohio State University

  1990

• M.S., Food Science and Technology

  The Ohio State University

  1986

• B.S., Food Science and Technology

  The Ohio State University

  1984

Awards & honors

• Hall of Distinction