Institute Professor of food science addresses challenges in food and biomaterial production
Where are you from, and how did your career lead you to UTIA?
I was born and raised in the large metropolitan northeast city of Shenyang, Liaoning province, China. I went to the pharmacy college in the same city for both BS and MS degrees. I came to the U.S. in 1988 to join my husband at University of Nebraska in Lincoln, and there I was exposed to Food Chemistry (bioactive polysaccharides in Shiitake mushroom).
This experience led me to earn another two degrees (MS and PhD) in food science from the University of Arkansas and Iowa State University, respectively. After working for 19 years as a faculty member in the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition at ISU, my husband and I moved to the beautiful city of Knoxville, Tennessee, for wonderful new job opportunities at UTIA and the pleasant winter, the green mountains, and winding waterways.
What is your main research focus, and why it is important?
My research (with a total of ~$13 million funding) is focused on identifying novel and practical solutions for problems and challenges associated with processing, utilization, and functionalities of agricultural products intended for food, feed, biomaterials, and energy uses. I aim to use fundamental chemistry of lipids and proteins in new ways to improve food quality, functionality, safety, and health, and to reduce waste and environmental impact.
I strive to create Real. Life. Solutions. that achieve real-world impacts. I am passionate about sharing my knowledge and skills with the graduate and undergraduate students I teach in and out of the classroom. Some of the examples of my research include developing scalable processes for phospholipid recovery from dairy processing waste streams, creating and evaluating anti-freezing and antioxidant peptides derived from food proteins to increase freezing quality of dairy foods and oxidative stability of meat products, modifying domestic vegetable oil to substitute carnauba wax, and creating antimicrobial functionality for food and produce coating.
Why did you choose the field of food science?
Even though my transition from pharmacy to food chemistry was not preplanned, I remain very happy to have found food science and enjoy how chemistry plays a significant role in food quality and human health.
What is the most fulfilling aspect of the work you do?
Working with graduate students closely, seeing their accomplishments, and maximizing their personal potential is most fulfilling and gratifying to me.
What has been your proudest moment while working at UTIA?
Continued success of innovative research by securing NSF, USDA, and industry grants, and maintaining high rate of publication of peer-reviewed articles (~200), which have led to various awards and honors, but most proudly the naming of the prestigious UTIA Charles E. Wharton Institute Professor in 2022.
What is one of your favorite experiences you have had in the UTIA Department of Food Science?
I have enjoyed working with enthusiastic young faculty members and seeing their passion for research and graduate student education. Being a senior faculty member, I also act as a role model for the department and the Institute by serving on and/or leading various committees as well as being a governing board member of American Oil Chemists’ Society, helping to bring greater recognition to my department, UTIA and the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.
What is a project you are currently working on that you are excited about?
• Creating and identifying food protein-derived peptides hydrolysates to serve as effective agents to prevent ice crystals from growing bigger, thus increasing quality of frozen food and frozen-stored biological samples.
• Improving freezing stability of high-moisture dairy products.
• Evaluating efficacy of plant proteins and hydrolysates as natural antioxidants in processed meat systems.
What do you like to do outside of work and/or what is a fun fact about yourself that your colleagues and students wouldn’t know?
I enjoy experiencing anything that I have not done before, such as water sporting, horse riding, and recreational shooting.
