Office: 567 Bevier Hall

Phone: (217) 244-6630

Fax: (217) 244-2517

E-mail: ibaianu@illinois.edu

Physical chemistry of foods; rapid analysis of soybeans and corn seeds composition by Near Infrared/ MidIR and High-resolution NMR for quality improvements; NIR and Fluorescence Microspectroscopy developments for Biotechnology, Plant Genomics, Microbiology and Proteomics investigations; single molecule detection (SMD) and super-resolution fluorescence microspectroscopy and FT-NIR/ IR chemical imaging applications to metabolic studies, cancerogenesis and related nutritional biochemistry; hydration of food proteins; microencapsulation; developing value-added soybean and corn products.

Selected Publications
(2007) “Categorical Ontology of Levels and Emergent Complexity: An Introduction.” Axiomathes, Vol. 17, 3-4. pp.209-222

Prisecaru, V and Baianu, I C. 2006. Cell Cycling Models of Carcinogenesis: A Complex Systems Analysis., Quant. Biol. arXiv, http://arxiv.org/abs/q-bio/0406046.

Biaianu, I.C., Lozano, P.R., Prisecaru, V., and Lin, H.C. 2005. Applications of Novel Techniques to Health Foods, Medical and Agricultural Biotechnology. Quant. Biol. arXiv, http://arxiv.org/abs/q-bio/0406047.

Baianu, I.C. 2006. Complex Systems Biology. Axiomathes, 16 (1-2): 25-34.

Teaching

Courses recently taught:

FSHN 512 - Physical Chemistry of Food Processes

FSHN 595 - Processing and Analysis of Food Proteins

Ph.D. University of London-1974

Dr. Baianu came to the University of Illinois at Urbana as a Postdoctoral Research Associate in the Physical Chemistry Dept., School of Chemistry, from the Biophysics Dept. of The Lord Rank Research Center, at High Wycombe, England, where he worked on the physical and chemical characterization of wheat proteins by Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) and FT-Infrared techniques. He received his Ph.D. in Biophysics from the University of London in 1974, and continued with postdoctoral work on structure determination by NMR/magnetic resonance, and X-ray/ neutron scattering at The Cavendish Laboratory, University of Cambridge, England, supervised by fmr. Nobel Laureate, Sir Neville Mott.

Dr. Baianu reported the first solid-state C-13 NMR studies of wheat grains, starch, and wheat proteins, as well as the first NMR images of hydrating wheat grains. His results have resulted in significant savings for the milling/ processing industry. He joined the faculty in Food Science as an Assistant Professor of Food Chemistry at the University of Illinois at Urbana in 1982. He has been a Professor of Food Chemistry since 1994, and has a portfolio of more than 200 publications, including 3 edited books (one co-authored), 20 chapters in books, and two monographs. He also joined in 1999 the Department of Nuclear, Plasma and Radiological Engineering as an Affiliate Professor contributing with novel BioImaging applications.

Since 1984 he has developed the first Agricultural and Food Chemistry NMR Facility in a US agricultural college, which has supported research at the University of Illinois at Urbana, industrial R& D efforts, as well as collaborative research with several other institutions in the US. Dr. Baianu’s research on soybeans, canola, corn, wheat, potatoes, muscle/meat, enzymes and myofibrillar proteins. His current research involves several collaborations on genetic engineering of improved soybean oil composition, super-resolution optical and infrared imaging, improved corn drying technologies and development of value-added products from corn and soybeans. In addition, he has made research contributions to structure determinations of proteins and membranes by NMR, X-ray/Neutron Diffraction, and IR/ NIR techniques.

Dr. Baianu enjoys teaching applications of physical chemistry to food and engineering processes at both undergraduate and graduate level, as well as biochemical, biophysical and nutritional aspects of cancer and heart disease prevention. He enjoys art museums, painting, music, chess and traveling.