In this research theme, the focus is on creating foods, exploring diets, and identifying food and nutrition patterns for optimal health, including gastrointestinal health, weight management, cancer prevention, and metabolic disease prevention.
Faculty researching this area:
| Name | Title | Research Statement |
|---|---|---|
| Nicki Engeseth | Professor; Acting Department Head |
Food Chemistry: Impact of environmental growing conditions, processing and storage on oilseed and fruit and vegetable quality and nutritional value, with emphasis on enzymatic action, lipids and natural antioxidants. Nicki's Illinois Experts Research Output |
| Jaume Amengual | Assistant Professor |
Nutrition and cardiovascular disease: Investigates the mechanisms of how carotenoids, lipids, and their metabolites interact to mediate atherosclerosis; studies structure and function of vitamin A to mitigate metabolic disease progression, primarily cardiovascular disease. Jaume's Illinois Experts Research Output |
| Juan E. Andrade | Assistant Professor of Nutrition |
International food science and nutrition: applied technologies and strategies to reduce micronutrient malnutrition, food fortification, micronutrient deficiency diagnostics, service and experiential learning, study abroad programs. Juan's Illinois Experts Research Output |
| Anna E. Arthur | Assistant Professor |
Nutrition & Cancer Epidemiology and Survivorship: The influence of dietary patterns and energy balance on cancer recurrence, survival, and quality of life; dietary modulation of biomarkers of cancer progression and prognosis. Anna's Illinois Experts Research Output |
| Karen Chapman-Novakofski | Professor |
Community Nutrition: Nutrition education intervention and evaluation; osteoporosis and diabetes; internet and apps. Karen's Illinois Experts Research Output |
| Elvira de Mejia | Professor |
Bioactive peptides and proteins in foods with health benefits focusing on reduction of inflammation, markers of type-2 diabetes, cancer and cardiovascular risk; functional properties of food components especially flavonoids in ethnic teas, herbs and berries. Elvira's Illinois Experts Research Output |
| Sharon Donovan | Professor |
Pediatric Nutrition: Human milk and neonatal intestinal development. Development of the microbiome and host-microbe interactions. Childhood obesity prevention. Determinants of picky eating and strategies to develop healthy eating habits. Sharon's Illinois Experts Research Output |
| John Erdman, Jr. | Professor Emeritus |
Bioactive Food Components and Carotenoids: Dietary and non-dietary factors affecting absorption, utilization, and bioavailability of carotenoids; carotenoids and prostate cancer; soy and health; lutein and brain function. John's Illinois Experts Research Output |
| Hao Feng | Professor of Food and Bioprocess Engineering, Site Director of Center for Advanced Research in Drying (CARD) |
Food Engineering and Processing: Novel food processing and preservation technologies, acoustic energy (ultrasound) and its use in food and bioproduct processing, food safety intervention technologies for fresh and fresh-cut produce, new dehydration (drying) technologies, heat and mass transfer analysis. Hao's Illinois Experts Research Output |
| William G. Helferich | Professor of Nutrition; Director, Botantical Estrogen Center |
Nutritional toxicology: food safey and toxicology; effect of natural chemicals present in foods on chronic diseases such as breast cancer. William's Illinois Experts Research Output |
| Hannah D. Holscher | Assistant Professor |
Nutrition and the microbiome: dietary manipulation of the microbiome for disease prevention and treatment; clinical nutrition; host-microbe interactions; big data and bioinformatics. Hannah's Illinois Experts Research Output |
| Elizabeth Jeffery | Professor Emerita |
Nutritional toxicology and functional foods: anticarcinogenic and anti-inflammatory effects of non-nutritive dietary components, including isothiocyanates and indoles from broccoli. Elizabeth's Illinois Experts Research Output |
| Yong-Su Jin | Professor of Food Microbiology |
Microbial Genomics: Microbial bioconversion of biomass into value-added products, microbial genomics for linking genotypes and beneficial phenotypes. Yong-Su's Illinois Experts Research Output |
| Soo-Yeun Lee | Professor of Food Science |
Food chemistry and sensory evaluation: assessment of properties of food consumer products using sensory methodologies. Soo-Yeun's Illinois Experts Research Output |
| Youngsoo Lee | Associate Professor |
Food processing, rheology, and microencapsulation: microencapsulation of bioactive compounds and probiotics, rheology and texture of food, soy protein processing, and extrusion. Youngsoo's Illinois Experts Research Output |
| Michael Miller | Associate Professor |
Food microbiology: functional genomics of lactic acid bacteria (LAB); food and industrial fermentations; gastrointestinal microbiology; food microbiology and safety. Michael's Illinois Experts Research Output |
| Manabu Nakamura | Associate Professor |
Biochemical and Molecular Nutrition: Function and metabolism of essential fatty acids in reproduction, inflammation and chronic diseases; transcriptional regulation of macronutrient metabolism; dietary weight loss and prevention of obesity. Manabu's Illinois Experts Research Output |
| Shelly Nickols-Richardson | Professor |
Determinants of obesity prevention and body weight regulation across the life span to lower the burden of chronic diseases, ranging from metabolic syndrome to osteoporosis. Impact of weight loss, weight loss diets and restrained eating on body composition and biomarkers of health. Shelly's Illinois Experts Research Output |
| Yuan-Xiang Pan | Associate Professor |
Nutrigenomics and epigenetics: nutrient-gene interaction and chronic diseases. Yuan-Xiang's Illinois Experts Research Output |
| Yanina Pepino | Assistant Professor |
Individual differences in taste perception: Food pleasure and reward pathways in lean versus obese individuals; perception of fat in foods; impact of surgical weight loss on taste perception and eating behavior; effect of non-caloric sweeteners on taste preference and glucose homeostasis. Yanina's Illinois Experts Research Output |
| Melissa Prescott | Assistant Professor |
Public health nutrition: school nutrition and wellness programs; nutrition and food systems; the use of policy, systems, and environmental change techniques to promote improved diet quality and disease prevention, particularly among children and their families. Melissa's Illinois Experts Research Output |
| Pawan Takhar | Professor |
Porous media modeling of fluid and species transport in biomaterials; biopolymer thermomechanics; transport processes such as frying, drying and sorption; biopolymer expansion during extrusion; modeling at the nanoscale; continuum thermodynamics based fluid-biopolymer interactions; predicting quality changes in foods during processing. Pawan's Illinois Experts Research Output |
