Measurement of colloidal interaction forces between particles, e.g., emulsion droplets, via atomic force microscopy (AFM) and particle collision techniques, to enable predictions of emulsion rheology and stability, etc
Measurements of interfacial rheology and interfacial phase behaviour of adsorbed biopolymer/biosurfactant films in relation to emulsion and foam formation and stability, including use of Brewster angle microscopy
Development of methods for measuring the adsorption/desorption and conformation of biopolymers/biosurfactants at oil-water and air-water interfaces, such as Langmuir trough methods
Applications of confocal microscopy, bulk rheology and particle tracking techniques to understand the relationship between colloidal microstructure and bulk texture
Particle-stabilized foams and emulsions
Biopolymer complex formation as a route to novel encapsulation, emulsification and controlled delivery of functional food ingredients
Non-food uses of food materials in colloid and surface science technology
Flow of concentrated suspensions, shear thickening, granulation, dispersing powders in liquids, bacteria as colloids, dispersing bacteria in emulsions, motile bacteria in polymer solutions, imaging the flow of complex fluids, colloid-polymer mixtures, shelf life of colloidal gels
I joined as a Lecturer in Food Colloids in September 2014. Prior to this, I was working in Nestle Research Centre & Innovations for 4 years at Switzerland. My current research areas of interest include:
Edible delivery systems: to apply structural design approaches to develop new delivery systems (gels, particles, emulsions and encapsulation based systems) to protect and release bioactive compounds
Food oral processing: to understand the mechanisms and governing principles of food oral breakdown in relation to physical properties of foods, e.g. changing properties of food particles on exposure to saliva, interaction with mucin, oral transportation, bolus formation and the critical criteria of bolus swallowing. Currently, I am collaborating with EU academic and industrial partners on an EU FP7 KBBE Funded Project to develop this interdisciplinary area of research to assess the eating capability and food texture design aiming for food provision for elderly
Food structure and lipid digestion: to reveal fundamental mechanisms and kinetics of breakdown of emulsions and emulsion gels during gastrointestinal digestion, interaction with physiological metabolites and fluid flow, to investigate how to tailor the material and microstructural properties of food structure to modulate lipid digestion in order to develop novel strategies for fat reduction, promoting satiety etc.
I am interested in understanding the mechanical organization and functionality of the cell interface, as a way to create functional colloids whose interface is mechanically stable, self-healing, malleable and responsive to environmental factors. My recent research has been focused on creating composite lipogel interfaces that mimic the confinement of the cell membrane to the active gel- like cytoskeleton. The main tools used in my lab are optical microscopy for characterization, microfluidics for creating and testing the biomimetic systems, and mechanical and electric micromanipulation tools.
Responsive Web Design powered by 