RESEARCH
Science that catches problems early.
Her research asks a practical question: what makes food unsafe, and how can we detect and stop it before it reaches people? The answers come from the lab, the orchard and the processing line.
IN THE LAB
Practical questions. Rigorous science.
HPLC methods for aflatoxins and ochratoxin A, early E-nose detection of Aspergillus flavus in pistachios, and ozone treatments that degrade mycotoxins.
HPLC
E-nose
Ozone
Listeria monocytogenes, Vibrio parahaemolyticus, E. coli O157:H7 and Bacillus cereus, including how disinfectants and detergents act on biofilms and how pathogens spread through kitchens.
Pathogens
Biofilms
Sanitation
Ozonated air to reduce weight and volume loss in fresh figs and protect strawberry quality, plus mechanical harvesting of fruit and nut trees.
Fresh figs
Strawberries
Harvesting
Non-destructive detection
Terahertz spectroscopy and imaging, spectroscopy for toxin detection, and color sorting for defective pistachio kernels.
Terahertz
Spectroscopy
Color sorting
Toxic elements & contaminants
Supercritical fluid extraction to reduce toxic elements in fish oil and reviews of reduction approaches.
Fish oil
Extraction
Contaminants
FUNDED RESEARCH
Research built on collaboration.
Early detection and growth tracking of aflatoxin-producing fungi in pistachios using E-nose technology
2019–2021
Co-PI
USDA Technical Assistance for Specialty Crops, with UC Berkeley
Increasing profitability of fig production in California by increasing the shelf life of fresh figs
2018–2019
Co-PI
California Department of Food and Agriculture
Improvement of defect detection and sorting in the pistachio industry
2014–2016
Co-PI
Zymex Industries
Aflatoxin sustainable risk management in the peanut value chain
2012–2014
Researcher
Universiti Putra Malaysia
GC and principal component similarity analysis for detection of foodborne pathogens
2011–2012
Co-PI
Universiti Putra Malaysia
Microbial risk assessment of Bacillus cereus in the 1 Malaysia Milk Program
Researcher
Ministry of Health Malaysia
SELECTED PUBLICATIONS
Published where food scientists look first.
Application of ozone for degradation of mycotoxins in food: a review
Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety
2020
A comprehensive review on food applications of terahertz spectroscopy and imaging
Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety
2019
Terahertz spectroscopy and imaging: a review on agricultural applications
Computers and Electronics in Agriculture
2020
SARS-CoV-2 pseudotyped virus persists on the surface of multiple produce but can be inactivated with gaseous ozone
Heliyon
2022
Potential of ozonated-air application to reduce the weight and volume loss in fresh figs
Postharvest Biology and Technology
2021
Mechanical harvesting of selected temperate and tropical fruit and nut trees
Horticultural Reviews
2021
Transmission of Listeria monocytogenes from raw chicken meat to cooked chicken meat via cutting board
Food Control
2014
Optimization of HPLC conditions for quantitative analysis of aflatoxins in contaminated peanuts
Food Control
2011
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