Biosketch

Bala-picture-forWebDr. V.M. (Bala) Balasubramaniam is Professor of Food Engineering in the Department of Food Science and Technology and Department of Food Agricultural and Biological Engineering, The Ohio State University (OSU), Columbus, OH, USA.

V.M. (Bala) Balasubramaniam received a B.S. in Agricultural Engineering at Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, India, M.S. in Post-harvest Technology from Asian Institute of Technology, Thailand and PhD in Food Engineering from The Ohio State University.

Prior joining OSU as a faculty member in 2002, Dr. Bala was working as a post-doctoral associate at University of Georgia Center for Food Safety and Quality Enhancement, Griffin, GA (1994-95) and Associate Research Professor at IIT National Center for Food Safety and Technology, Chicago, IL (1995-2002).

Professor Balasubramaniam’s food process engineering laboratory conducts multidisciplinary research for the development and validation of innovative sustainable food processing technologies that enable processors to feed the world with safe and nutritious foods. His food process development efforts focus on identifying safe processing conditions for various foods. His group develops mathematical models for destruction of vegetative bacteria, spores, nutrients, and toxic compounds. They also evaluate least treated zones within the treatment chamber to ensure microbial safety and determine engineering properties, such as thermal conductivity, specific heat, density, and compressibility, as a function of pressure, heat, and shear. Recent research from Dr. Bala’s lab developed a continuous high-pressure method for preserving different dairy and plant protein liquid beverages, sauces, and gels without any chemical preservatives. Their research demonstrated that superheated steam could serve as a tool for surface sanitation of dry food processing plant surfaces to potentially reduce water and synthetic chemical use in food plant sanitations. Dr. Bala’s laboratory also contributes to transfer of knowledge to food processors via pilot plant demonstrations, short courses, workshops, and webinars.

His team has published more than one-hundred ten scientific research papers, twenty book chapters, four food processors fact sheets and over one hundred seventy technical and invited presentations. Dr. Bala co-edited two books on high pressure processing and nonthermal processing.

Dr. Bala teaches Unit Operations in Food Process Engineering to undergraduate and graduate students pursuing Food Science and Technology and Food Ag Bio Engineering degree programs. Dr. Bala also contributes various technology transfers and education to food manufactures via short courses, webinars, workshops and pilot plant demonstrations.

Dr. Bala currently serves as the Editor-in Chief for Journal of Food Process Engineering and participate as an editorial board member of various journals including Journal of Food Process Engineering, Food Engineering Reviews, International Journal of Food Properties, Food and Bioprocess Technology and International Journal of Food Engineering. Dr. Bala is currently serving as the Chair of IFT Food Engineering Division. Dr. Bala is one of the founding members of the IFT Nonthermal Processing division and served as chair (2010-11).

Dr. Bala has received various awards for his industrially relevant work including 2021 IFR Research and Development Award, 2017 IFT Calvert L. Willey Distinguished Service Award, 2016 AITAA Distinguished Alumni Award in the category of academic/research excellence, 2011 Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center (OARDC) distinguished research award, and 2006 Hormel Spirit of Innovation Award. Dr. Bala is a fellow of Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) and International Academy of Food Science and Technology (IAFoST), International Union of Food Science and Technology (IUFoST).

Contact Address.

V.M. (Bala) Balasubramaniam

Professor of Food Engineering

Department of Food Science and Technology, Department of Food Ag Bio Eng

The Ohio State University, 2015 Fyffe Road,

333 Parker Food Science and Technology, Columbus, OH 43210 USA

Phone: 614 292 1732  Fax: 614 292 0218

E-mail: Balasubramaniam.1@osu.edu 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/FoodSafetyEngr

LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/vmbala/