Nutrient-Rich, Healthy Foods for Growing Population Topic of Food Science Seminar Series

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Balunkeswar Nayak researches the design and development of sustainable food processing technologies and methodologies to develop safe, high-quality, health-enhancing foods and products from land and aquatic-based plants.

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – By 2050, the world's population is expected to reach 9 billion people and the challenge for everyone in the fields of agriculture, food, science and all related industries is to find methods of producing food for that many people while using less land and maintaining the environment.

Balunkeswar Nayak, associate professor of food processing in the School of Food and Agriculture at the University of Maine, will address that issue as the guest speaker for the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Science's Department of Food Science Fall Seminar Series.

Nayak is speaking from 3-4 p.m. Monday, Sept. 9, in Food Science Building Room D2. His presentation, "Understanding Biomaterial Properties for Personalized Foods Using Additive Manufacturing," is open to everyone.

According to Nayak, considering existing food production and technologies, developing nutrition-rich and healthy foods for the future is a significant challenge. With the advancement of science, and food scientists and engineers exploring food structures at micro/nanoscales to understand the functionality of molecules, knowledge of biomaterial properties are critical to forming and delivering nutrients in future foods using additive manufacturing.

Nayak's presentation will focus on innovations in the understanding of food and biomaterial properties for additive manufacturing, and opportunities for consumers and industry to develop future foods.

Nayak's research focuses on the design and development of sustainable food processing technologies and methodologies to develop safe and high-quality health-enhancing foods and value-added products from land and aquatic-based plants. He received his Ph.D. in food engineering from Washington State University.

About the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences: Bumpers College provides life-changing opportunities to position and prepare graduates who will be leaders in the businesses associated with foods, family, the environment, agriculture, sustainability and human quality of life; and who will be first-choice candidates of employers looking for leaders, innovators, policy makers and entrepreneurs. The college is named for Dale Bumpers, former Arkansas governor and longtime U.S. senator who made the state prominent in national and international agriculture. For more information about Bumpers College, visit our website, and follow us on Twitter at @BumpersCollege and Instagram at BumpersCollege.

About the University of Arkansas: The University of Arkansas provides an internationally competitive education for undergraduate and graduate students in more than 200 academic programs. The university contributes new knowledge, economic development, basic and applied research, and creative activity while also providing service to academic and professional disciplines. The Carnegie Foundation classifies the University of Arkansas among only 2.7 percent of universities in America that have the highest level of research activity. U.S. News & World Report ranks the University of Arkansas among its top American public research universities. Founded in 1871, the University of Arkansas comprises 10 colleges and schools and maintains a low student-to-faculty ratio that promotes personal attention and close mentoring.