Awarded in 2026
Home Department: Bioengineering
Faculty Advisor: Vayu Hill-Maini (Bioengineering)

Title: From Lab to Kitchen: Sensory Characterization of Fermented Food By-products to Improve Quality through Genetic Modification of Fungi

Abstract:
Agro-industrial by-products such as okara and brewer’s spent grain are produced in large quantities every year, yet most remain underutilized despite their high nutritional potential. A central challenge in sustainable food innovation is that foods must not only be environmentally sustainable and economically viable, but also desirable in flavor, texture, and overall eating experience. Our lab has discovered that fungi, nature’s biological recycling machines, can transform low-value by-products into nutritious foods in underappreciated ways. Inspired by traditional fermentations such as oncom, where Neurospora intermedia converts agricultural residues into edible foods, my research aims to redefine how sustainable foods are developed by engineering fungal fermentation systems around consumer sensory preferences rather than production or technoeconomics alone.

As a visiting student in the Hill-Maini Lab, I developed fungal-based spreads, cheese alternatives, burger patties, and salami-style foods from food processing by-products, while preliminary technoeconomic analyses demonstrated their potential as scalable solutions for circular food systems. Building on this work, as a new Postdoc my proposed research integrates sensory science, fungal bioengineering, and product development in two complementary phases. First, I will identify the flavor, texture, and aroma attributes that drive consumer preference through sensory and consumer studies. Second, I will use these insights to engineer fungal metabolic pathways associated with flavor-active compounds, directly linking human perception to strain design. By integrating sensory science into bioengineering, this project will establish a new framework for developing next-generation sustainable foods guided by consumer experience.

My background in gastronomic sciences uniquely positions me to connect consumer perception, food design, and fungal engineering within the collaborative environment of the Clark Center. Working between the laboratory and the new kitchen, I aim to advance interdisciplinary approaches at the intersection of food design, bioengineering, and sustainability, closely aligning with the mission of Bio-X.