Description of Research Interests
Dr. Bala leads multidisciplinary research in food engineering focused on the design and validation of advanced thermal and nonthermal processing and sanitation technologies for pathogen control and quality preservation. His research encompasses high-pressure processing, ultrashear technology, superheated steam applications, alternative proteins, and mathematical modeling of food processes.
Extension/Industrial Outreach Programming
Short courses focused on high-pressure processing and other nonthermal food processing technologies. Pilot-scale trials demonstrating high-pressure and advanced food processing applications.
Selected Recent Publications
(See https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1540-4273 for more details)
Zhang, H. Q., Balasubramaniam, V. M., Dunne, C. P., Yuan, J. T. C., Farkas, D. F., and Barbosa‑Cánovas, G. V. (eds) (2025). Nonthermal Processing Technologies for Food (2nd ed.). Wiley‑Blackwell. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/book/10.1002/9781119265665
Jerish Joyner Janahar, Hetian Hu, V. M. Balasubramaniam, and Susana C. M. Teixeira. 2025. Small Angle X-Ray Scattering studies on the effects of ultra shear technology on model animal and plant-based protein solutions. Journal of Food Process Engineering, 48,5, e70102. https://doi.org/10.1111/jfpe.70102
Giovana Domeneghini Mercali, Eliseu Rodrigues, Cristian D. Quiroz-Moreno, Sai Sashidhar Guduru, V.M. Balasubramaniam, and Jessica Cooperstone. 2025. Metabolomics uncovers the dual effects of high-pressure and ultra-shear processing in a blended fruit-vegetable juice. Food Chemistry, 495, Part 3, 146520. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodchem.2025.146520
Silvia de Lamo Castellvi, Madushika Keshani Ranasinghe, Sai Sasidhar Guduru, Aurélie Ballon, Mayreli Ortiz, Carme Güell, Montserrat Ferrando, Luis Rodriguez-Saona, and VM Balasubramaniam. 2025. Impact of high-pressure-assisted extraction of Alphitobius diaperinus and Tenebrio molitor on protein characteristics. Food and Bioprocess Technology https://doi.org/10.1007/s11947-025-03992-6
Singh S.K., Çokgezme Ö.F., Ali M.M., Yousef A.E., Balasubramaniam V.M., and Sastry S. 2025. Ohmic heating inactivation of Alicyclobacillus acidoterrestris spores in apple and cranberry juice. Innovative Food Science and Emerging Technologies, 102, 104010. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ifset.2025.104010
Seshadrinathan S., Balasubramaniam V.M., Snyder A.B., Dupont R., Wang X. 2025. Utilizing superheated steam to inactivate Enterococcus faecium NRRL B-2354 on various material surfaces used in food and produce industries. Food Control, 169, 110987. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodcont.2024.110987
Baker J., Rana Y.S., Chen L., Beary M.A., Balasubramaniam V.M., Snyder A.B. 2025. Superheated steam can rapidly inactivate bacteria, But manual operation of commercial units resulted in limited efficacy during dry surface sanitization. Journal of Food Protection, 88 (3), 100461. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jfp.2025.100461
Hu H., Janahar J.J., Guduru S.S., Balasubramaniam V.M., Yousef A.E., Ting E., Lazarev A.V. 2025. Cleaning and sanitization method for a pilot-scale ultra-shear equipment for liquid food processing. Food Control, 168, 10922. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodcont.2024.110922
Park H.W., and Balasubramaniam V.M. 2025. Infrared thermal image processing technique for evaluating superheated steam as a dry sanitation method. Food and Bioprocess Technology, 18 (2), 122049, pp. 1417 – 1430. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11947-024-03529-3
Sandhya, K., Khader Bhasha, C Anandharamakrishnan, and VM Balasubramaniam. 2025. Energy, resources, and sustainability. Chapter 16, In Conductive hydro drying of foods. Principles and applications. Academic Press. Pp 395-418. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-323-95602-4.00015-4
Beary M.A., Baker J., Balasubramaniam V.M., Snyder A. 2024 Harnessing sanitation innovation safely: A pilot study on operators’ perceptions and training when adopting superheated steam in food processing industries. Food Protection Trends, 44 (6), 409 – 419. https://doi.org/ 10.4315/FPT-24-011
Astorga-Oquendo L., Hu H., Yousef A.E., Balasubramaniam V.M. 2024. Inactivation of Clostridium sporogenes PA 3679 spores by synergistic pressure-assisted thermal processing and antimicrobial compound combinations. LWT, 209, 116785. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lwt.2024.116785
Medina-Meza, I.G., V.M. Balasubramaniam, M Kaven, A Gomes da Silva, Sai Sashidhar Guduru. 2024. Lipidomics unveils changes in oxidised lipids in human breast milk by high-pressure processing. International Journal of Food Science and Technology, 59 (10), 7139-7152. https://doi.org/10.1111/ijfs.17430
Guduru S.S., Balasubramaniam V.M., and Hatzakis E. 2024. Impact of thermal, high-pressure and ultra-shear pasteurisation technologies on beetroot juice metabolites using untargeted nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. International Journal of Food Science and Technology, 59 (8), pp. 5754 – 5766. https://doi.org/10.1111/ijfs.17326
Woo Park H., Balasubramaniam V.M., Heldman D.R., Cai S., Snyder A.B. 2024. Computational fluid dynamics analysis of superheated Steam's impact on temperature and humidity distribution within enclosed dry food processing spaces. Journal of Food Engineering, 360, 111718. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jfoodeng.2023.111718
Cai S., Park H.W., Feng J., Baker J., Balasubramaniam V.M., Snyder A.B. 2024. Ambient temperature and relative humidity remained stable after prolonged application of superheated steam in enclosed spaces. Food Protection Trends, 44 (3), pp. 152 – 159. https://doi.org/10.1111/FPT-23-020.
Park H.W., Balasubramaniam V.M., Snyder A.B. 2024. Inactivation of Enterococcus faecium and Geobacillus stearothermophilus spores on stainless steel through dry sanitation approaches using superheated steam and ultraviolet C-LED. Food Control, 156, art. no. 110144. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodcont.2023.110144
Sunil C.K., Athmaselvi K.A., Venkatachalapathy N., Anandharamakrishnan C., Balasubramaniam V.M. 2024. Unit Operations in Food Grain Processing. Unit Operations in Food Grain Processing, pp. 1 – 603. DOI: 10.1016/C2022-0-00599-7
Hu H., Balasubramaniam V.M. 2023. High-Pressure Processing. Encyclopedia of Food Safety, Geoffrey W. Smithers (eds) Second Edition, V3-531 - 551. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-822521-9.00103-9
Balasubramaniam, V.M., A.E. Yousef, Rafae Jimenez Flores, and A. Lazarev, and E. Ting. 2023. Ultra-shear: A transformative technology. Food Technology, 77(11). https://www.ift.org/news-and-publications/food-technology-magazine/issues/2023/december/columns/processing-ultra-shear-a-transformative-technology
Hu H., Janahar J.J., Balasubramaniam V.M., Yousef A., Ting E. 2023. Synergistic effects of pressure, temperature, shear, and their interactions on Clostridium sporogenes PA3679 spore inactivation during ultra-shear processing. Innovative Food Science and Emerging Technologies, 90, 103513 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ifset.2023.103513
Pusty K., Dash K.K., Tiwari A., Balasubramaniam V.M. 2023. Ultrasound assisted extraction of red cabbage and encapsulation by freeze–drying: moisture sorption isotherms and thermodynamic characteristics of encapsulate. Food Science and Biotechnology, 32 (14), pp. 2025 – 2042. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10068-023-01302-4
Janahar J.J., Xu J., Balasubramaniam V.M., Yousef A., Ting E. 2023. Inactivation of Lactobacillus brevis cells and Bacillus cereus spores as influenced by pressure, shear, thermal, and valve geometry. (2023) International Journal of Food Properties, 26 (1), pp. 628 – 646. https://doi.org/10.1080/10942912.2023.2173227
Janahar J.J., Balasubramaniam V.M., Jiménez-Flores R., Campanella O.H., Patel B., Ortega-Anaya J. 2023. Impact of ultra-shear technology on quality attributes of model dairy-pea protein dispersions with different fat levels. Current Research in Food Science, 6, 100439 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.crfs.2023.100439
Gustavo Barbosa-Canovas, VM Balasubramaniam, Tatiana Koutchma, Avi Shpigelman, Javier Raso-Pueyo, Giovanna Ferrari. 2023. PEF: Pulsing with promise. Food Technology. 77(5). https://www.ift.org/news-and-publications/food-technology-magazine/issues/2023/june/columns/processing-pef-pulsing-with-promise
Ravichandran C., Jayachandran L.E., Kothakota A., Pandiselvam R., Balasubramaniam V.M. 2023. Influence of high pressure pasteurization on nutritional, functional and rheological characteristics of fruit and vegetable juices and purees-an updated review. Food Control, 146, art. no. 109516. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodcont.2022.109516
Balasubramaniam, V.M., Lee, J., Serventi, L. (2023). Understanding New Foods: Development of Next Generation of Food Processing, Packaging, and Ingredients Technologies for Clean Label Foods. In: Serventi, L. (eds) Sustainable Food Innovation . Sustainable Development Goals Series. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-12358-0_12
Balasubramaniam, V. M., Barbosa-Cánovas, G. V., and Lelieveld, H. L. M. (Eds.). (2016). High pressure processing: Principles and applications. Springer. https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-1-4939-3234-4