Updated: Fri, 10/11/2024 - 12:00

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Accès au campus et aux immeubles, cours et modalités de travail : retour à la normale à compter du samedi 12 octobre. Complément d’information : Direction de la protection et de la prévention.

Michael Ngadi, Ph.D., P.Eng.

Image by Alex Tran.

James McGill Professor

T: 514-398-7779  |  michael.ngadi [at] mcgill.ca (Email) |  Macdonald-Stewart Building, MS1-029B

Degrees

BEng (Nigeria)
MASc, PhD (Dalhousie)

Short Bio

Dr. Ngadi is a Fellow of the Canadian Society for Bioengineering. He earned his doctoral degree from Dalhousie University (formerly TUNS) in Halifax, Nova Scotia. He previously worked with Laval University, Quebec and University of Georgia, Georgia before joining McGill University in 1998. He is a professional member of the Canadian Society for Bioengineering (CSBE), American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers (ASABE) and Institute of Food Technologists (IFT).

Dr. Ngadi’s research interest is to understand how product and process inter-relate and translate to optimized food quality and safety. The emphasis of his work is on mathematical modelling and optimization, heat and mass transfer phenomena, food properties, hyperspectral imaging, deep-fat frying and cooking processes, bulk packaging and non-thermal technologies including pulsed electric fields (PEF), ultraviolet light (UV), and ozone. Dr. Ngadi also works on biofuels and bioproducts. The major thrust of his research in this regard is on enhanced biochemical conversion of waste biomass into biofuels as well developing innovation strategies for conversion of biomass into bioproducts. His work has resulted to over 200 publications and reports of inventions. He has supervised over 30 graduate and postdoctoral students.

Awards and Recognitions

2016:  Fellow, Canadian Society for BioEngineering

2015:  Distinguished Service Award, NABEC

2004 - 2013: William Dawson Scholar (equivalent to Canada Research Chair, Tier II), McGill University.

2008:  John Clark award, Canadian Society for BioEngineering

Active Affiliations

Executive Council Member: CIGR International Commission of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering; Section VI - Bioprocess

Research Interests

Dr. Ngadi works on improving the way food products are manufactured in order to ensure their optimal quality and safety. To do this, he develops new techniques of applying conventional processing technologies or he deploys novel and emerging non-thermal technologies such as pulsed electric fields (PEF), ultrasound, ultraviolet light (UV), and ozone to produce food products that are safe and of high quality. He studies the properties and attributes of foods in order to assess their states during various process operations. Dr. Ngadi uses non-destructive methods such as computer imaging and spectral methods to facilitate rapid and online assessment of food quality and safety of products. He also applies mathematical modelling to effectively characterize and optimize processing operations.

Dr. Ngadi also works on biochemical conversion of food processing waste materials into biofuels and functional bioproducts.

Current Research

Current projects are in the areas of deep-fat frying, non-thermal processing of foods (PEF, UV, Ozone), hyperspectral imaging for food quality and safety , biofuels and bioproducts from animal processing discards and microalgae. Some of the ongoing research projects are as follows:

  • Microstructural changes, surface characteristics and fat absorption kinetics in fried batter coated systems.
  • Texture of foods and biomaterials
  • Hyperspectral Imaging assessment of food quality
  • Assessment of nutrition sensitive value chains
  • Quality, Nutrition and Health Impacts of Inclusion of Cassava Flour in Bread Formulation
  • Development of systems for nutritional status assessment

Courses

BREE 324 Elements of Food Engineering 3 Credits
    Offered in the:
  • Fall
  • Winter
  • Summer


BREE 325 Food Process Engineering 3 Credits
    Offered in the:
  • Fall
  • Winter
  • Summer


BREE 519 Advanced Food Engineering 3 Credits
    Offered in the:
  • Fall
  • Winter
  • Summer


BREE 535 Food Safety Engineering 3 Credits
    Offered in the:
  • Fall
  • Winter
  • Summer


BREE 530 Fermentation Engineering 3 Credits
    Offered in the:
  • Fall
  • Winter
  • Summer


BREE 485 Senior Undergraduate Seminar 1 Credits
    Offered in the:
  • Fall
  • Winter
  • Summer


BREE 486 Course not available

BREE 651 Departmental Seminar M.Sc. 1 1 Credits
    Offered in the:
  • Fall
  • Winter
  • Summer


BREE 652 Departmental Seminar M.Sc. 2 1 Credits
    Offered in the:
  • Fall
  • Winter
  • Summer


BREE 751 Departmental Seminar Ph.D. 1
    Offered in the:
  • Fall
  • Winter
  • Summer


BREE 752 Departmental Seminar Ph.D. 2
    Offered in the:
  • Fall
  • Winter
  • Summer


BREE 753 Departmental Seminar Ph.D. 3
    Offered in the:
  • Fall
  • Winter
  • Summer


BREE 754 Departmental Seminar Ph.D. 4
    Offered in the:
  • Fall
  • Winter
  • Summer

Publications

View a list of current publications

 

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