Home

Ngadi, Michael

Academic title(s): 

Ph.D., P.Eng. | James McGill Professor

Food Process Engineering

Ngadi, Michael
Contact Information
Email address: 
michael.ngadi [at] mcgill.ca
Phone: 
514-398-7779
Address: 

Macdonald-Stewart Building, MS1-029B

Research areas: 
Bio-Process Engineering
Biography: 

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.

Active affiliations

  • Executive Council Member: CIGR International Commission of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering; Section VI - Bioprocess
Degree(s): 

B.Eng. (Nigeria)
MASc., Ph.D. (Dalhousie)

Awards, honours, and fellowships: 
  • Fellow, Canadian Society for BioEngineering (2016)
  • Distinguished Service Award, NABEC (2015)
  • William Dawson Scholar (equivalent to Canada Research Chair, Tier II), McGill University (2004 - 2013)
  • John Clark award, Canadian Society for BioEngineering (2008)
Areas of interest: 

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.

Credits: 3
Offered by: Bioresource Engineering (Faculty of Agric Environ Sci)
Terms offered: Fall 2025
View offerings for Fall 2025 in Visual Schedule Builder.

Description

A course in basic food engineering for non-engineering students, covering heat transfer, mass and energy balances, food process unit operations, material transport/ steam/refrigeration systems.
  • Two 1.5-hour lectures and one 3-hour lab per week
  • Restriction: Not open to students in any of the B.Eng.(Bioresource) programs.
  • Restriction: Not open to students who have taken BREE 325.
  • Corequisite: FDSC 330

Most students use Visual Schedule Builder (VSB) to organize their schedules. VSB helps you plan class schedules, travel time, and more.

Launch Visual Schedule Builder

BREE 325. Food Process Engineering.

Credits: 3
Offered by: Bioresource Engineering (Faculty of Agric Environ Sci)
Terms offered: Fall 2025
View offerings for Fall 2025 in Visual Schedule Builder.

Description

Heat and mass transfer, enthalpy and mass balances, sterilizing, freezing, fluid flow, pipes, steam, refrigeration, pumps and valves.
  • Three lectures and one 3-hour lab per week.
  • Restriction: Not open to students who have taken BREE 324

Most students use Visual Schedule Builder (VSB) to organize their schedules. VSB helps you plan class schedules, travel time, and more.

Launch Visual Schedule Builder

BREE 519. Advanced Food Engineering.

Credits: 3
Offered by: Bioresource Engineering (Faculty of Agric Environ Sci)
Terms offered: Winter 2026
View offerings for Winter 2026 in Visual Schedule Builder.

Description

Advanced topics in food engineering. Concepts of mathematical modelling and research methodologies in food engineering. Topics include heat and mass transfer in food systems, packaging and distribution of food products, thermal and non-thermal processing, rheology and kinetics of food transformations.
  • Three lectures and one 2-hour lab per week.
  • Prerequisites: BREE 325, or permission of instructor.

Most students use Visual Schedule Builder (VSB) to organize their schedules. VSB helps you plan class schedules, travel time, and more.

Launch Visual Schedule Builder

BREE 535. Food Safety Engineering.

Credits: 3
Offered by: Bioresource Engineering (Faculty of Agric Environ Sci)
Terms offered: Fall 2025
View offerings for Fall 2025 in Visual Schedule Builder.

Description

The application of engineering principles to address microbial and chemical safety challenges in food processing, including intervention technologies (traditional and novel non-thermal intervention technologies, chemical interventions, and hurdle approach); control, monitoring and identification techniques (biosensors); packaging applications in food safety (active packaging, intelligent or smart packaging); and tracking and traceability systems.
  • Prerequisite: BREE 324 or BREE 325 or FDSC 330 or permission of the instructor

Most students use Visual Schedule Builder (VSB) to organize their schedules. VSB helps you plan class schedules, travel time, and more.

Launch Visual Schedule Builder

BREE 530. Fermentation Engineering.

Credits: 3
Offered by: Bioresource Engineering (Faculty of Agric Environ Sci)
Terms offered: Winter 2026
View offerings for Winter 2026 in Visual Schedule Builder.

Description

Advanced topics in food and fermentation engineering are covered, including brewing, bioreactor design and control and microbial kinetics.
  • 3 lectures and one 3-hour lab
  • Prerequisite (Undergraduate): BREE 305 or equivalent
  • Graduate courses available to senior undergraduates with permission of the instructor
  • A fee of $128.11 covers the cost of the fermentation laboratory consumables and transportation costs for field trips which may include a brewery, winery and other fermentation operations.

Most students use Visual Schedule Builder (VSB) to organize their schedules. VSB helps you plan class schedules, travel time, and more.

Launch Visual Schedule Builder

BREE 485. Senior Undergraduate Seminar

Credits: 1
Offered by: Bioresource Engineering (Faculty of Agric Environ Sci)
Terms offered: Fall 2025, Winter 2026
View offerings for Fall 2025 or Winter 2026 in Visual Schedule Builder.

Description

Attendance and participation in departmental seminars, and a small written project report.
  • Prerequisite: BREE 453

Most students use Visual Schedule Builder (VSB) to organize their schedules. VSB helps you plan class schedules, travel time, and more.

Launch Visual Schedule Builder

BREE 651. Departmental Seminar M.Sc. 1.

Credits: 1
Offered by: Bioresource Engineering (Graduate Studies)
Terms offered: Fall 2025, Winter 2026
View offerings for Fall 2025 or Winter 2026 in Visual Schedule Builder.

Description

To give seminars and participate in discussions.
  • Restriction: Not open to students who have taken ABEN 651.

Most students use Visual Schedule Builder (VSB) to organize their schedules. VSB helps you plan class schedules, travel time, and more.

Launch Visual Schedule Builder

BREE 652. Departmental Seminar M.Sc. 2.

Credits: 1
Offered by: Bioresource Engineering (Graduate Studies)
Terms offered: Fall 2025, Winter 2026
View offerings for Fall 2025 or Winter 2026 in Visual Schedule Builder.

Description

To give seminars and participate in discussions.
  • Prerequisites: BREE 651

Most students use Visual Schedule Builder (VSB) to organize their schedules. VSB helps you plan class schedules, travel time, and more.

Launch Visual Schedule Builder

BREE 751. Departmental Seminar Ph.D. 1.

Credits: 0
Offered by: Bioresource Engineering (Graduate Studies)
Terms offered: Fall 2025, Winter 2026
View offerings for Fall 2025 or Winter 2026 in Visual Schedule Builder.

Description

To give seminars and participate in discussions.
  • Restriction: Not open to students who have taken ABEN 751.

Most students use Visual Schedule Builder (VSB) to organize their schedules. VSB helps you plan class schedules, travel time, and more.

Launch Visual Schedule Builder

BREE 752. Departmental Seminar Ph.D. 2.

Credits: 0
Offered by: Bioresource Engineering (Graduate Studies)
Terms offered: Fall 2025, Winter 2026
View offerings for Fall 2025 or Winter 2026 in Visual Schedule Builder.

Description

To give seminars and participate in discussions.
  • Restriction: Not open to students who have taken ABEN 752.

Most students use Visual Schedule Builder (VSB) to organize their schedules. VSB helps you plan class schedules, travel time, and more.

Launch Visual Schedule Builder

BREE 753. Departmental Seminar Ph.D. 3.

Credits: 0
Offered by: Bioresource Engineering (Graduate Studies)
Terms offered: Fall 2025, Winter 2026
View offerings for Fall 2025 or Winter 2026 in Visual Schedule Builder.

Description

To give seminars and participate in discussion.
  • Restriction: Not open to students who have taken ABEN 753.

Most students use Visual Schedule Builder (VSB) to organize their schedules. VSB helps you plan class schedules, travel time, and more.

Launch Visual Schedule Builder

BREE 754. Departmental Seminar Ph.D. 4.

Credits: 0
Offered by: Bioresource Engineering (Graduate Studies)
Terms offered: Fall 2025, Winter 2026
View offerings for Fall 2025 or Winter 2026 in Visual Schedule Builder.

Description

To give seminars and participate in discussions.
  • Restriction: Not open to students who have taken ABEN 754

Most students use Visual Schedule Builder (VSB) to organize their schedules. VSB helps you plan class schedules, travel time, and more.

Launch Visual Schedule Builder

Link(s): 
Publications
Back to top