Dr. B. Pam Ismail is a Professor in the Department of Food Science and Nutrition at the University of Minnesota (U of M) and is the director and founder of the Plant Protein Innovation Center (PPIC), an interdisciplinary research center dedicated to studying plant and alternative proteins. She joined the U of M as an Assistant Professor in May of 2007 following a post-doctoral research training in the Department of Food Science at Purdue University (2004-2007). Pam received her Ph.D. degree in Food Science from Oxford Brookes University, Oxford, England (2003). She has over 20 years of experience in Food Chemistry research focused on analytical chemistry, protein chemistry, enzymology and chemistry and fate of bioactive food constituents. Her research focuses on chemical characterization and enhancement of functionality, safety, bioavailability, delivery, and bioactivity of food proteins and phytochemicals, following novel processing and analytical approaches. Her group is currently researching ways to improve functionality, thermal stability, and bioactivity of food proteins, as well as ways to reduce allergenicity following enzymatic and other natural protein modification approaches. Protein structural characterization is performed using a number of proteomic analytical tools, aiming at linking structure to function. Her lab group is also studying the stability and activity of phytochemicals, as affected by their chemical structure, storage, and processing, following novel analytical techniques. Pam is leading the effort on determining the functionality and storage stability of perineal crops for food applications as part of the ongoing Forever Green Initiative effort to develop perineal crops with environmental benefits. Pam has contributed original research papers to a number of scientific journals, including the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, Food Chemistry, Journal of Dairy Science, International Dairy Journal, etc. Pam teaches a senior undergraduate level Food Analysis course and a graduate level Protein Chemistry course, and has received several teaching awards including “Distinguished Teaching Award” for undergraduate faculty in a tenured position, 2014, and “Outstanding Professor”, 2012, in recognition of outstanding contributions to the University of Minnesota and the college’s education of students. 

Publications

Nigel graduated with a Bachelor's degree in Food Science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in May 2020. He joined the lab in Spring 2021 as an M.S. student out of keen interest in studying protein alternatives and contributing to a more sustainable food system. He later transferred to the PhD program in Spring 2023. His research involves screening various oat lines for differences in protein profile and studying how they affect protein techno-functionality and nutritional quality. Nigel has a passion for learning, the people, and the planet. He finds inspiration through helping others and seeking challenges. Nigel served as Treasurer for the Food Science and Nutrition Club and Phi Tau Sigma from 2021-2023. He has competed in and won IFT student competitions such as the Protein Innovation Challenge in 2022 and the 'Don’t Spoil It!' International Digital Hackathon in 2021. Nigel completed an R&D internship with PURIS in Summer 2022 and in 2024, he completed an international R&D internship with CJ CheilJedang in South Korea. Catch him representing the FScN department at pop-up booths at the Minnesota State Fair or Bell Museum. Outside of academia, Nigel enjoys spending time with friends and family, organizing weekly open volleyball sessions at the St. Paul Gym, and traveling.

Saajewa graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2017 after completing her B.S degree in Nutrition with a minor in African and African American Studies. She then worked for Allina Health and the University of Minnesota Extension focusing on clinical and community nutrition as a Nutrition Ambassador, Dietetic Technician, and Cooking Matters Program Coordinator before joining the Ismail Lab in the fall of 2021 to begin her Masters degree. Her research is focused on screening varieties of camelina and pennycress for protein nutritional quality, functionality, and digestibility in an effort to develop optimal lines of each crop variety for food use. Saajewa has since completed an R&D Product Development summer internship with Cargill in 2022, where she worked on the application of soluble fibers in bakery and snack goods. Saajewa currently serves on the executive board of the Food Science and Nutrition Club as the Community Outreach Chair. In this position, she has been able to not only connect her love for both food science and nutrition, but also support Minnesota communities through philanthropic work.

Charu completed her M.S in Food Science and Technology in 2020 at the Iowa State University. During her Masters she worked with pea protein concentrate and amaranth. Then she worked for a startup as a researcher for 2 years, where she helped in developing wireless sensors to monitor cell growth. She joined Ismail lab in 2022 and works as a researcher. She currently works on enzymatic modification of hemp protein and improving its solubility. She will soon be working with protein extraction and protein extrusion. In Charu's free time, she enjoys watching movies, and traveling.

Yi is a food science master's student at Dr. Ismail’s research lab. She completed her B.S in Food Science in May 2020 at the University of Minnesota. In the same year, Yi joined Ismail’s lab, working as a PPIC researcher. She participated in 6 projects, mainly working on the structural and functional characterization of soy, pea, chickpea, cranberry, buckwheat, pennycress, and rice proteins. After being a researcher for 2 years, Yi decided to pursue her M.S. degree in Food Science under Dr. Ismail in the fall of 2022. Her research focuses on screening four varieties of hemp grains for differences in protein functionality and nutritional quality and the evaluation of the texturization potential of hemp protein using high moisture extrusions for meat analogues. In summer of 2024, Yi worked as an R&D intern in the K sauce and Vinegar Category at CJ CheilJedang Corporation in South Korea where successfully innovated two new prototypes of global soy sauces, starting from market research, upgraded the filtered soybean paste water from fermentation, then finalized the soy sauces by formulation, analytical tests, and sensory evaluation. The project's mission was to target sustainability, upgrading, and innovative flavor to increase the company's revenue growth. Outside of the lab, Yi enjoys snowboarding, cooking, traveling, and playing with/training her little parrot Pearl.

Anastasia Natania (she/they) is a second year graduate research assistant and Master’s student in the Ismail lab. She was born and raised in Jakarta, Indonesia before moving to the United States for high school. She graduated from the University of Minnesota in Spring 2021 and started her position as a research specialist in Plant Protein Innovation Center (PPIC) in Fall of 2021 to Spring 2022, continuing on to start their graduate studies in Fall 2022. Anastasia’s current project is to develop a method to extract proteins from perennial flaxseeds. In her free time, Anastasia enjoys going to bakeries, drawing, and doing fiber arts.

Andressa joined the PPIC team in September 2022 as a Research Intern and worked on different PPIC projects involving plant proteins. She graduated with a Bachelor of Food Engineering from Universidade Tecnológica Federal do Paraná (Brazil) in 2019. During her bachelor’s degree, Andressa was awarded a full scholarship for partial studies abroad and spent 16 months studying at Wayne State University in Detroit, MI. Andressa worked for 2 years in the food industry as a quality control analyst and R&D assistant. She completed her master’s degree in food science at Universidade Estadual de Londrina (Brazil) and her research focused on bioactive peptides from germinated and non-germinated bean flours. Currently, Andressa is pursuing her PhD in food science and her research is focused on improving the functionality of pea protein through Maillard-induced glycation for high-protein beverage applications.
 

Medora graduated from the University of Minnesota - Twin Cities in December of 2022 with a Bachelor’s degree in Food Science and a minor in Chemistry. During her undergraduate career, she participated as a research assistant in various in vivo projects studying Salmonella control and prevention in turkeys and turkey products and worked as a lab technician in a food microbiology quality testing laboratory. Following graduation, she joined the PPIC team in January of 2023 as a Research Specialist. During her time at PPIC, Medora participated in 6 research projects, focusing in studying and comparing the structural and functional characteristics of various plant protein sources. She also led a project exploring and optimizing the protein extraction of sainfoin, and characterizing it's structural, functional and nutritional properties. Following her interests in food sustainability, Medora joined the Ismail Lab in Fall of 2024 as a master’s student, working on blending pea, chickpea, and oat proteins to assess for improved structural and functional properties. In her free time, you can find her trying new recipes, crafts and fiber arts, traveling and camping around new places, or playing trivia!

Kavan is a first year graduate research assistant, with research focused on the dry separation of Minnesota beans. He joined the lab at the beginning of 2022 as an undergraduate research assistant, where he worked on several projects, including oat protein extraction and fractionation, camelina and pennycress protein extraction and ultrafiltration, and hemp protein extraction. During the summer of 2023, he had the opportunity to work as an R&D intern at PURIS, focusing on sustainable protein applications in the industry. After receiving his Bachelor of Science in Food Science from the University of Minnesota in the fall of 2023, he decided to stay on as a full-time PPIC researcher, working on hemp, pea, and whey projects. During the summer of 2024, he completed another R&D internship at Cargill, working on egg applications. Kavan has a passion for a sustainable food future and enjoys working with alternative protein sources, processes, and plant-based foods. Outside of school, Kavan enjoys making music, baking sourdough, brewing coffee, and exploring new places.

Scarlet is a first-year master’s student in Dr. Pam Ismail’s research lab at the University of Minnesota. Her research focuses on identifying breeding lines of market-class beans, with superior protein quality, by examining how genotype and growing conditions influence protein characteristics, to ultimately support the use of sustainable crops while contributing to the development of nutritious and functional protein ingredients. Originally from Quito, Ecuador, Scarlet moved to the United States to pursue higher education. She earned her associate degree in Biological Sciences from Snow College in Utah and later conducted research at Utah State University on pathogens affecting the porcine industry (PRRSV). She later earned her B.S. in Food Science with a minor in Nutrition from the University of Minnesota, where she gained research experience in the Cereal Chemistry Laboratory with Dr. George Annor and in Flavor and Lipid Chemistry with Dr. Fernanda Dias. Her experiences across different areas of food science led her to Dr. Ismail’s lab, where she found an opportunity to combine her interest in sustainable food systems with her interest in beans as an important food across cultures. Outside of research, Scarlet is passionate about building community and serves as President of the Food Science and Nutrition Club. In her free time, she enjoys exploring different forms of art, from playing piano and guitar to oil painting and jewelry making.

Dr. Pandalaneni joined PPIC in Nov 2020 taking responsibilities as Manager of Operations. He moved to St. Paul, MN after working as a Global Application Scientist after his Ph.D. in Food Science from Kansas State University (2018). During his Ph.D. he worked on improving dairy processing techniques in lactose crystallization and worked on evaluating high protein dairy beverage stability by studying ingredient functionality in the application. He brings expertise on ingredient functionalities and their interactions in food applications. Dr. Pandalaneni obtained his Master’s in Food Biotechnology from the University of Leeds, UK, in 2010 and his Bachelor’s degree in Industrial Biotechnology from India, 2009. He has work experience working in different roles in the food industry in both the UK and India as well. Dr. Pandalaneni is responsible for managing research projects, collaborations with PPIC industry partners, in addition to coordinating PPIC events, communications, and web design.

Sarra joined PPIC in August 2023 as an intern and became a Researcher I in 2026. She holds a Master of Science in Food Safety and Microbiology from the American University of Beirut, where she researched microbial food safety and antimicrobial resistance in the food chain. She also earned a Bachelor of Science in Biology (Honors) from the Lebanese American University. Sarra completed both degrees through the fully funded MEPI Tomorrow’s Leaders scholarship and spent a semester at the University of California, Berkeley. Her graduate work in the Food Microbiology Lab strengthened her expertise in research design, laboratory methods, and AMR-focused studies.    

Matheus joined PPIC in November 2023 as a Researcher III after completing an exchange program at the University of Minnesota, where he worked in Dr. Gary Reineccius’s flavors lab. He has extensive experience with proteins and enzyme-related research, including work on protease extraction and characterization from Aspergillus during his undergraduate studies. Matheus earned his M.S. and Ph.D. in Food Engineering from UNICAMP, focusing on improving rice protein functionality for microencapsulation. His recent publications explore rice protein hydrolysates in emulsions and anthocyanin retention. He has contributed to multiple projects on vegetable protein modification. In his free time, he enjoys basketball, the gym, and Brazilian football.

Molly Holbrook joined PPIC as an Undergraduate Researcher in February 2024. After earning her B.S. in Food Science and Nutrition from the University of Minnesota, she was promoted to a Research Specialist in 2025, and again to Researcher Professional I in 2026. She has previously assisted with research on the gluten-forming properties of an intermediate wheatgrass cultivar bred for hardness, and investigating how the grain's chemical composition changes over its perennial life cycle, along with other projects. Molly is interested in the chemistry behind the food we eat as well as exploring solutions for a more sustainable food system. In her free time she enjoys baking, fiber crafts, and any kind of social dance - especially salsa!

Mitchell joined the PPIC team in the fall of 2024, working as an Undergraduate Research Assistant. In the spring of 2026, he graduated with his bachelor's in Food Science from the University of Minnesota and was promoted to a Research Specialist. Mitchell has previously assisted with research on the effects of breeding pea plants on protein content and structure. Currently, Mitchell is on track to start his master's degree program in the spring of 2027. Additionally, Mitchell graduated from Saint Paul College in 2022 with an Associate's in Culinary Arts. Mitchell and spends his free time baking, reading fantasy books, and playing video games

Nardos is a sophomore and she joined the lab in Spring 2024 as an undergraduate researcher. Her inspiration for majoring in Food Science stems from her passion for cooking. She plans to attend culinary school in the future. Nardos participated in the 2021 Minnesota Youth Institute and the 2021 Global Youth Institute. In her free time, she enjoys cooking, listening to music and photography.

Maud is a sophomore majoring in Food Science with a minor in Nutrition, and she joined the lab as an undergraduate researcher in fall 2026. She has been vegetarian for over ten years and is interested in the development of more plant based proteins to create a more sustainable food system. Outside of class she really enjoys running, is part of the UMN Triathlon club, loves reading, and, of course, spends plenty of time in the kitchen.