Eric Decker and Julian McClements, faculty members in Food Science, have been ranked among the top 25 authors in the agricultural sciences.
UMass Amherst has been ranked 7th worldwide for the impact of it's published research papers in the agricultural sciences, based on the number of citations per paper. ScienceWatch, a publication that tracks trends and performance in basic research, conducted the analysis based on papers published and cited in 118 indexed journals of agricultural sciences between January 1996 and February 2006.
In the time period analyzed for the study, UMass Amherst published 519 papers and averaged an impressive 7.63 citations per paper. Leading the charge were two researchers in the UMass Amherst Department of Food Science, both of whom were ranked among the top 25 authors in agricultural sciences. Of the top 25 authors, all but one were within the field of food science.
Julian McClements was ranked 7th with 125 papers and 1,300 citations. Julian's research focuses on the molecular-colloidal basis for the physical properties of foods and their components, such as their texture, flavor, appearance, shelf-life and nutrition. Particular research projects include developing cholesterol reducing foods, identifying the colloidal basis of how lipids are digested, understanding the influence of ingredient interactions on food properties, and improving emulsion stability, particularly in freeze-thaw food products.
Eric Decker was ranked 24th with 87 papers and 895 citations. Eric's research focuses on lipids, which play an important role in food quality and have been linked to the progression of several diseases including cardiovascular disease. He is studying the bioactivity of lipids including omega-3 fatty acids, antioxidants and carotenoids as well as technologies to incorporate these nutritionally important compounds into food systems. Since many of these lipids can undergo oxidative deterioration in food systems, he has also conducted research to understand the molecular and physical factors that impact oxidation pathways so effective antioxidant technologies can be developed. His recent research has also focused on the impact of food components on the bioavailability of lipids.
Related Information:
Julian McClements' faculty page
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