Minwei Xu has joined the NDSU Department of Plant Sciences as an assistant professor in the food and cereal science group.

He earned his bachelor’s degree in bioengineering from Tianjin University of Technology, China; master’s degree in fermentation engineering from Jiangnan University, China; and doctorate in cereal science at NDSU.

For his doctorate, Xu researched how germination affects physicochemical properties, phenolic attributes, flavor profiles, and protein functionality of North Dakota grown pulse seeds, including chickpea, lentil, and yellow pea. He was advised by Bingcan Chen, assistant professor in food and cereal chemistry.

Before joining the plant sciences faculty, Xu was employed as a food scientist at the Northern Crops Institute, where he oversaw projects in food processing and food sustainability.

Xu has published 15 peer-reviewed papers that have appeared in leading food science journals such as Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition, Food Chemistry, Food and Function, Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry  and Food Control. He also published two book chapters in the area of antioxidants and protein flavor.

“I look forward to applying my more than 15 years of teaching and research in the areas of food processing, cereal chemistry and food analysis to bring great benefits to NDSU and the region,” said Xu.

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