Group Members
Group Leader
Prof. Harold Corke
Professor
[1] Value-added process engineering of grains in relation to genetic resources
[2] Innovative grain processing and its effect on stability and bioavailability
[3] Starch molecular structure
[4] Food safety in supply chain
Lab Managers and Research Assistant
Dr. Farha Arakkaveettil Kabeer
Senior Lab Manager
Dr. Farha Arakkaveettil Kabeer is currently working as a Senior Lab Manager in Biotechnology and Food Engineering Program (Food Innovation Lab) of the Guangdong-Technion Israel Institute of Technology (GTIIT). She received her bachelor’s degree in Biotechnology from the University of Calicut in 2006 and Master’s degree in Microbiology from the Mahatma Gandhi University in 2008. Thereafter, she worked as a lecturer in Microbiology in K. E. College (2008-2009), India. After completing her Ph. D in Biotechnology from the University of Kerala in 2015, she joined Dr. Radhakrishnan K V’s group at CSIR-NIIST, India, as a Research Associate-II (2015-2016). Her postdoctoral experiences include her tenure as the DST-SERB-National Postdoctoral Fellow in Prof. Mohamed Hatha’s group at School of Marine Sciences, CUSAT, India (2016-2018) and at Shanghai Jio Tong University, Shanghai, China with Prof. Harold Corke and Prof. Zhongquan Sui (2019-2022).
Dr. Jiarong Zhang (Franck)
Lab Manager
Dr. Jiarong ZHANG starts to work in GTIIT on June, 2021. He received his bachelor’s degree in Biological Engineering in 2009 and Master’s degree in Biochemical Engineering in 2013 from the Qilu University of Technology, China. Thereafter, he was accepted as doctoral student by the University of Bordeaux, France, and carried out further research for his dissertation in the group Structure & Activity of Biological Macromolecules (SABM) of the Institute of Chemistry & Biology of Membranes & Nano-Objects (CBMN). After completing his Ph.D in Biochemistry from the University of Bordeaux in 2018, he joined Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SJTU), Shanghai, China, and worked as a post-doctoral research fellow with Prof. Harold Corke and Prof. Xinlin Wei (2019-2021). His post-doctoral research topic was mainly focused on the “Discovery and structure identification of novel chemical compounds and functional components in tea”, which was a subproject of the National Key R&D Program of China (Grant No. 2018YFC1604400). His expertises include Enzymology, Analytical Biochemistry and Plant Polyphenol Chemistry. At present, his research is primarily focused on the discovery and structure identification of novel plant phytochemicals using HPLC, HPLC-MS and NMR, and enzymatic biosynthesis of valuable polyphenols based on the use of bioreactor, with specific interests in anthocyanidins (natural pigments). So far, he has published 18 research articles.
Dr. Pinhe Liu (Léa)
Lab Manager
Dr. Pinhe Liu joined GTIIT in June 2021. She obtained both her bachelor’s (in Food Science) and master’s (in Biochemical Engineering) degrees from the Qilu University of Technology, China, in 2011 and 2014, respectively, and further obtained her PhD in Physiological Biology from the Research Unit of Champagne Vines and Wines, University of Reims Champagne-Ardenne, France, in 2018. In her doctoral dissertation, the impacts of grape maturity and press fractioning on the composition of musts and white wines were investigated in depth, especially macromolecules (such as proteins) and their relationship with the foaming properties of Champagne base wines. Thereafter, she successively worked as a post-doctoral fellow at Sun Yat-sen University and Shanghai Jiaotong University, focusing on the isolation, identification, and activity evaluation of plant functional components (supported by the National Key R&D Program of China, Grant No. 2018YFC1604400). Her main research areas involve Plant Physiology and Biochemistry, Food Science, Fermentation and Analytical Chemistry, and her current research interests are in the field of plant polyphenols, proteins, and polysaccharides.
Dr. Tongze Zhang (Jack)
Lab Manager
Dr. Zhang Tongze holds his BSc and PhD degrees majoring in Food Science and Technology from Hong Kong Baptist University and the University Hong Kong, respectively. His research area includes starch modification, cereal fermentation, natural bioactive compounds identification, quantification, and delivery.
He is now serving as the manager of BFE pilot plant, and his job is tutoring students, collaborating with food industries, and helping to transfer lab-scale techniques to pilot-scale for pre-commercial production.
Ms. Jingmin Tang
Research assistant
Ms. Jingmin Tang is a full-time research assistant in the Food Innovation team. She obtained her BSc degree in Applied Chemistry from Guangdong University of Education. She joined GT in October 2023 after working as a quality inspector for three years in Guangdong Guanghua Technology Co., Ltd. She is familiar with basic chemical analysis and will be working on horizontal projects.
Graduate Student
Mr. Hongxiang Liu
PhD student
Hongxiang Liu got his BSc degree and MSc degree of Food Science and Engineering at Jiangnan University in 2017 and 2020 respectively. He has been studying for a PhD degree under the supervision of Prof. Harold Corke and Prof. Dganit Danino since December 2020. His research topic is “Development, characterization and applications of novel porous starches”, which is approved after candidacy exam in April 2022.
Ms. Xiaoling Lin
PhD student
Xiaoling Lin obtained her BSc degree and MSc degree in Food Science and Engineering at Beijing Forestry University and South China University of Technology in 2016 and 2019, respectively. She joined Prof. Corke’s group in 2020 as a research manager and started her PhD research in March 2022 on “Fabrication, characterization, and application of plant protein-based nanoparticles to the delivery of coenzyme-Q10”.
Ms. Jingjing Zhao
PhD student
Jingjing Zhao has finished her 1-year research assistant in the group and now is focusing on her PhD research in “Understanding the fine structure of amylopectin by using enzymatic and chromatographic techniques and establishing the mechanisms of how amylopectin’s fine structure affects functional properties”. Based on the fine structure of amylopectin, her aim is to create a new texture evaluation method by combing the methodology of tribology, rheology, etc., based on physicochemical, microstructural, and sensory perception of starch-based hydrogels with an ultimate goal to identify bottom-up principles for designing tasty, nutritious and easy to swallow meals for elder adults.
Ms. Ri Chen
PhD student
Ri Chen obtained her BSc degree in Biotechnology and Food Engineering at GT in 2021. She was admitted as a master’s student in October 2021 and started her doctoral studies in May 2023 under the supervision of Prof. Harold Corke and Prof. Danino Dganit. She worked on the starch structural change after α-amylase hydrolysis. Her research topic is “Developing starch nanoparticles from waxy rice starch by green chemistry techniques for bioactive compound encapsulation”.
Ms. Siqi Hong
Master student
Siqi Hong obtained her BSc in Biotechnology and Food Engineering from Guangdong Technion-Israel Institute of Technology in 2022. In October 2022, she started her Master studies in Biotechnology and Food Engineering at Technion-Israel Institute of Technology under the supervision of Prof. Harold Corke and Prof. Shpigelman. She worked on properties and application of high-pressure processing treated starch.
Undergraduate Students
Our lab is opening for undergraduate students for research, please contact Dr. ZHANG Tongze.
Graduates – Alumni
Ms. Meier Chen
Research assistant
（2022-2023）
Meier Chen gained her BSc degree in Biotechnology and Food Engineering at Guangdong Technion-Israel Institute of Technology in 2022. After her graduation, she joined Prof. Corke’s group as a research assistant and is helping research in the delivery of coenzyme-Q10 with plant protein-based nanoparticles as well as the embedded tea polyphenol in fermented starch.
BFE cohort 2017
Ms. Ri Chen (PhD student at GTIIT/Technion)
Mr. Yihui Cai (Master, National University of Singapore)
Ms. Zixian Wen (Master, National University of Singapore)
Ms. Yuxing Zou (Master, Wageningen University & Research)
BFE cohort 2018
Ms. Siqi Hong (Master student at GTIIT/Technion)
Mr. Xuequan Sun (Master student at Technion-Israel Institute of Technology)
Ms. Jiayu Li (Master student at GTIIT/Technion)
Ms. Xiaoqing Chen (Master student at National University of Singapore)
Ms. Can Zhu (Master student at University College London)
BFE cohort 2019
Ms. Jiayi Fang (Master student at Technion-Israel Institute of Technology)
Ms. Siyi Li (Master student at The University of British Columbia)
Mr. Yihao Luo (Master student at University of Copenhagen)
Ms. Ziwen Zhao (Master student at Technion-Israel Institute of Technology)
Ms. Xuanni Chen (Master student at Cornell University)