Ryan J. Elias, Ph.D.

Ryan J. Elias, Ph.D.

  • Professor and Associate Head of Food Science
336 Rodney A. Erickson Food Science Building
University Park, PA 16802

Areas of Expertise

  • Control of lipid oxidation in foods
  • Antioxidant systems for foods and beverages
  • Metal catalyzed oxidation reactions in foods
  • Analysis of lipid oxidation markers
  • Oxidative and flavor stability of fermented beverages (e.g., wine, beer)

Education

  • Postdoc, Viticulture & Enology, University of California-Davis
  • Ph.D., Food Science, University of Massachusetts-Amherst, 2006
  • B.A., Chemistry, Hamilton College, 2000

Research

Our group studies the free radical chemistry of foods, especially as it relates to understanding antioxidant and pro-oxidant mechanisms. Current research projects in our laboratory are in the following areas:

  • Elucidating and controlling lipid oxidation mechanisms in multiphase foods
  • Consumer-friendly antioxidant strategies for foods and beverages
  • Novel sensing technologies for lipid oxidation markers
  • Use of electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) to investigate free radical mechanisms in foods, tobacco products, and biological systems
  • Small molecule partitioning in complex foods using EPR spin probes
  • Oxidative stability of wine and beer components

Honors and Awards

  • Outstanding Collaborative Research Award, Penn State College of Medicine
  • Community of Teaching Award, Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences
  • Anna and Guy Bixler Memorial Teaching Award in Food Science
  • Young Scientist Award, American Chemical Society, Agricultural and Food Chemistry Division
  • Honored Student Award, American Oil Chemists' Society


Funding

Work in our group is, or has been, supported by the following agencies and organizations:

  • Agriculture and Food Research Initiative, US Department of Agriculture (USDA)
  • Specialty Crop Research Initiative, US Department of Agriculture (USDA)
  • Tobacco Centers of Regulatory Science (P50), US National Institutes of Health (NIH) and US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
  • Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education, US Department of Agriculture (USDA)
  • Pennsylvania Wine Marketing and Research Board, Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture (PDA)
  • Pennsylvania Malt and Brewed Beverage Industry Promotion Board, Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture (PDA)
  • Dairy Management Inc. (DMI)