Kaliramesh Siliveru

• Doctor of Philosophy
• Assistant Professor at Kansas State University

Intermediate wheatgrass (Thinopyrum intermedium) grain has emerged as a viable perennial food crop for the human population. Grain milling is a crucial step in producing grain-based food ingredients. This study evaluated the significance of milling methods on the nutritional, physical, and flowability properties of intermediate wheatgrass flour. Ha...

Background: Finger millet (Eleusine coracana) is recognized for its high nutritional value and potential as a staple food source across various regions. However, its widespread adoption is limited due to the presence of antinutritional factors which inhibits nutrient absorption. This study investigates the effect of sonication as an innovative proc...

The production of plant-based protein powders from diverse sources leads to products with different handling and flow characteristics. Powders can exhibit agglomeration, cohesion, and segregation behaviors, which inhibit powder flow during processing. Hence, it is important to evaluate the flow characteristics of protein powders to help design more...

Plant-based protein powders exhibit varying flow characteristics during processing, handling, and storage. Various factors, such as physicochemical characteristics, processing conditions, and environmental conditions, determine the ease in powder flowability. Thus, it is critical to consider the flow behavior of protein powders in the design of equ...

The milling process plays a crucial role in producing value-added ingredients from pulses such as lentils and will tremendously alter the future of pulses and cereal industries. This chapter presents a detailed guide on reducing the particle-size of red lentils through two distinct milling methods: roller milling and hammer milling. Additionally, a...

The growing demand for plant-based protein concentrates and isolates has led to the search for sustainable alternatives to energy- and water-intensive wet fractionation processes. Dry fractionation, which involves dry milling followed by air classification, is a sustainable and energy-efficient way to enrich plant proteins from various agro-materia...

Millets are recognized as future foods due to their abundant nutrition and resilience, increasing their value on the global stage. Millets possess a broad spectrum of nutrients, antinutrients, and antioxidants, making it imperative to understand the effects of various processing methods on these components. Antinutritional factors interfere with th...

As a gluten‐free cereal with high nutritional properties, pearl millet [Pennisetum glaucum (L.) R. Br.] has been increasingly regarded as an alternative dryland resilient food crop with enriched grain nutritional value. This paper explores the potential of single‐kernel near‐infrared (SKNIR) spectroscopy combined with multivariate analysis for rapi...

Wheat-based foods has emerged as another potential vehicle for foodborne illness in humans. The recent occurrence of recalls involving wheat-based foods requires a full understanding of how these pathogens thrive in these food products and developing potential intervention strategies to address pathogen contamination. This manuscript is the second...

Background and Objectives Heat treatment, as a pathogen reduction step, could compromise flour quality. Plasma‐activated water (PAW) is a novel pathogen reduction treatment for foods. Combining these treatments could improve pathogen inactivation during wheat tempering and maintain flour quality. This study evaluated the effects of PAW and mild hea...

This review examines the trends in multigrain food products over the last five years and evaluates the accuracy and implications of claims that multigrain products are low-calorie, low-fat, and high-fiber, addressing consumer confusion and misinformation. The selection of grains and their proportion in the multigrain products is crucial due to thei...

The extrusion processing of food powder relies heavily on its moisture content to aid in flow and proper cooking, shaping, and/or puffing. This study focused on the impact of the moisture content on the dynamic flow and shear properties of coarse food powders (corn meal, wheat farina, and granulated sugar). The dynamic flow properties explored were...

Tempering, the controlled addition of water to wheat before milling, is an essential step for maximizing flour yield in the milling industry. However, the limited availability of water significantly impacts moisture migration within the kernels, consequently influencing their breakage behavior. This study investigates the effects of tempering time...

The number of food safety issues linked to wheat milled products have increased in the past decade. These incidents were mainly caused by the contamination of wheat-based products by enteric pathogens. This manuscript is the first of a two-part review on the status of the food safety of wheat-based products. This manuscript focused on reviewing the...

Engineering properties of grains play an important role in the design and development of machines and equipment used during planting, harvesting, processing, handling, and storage. This chapter discusses the basic definitions and principles of engineering properties of food grains and their important applications in food grains industries. These pr...

Engineering properties of grains play an important role in the design and development of machines and equipment used during planting, harvesting, processing, handling, and storage. This chapter discusses the basic definitions and principles of engineering properties of food grains and their important applications in food grains industries. These pr...

Globally, billions of people are experiencing food insecurity and malnutrition. The United Nations has set a global target to end hunger by 2030, but we are far from reaching it. Over the decade, climate change, population growth and economic slowdown have impacted food security. Many countries are facing the challenge of both undernutrition and ov...

Highlights The pseudo-first order kinetic model fits well with the experimental data of sorbed phosphine versus time. Sorption isotherm curves were developed using Langmuir, Freundlich, and Redlich-Peterson models. Phosphine adsorption capacity of wheat kernels increased with increase in applied concentration (400-2400 ppm). Abstract. Phosphine (P...

Highlights A multi-layered perceptron type artificial neural network (ANN) was developed to predict the farinograph properties of wheat dough. ANN models with two to four hidden layers were developed for each Farinograph response, i.e., water absorption, dough development time, and dough stability. Permutation importance and Shapley values analysis...

Highlights Developed roller milling procedure produced high-quality white and sumac sorghum flours. Ultrasound tempering significantly improved the milling yield and flour quality of white and sumac sorghum. One-min ultrasound treatment resulted in flour with the lowest bran contamination for both sorghum varieties. Ultrasound tempering can be inst...

Background and objective Wheat is one of the most produced cereal grains in the world, predominantly consumed as bread and other baked products. Roller mill system which produces different stream flours is the most commonly used size reduction method for wheat. This study aims to comprehensively examine the physicochemical properties, rheological b...

Background and Objectives In the last decade, the incidence of foodborne illness outbreaks and recalls connected with wheat flour and flour-based goods infected with enteric bacteria such as Salmonella has grown. This study investigated the activity of sodium bisulfate (SBS) as an antibacterial agent against four different serovars of Salmonella en...

We evaluated the efficacy of an acidulant, sodium bisulfate (SBS) against Aspergillus flavus and Fusarium graminearum in a simulated wheat storage model. The broth microdilution method was used to determine the MIC of SBS against the molds. Sterile wheat samples were inoculated with mold culture, followed by a 30-min attachment and the application...

The market for plant proteins is expanding rapidly as the negative impacts of animal agriculture on the environment and resources become more evident. Plant proteins offer competitive advantages in production costs, energy requirements, and sustainability. Conventional plant‐protein extraction is water and chemical‐intensive, posing environmental c...

Background The use of cold plasma technology (CPT) in the food industry could be a promising alternative to heat treatment techniques in practice. The CPT is effective in preserving the quality and safety of food products by achieving microbial decontamination without compromising the functional and organoleptic properties. Scope and approach This...

Contamination of wheat flours with Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) is a concern for the milling industry. Milling-specific interventions are needed to address this food safety hazard. The objectives for this study were to determine the efficacy of bacteriophage treatment in reducing wheat STEC contamination during tempering and assess its effe...

Flow properties of wheat flours are influenced by their intrinsic properties and environmental conditions during handling. This study evaluated the effects of environmental conditions (temperature and relative humidity- %RH) and flour properties (particle size and wheat class) on the flow properties of wheat flours. Size fractions from hard red win...

The flour functionality and particle size distribution of wheat flour obtained on roller milling are dependent on the type of wheat, tempering conditions, and milling conditions. In this study, the impact of the tempering conditions (moisture and time) on the chemical and rheological properties of flour from blends of hard red wheat were analyzed....

Chlorine dioxide (ClO2) gas, known for its high oxidation and penetration capacity, is a potential alternative fumigant to control stored-product insect pest population. In this study, hard red spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) kernels were exposed to varying levels of gaseous ClO2 concentrations (200, 300, 400, and 500 ppm, 1 ppm = 0.0027 mg/L a...

There has been a growing demand for pulses due to the nutrition, health benefits, and agronomical advantages, along with the recommendation of international organizations to diversify the use of pulses. Lentil, yellow pea, and chickpea were studied for their effect on the quality of the bread when incorporated into refined wheat flour. The pulse gr...

The potential health benefits of consuming whole grain foods are increasingly attracting customers’ interest. The effect of bran particle size on whole wheat flour (WWF) bread-making performance was investigated using four different varieties with protein levels of 9–15 g/100g. Five different bran particle size ranges from 590.5 to 159.7 μm were ob...

Background and Objectives Aside from being a staple crop, sorghum is now being used as a gluten‐free food, an animal feed ingredient, and a biofuel source. This growing demand for sorghum has increased interest in grain quality and utilization. This study explored near‐infrared hyperspectral imaging (NIR HSI) as a nondestructive and rapid method to...

Dust explosions can occur when the dust exceeds its minimum explosible concentration (45-150 g m^-3) in the presence of confinement, oxidiser, dispersing agent, and an ignition source. These components have long been documented in the literature but studies on dust properties that affect suspension in confined spaces, such as flowability and flooda...

Chickpeas and other high protein plants are becoming increasingly popular. Traditionally, attrition or hammer mills are used for milling chickpeas. However, the use of roller mills on chickpeas has not been extensively researched. This study compared pilot-scale milling trials involving whole Kabuli compared to split and de-hulled Desi chickpeas. A...

The increasing world population requires the production of nutrient-rich foods. Protein is an essential macronutrient for healthy individuals. Interest in using plant proteins in foods has increased in recent years due to their sustainability and nutritional benefits. Dry and wet protein fractionation methods have been developed to increase protein...

Mycotoxins are secondary toxic metabolites synthesized by numerous filamentous fungi including members of the genus Fusarium, Penicillium, Drechslaria, Aspergillus, Claviceps, Monascum, Alternaria, Cephalosporium, Nigrospora, and Trichoderma. Among them, Aspergillus and Fusarium species are major plant pathogens recognized to induce infection and p...

The market demand for gluten free foods is increasing due to frequent incidences of celiac disease and increasing awareness on consumption of gluten free foods. Millets have become the major constituent of diet as they are gluten-free and also excellent sources of micro and macro nutrients such as vitamins, minerals, dietary fibers and phenolic com...

In this milieu, ozone technology has emerged as an avant-garde non-thermal mode of disinfection with potential applications in the food industry. This eco-friendly technology has a comprehendible adeptness in replacing alternative chemical sanitizers and is recognized as a generally safe disinfectant for fruits and vegetables. Several researchers h...

Proso‐millet is a nutritious, sustainable, and gluten free food which is currently underutilized. They can be incorporated into the grain industry and provide much needed healthy alternatives. Efficient grinding method should be adopted for easy incorporation. This study aimed to investigate the effect of three different methods of grinding viz; ro...

This study investigated the morphological and bulk handling properties of milk protein concentrate (MPC) powders manufactured from incorporating micro- and nano-bubbles (MNB) before spray drying. Control MPC powders (C-MPC; no MNB treatment) and MNB-treated MPC powders (MNB-MPC; MPC dispersions passed through the MNB system and subsequently spray d...

Background and Objectives Cross‐contamination of foodborne pathogens from equipment to food is a food safety concern. The objective of this study was to quantify the amount of Escherichia coli contamination in mill equipment after milling inoculated and noninoculated wheat in single milling run. Findings Mill equipment used for milling inoculated...

Background and Objectives Cross‐contamination of pathogens is a common cause of food recalls. The objectives of this study were to quantify the amount of Escherichia coli transferred during wheat milling and to model the E. coli concentration in wheat flour fractions during milling. Findings Higher ( p ≤ .05) E. coli counts were recovered in the n...

Globally, billions of people are experiencing food insecurity and malnutrition. The United Nations has set a global target to end hunger by 2030, but we are far from reaching it. Over the decade, climate change, population growth and economic slowdown have impacted food security. Many countries are facing the challenge of both undernutrition and ov...

Teff (Eragrostis tef) has gained wide popularity of late mainly attributed to its gluten‐free nature catering the needs of gluten sensitive population. The higher water absorption capacity and gelling properties of teff flour promote its food applications, especially in the baking sector. The nutritional and sensorial properties of teff flour have...

Innovations in food extrusion technology are enabling its rapid expansion and applicability in diverse areas related to bioprocessing and value addition. This study relates raw material particulate rheology to the granular flow in a single screw food extruder. Raw materials based on corn (i.e., meal, flour, and starch), wheat (i.e., farina, flour,...

Highlights Tempering moisture content and condition had a significant impact on waxy white sorghum kernel and flour properties. Physical sorghum kernel properties after tempering varies with efficiency of moisture penetration into kernels. Steam tempering for 15 s led to better physical kernel properties for handling, transportation, and processing...

This study involves information about the concentrations of nutrients (proteins, phenolic compounds, free amino acids, minerals (Ca, P, and Iron), hardness) in milled rice processed with enzymes; xylanase and cellulase produced by Aspergillus awamori, MTCC 9166 and Trichoderma reese, MTCC164. Brown rice was processed with 60–100% enzyme (40 mL buff...

The study investigated the effects of acidic water (sodium bisulfate, SBS /lactic acid, LA) tempering (alone) and in combination with heat treatment on Shiga toxin‐ producing E. coli (STEC) O121 and O26 load of wheat and its impact on wheat flour quality. The results of the study showed that tempering wheat with acidic water (5 and 10% w/v) alone r...

The development of convenience foods by incorporating nutrient-rich pulses such as peas and lentils will tremendously alter the future of pulse and cereal industries. However, these pulses should be size-reduced before being incorporated into many food products. Therefore, an attempt was made to adapt roller mill settings to produce de-husked yello...

Pulse flours are commonly added to food products to improve the functional properties, nutritional profiles, product quality and health benefits. This study aimed at assessing the effects of the partial replacement (0–25%) of whole wheat flour with diversified whole pulse flours (yellow pea, green pea, red lentil, and chickpea) on dough properties...

Increasing teff (Eragrostis tef) consumption has been recorded in recent years due to its gluten-free nature and exceptional nutritional composition. Studies on the particle level that relates to processing and handling of teff flour are limited. The effect of different milling methods (roller mill, pin mill, and hammer mill) on size distribution,...

The effects of room temperature water, hot water, and steam tempering methods were investigated on sorghum kernel physical properties, milling, flour, and bread-making properties. Overall tempering condition and tempering moisture content were found to have a significant effect on the physical properties. Milling properties were evaluated using a l...

Ethanol production from various cereal grains faces a growing demand in the global market. Alongside is the increasing production of its co-product, distiller's dried grains with solubles (DDGS), reaching more than 22 million tons in 2019 in the United States. Due to its high nutritional value, the utilization of DDGS as an animal feed additive, fe...

The occurrence of recalls involving pathogenic Escherichia coli-contaminated wheat flours show the need for incorporating antimicrobial interventions in wheat milling. The objectives of this study were to assess the efficacy of sodium bisulfate (SBS) tempering in reducing E. coli O121 (ATCC 2219) and O26 (ATCC 2196) wheat load and to evaluate the i...

Highlights Wheat flour cohesion was modeled using the Johnson-Kendall-Roberts (JKR) contact model. The size-based separation was highly influenced by particle size, particle roughness, cohesion, and sieve opening size. Sieve blinding happened at 15.25 and 10.32 s of sieving for hard red winter (HRW) and soft red winter (SRW) wheat flour particles,...

The demand for food production has been constantly increasing due to rising population. In developed countries, for example, the emergence of regional production of old grains that are rarely utilized, along with the production of commonly consumed grains, has gained importance in recent years. These grains, known collectively as ancient or heirloo...

In the human food industry, the wheat-free market sales have increased over the years due to awareness of wheat gluten allergy and celiac disease. Sorghum is a gluten-free grain with great potential to address shortcomings in this market. The aim of this study was to evaluate the milling process and flour quality of one white and one red sorghum va...

Sorghum is an important crop that serve multiple purposes as human food, animal feed, and bioenergy production. There are opportunities to produce different types of biofuels from sorghum-based biomass. Sorghum with its vast genetic resources can serve as bioenergy crop and not compete against the value of it as food and nutritional security crop....

A series of tests was conducted to determine if Tribolium castaneum (Herbst), the red flour beetle, could survive on six milled sorghum fractions: Bran, Coarse Grits, Fine Grits, Flour, Red Dogs, and Shorts. In the first test, parental adults were exposed on the fractions, removed, and then the fractions were held for six-seven weeks at 27 °C. Late...

This chapter provides an overview of sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L.) biomass pretreatment methods to produce biofuels. Sorghum is an important food, feed, and fuel crop that serves multiple purposes of human food, pet food, animal feed, and feedstock for bioenergy production. There are enormous opportunities to produce different types of biofuels from...

DDGS is often transported in railcars and trucks from the ethanol plants to the feed mills and animal farms. During unloading, flowability of DDGS is often reduced due to caking of DDGS bulk. Based on published research, the environmental relative humidity, DDGS glass transition temperature, syrup content, and duration of cooling of DDGS piles infl...

Background: Cold plasma is an emerging non-thermal disinfection and surface modification technology which is chemical free, and eco-friendly. Plasma treatment of water, termed as plasma activated water (PAW), creates an acidic environment which results in changes of the redox potential, conductivity and in the formation of reactive oxygen (ROS) and...

Milk protein concentrate (MPC) powders are widely used as ingredients for food product formulations due to their nutritional profile and sensory attributes. Processing parameters, storage conditions, and composition influences the flow properties of MPC powders. This study investigated the bulk and shear flow properties of 70.3, 81.5, and 88.1% (wt...

Fundamental differences exist between the surfaces of hard and soft wheat flours. Ranging from surface roughness, chemical composition to cohesive forces, these differences could affect the flow behaviour of wheat flour. In an attempt to address these differences, we developed a zein film functionalized atomic force microscopy technique to evaluate...

Distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS) are widely used as feed for cattle, dairy, and swine because of their protein, fiber, amino acids, fat, and other vital nutrients. Corn ethanol plants in the United States recently have started extracting oil from DDGS to gain additional profit, thus producing low-oil DDGS. So far, there has been no comp...

In order to improve the fundamental understanding of fine flour flow behavior, which is essential for the success of sieving and other particulate size based separation processes, this study investigates the relationship between particle properties and the flow function coefficient, a metric used to assess the flow performance. The granular Bond nu...

Background: Size based fractionation of flour particles is an important process in wheat milling. Interparticle cohesion could affect the dynamic separation process and result in loss in throughput. This study quantifies the effect of particle properties that includes physical and chemical characteristics on the shear flow behavior of wheat flour....

Storage conditions such as temperature, relative humidity (RH), consolidation pressure (CP), and time affect flow behavior of bulk solids like distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS), which is widely used as animal feed by the U.S. cattle and swine industries. The typical dry grind DDGS production process in most corn ethanol plants has been a...

The separation efficiency of wheat flour particles based on size, with minimum bran contamination, is important for a flour mill. Separation of flour during fractionation depends on the surface characteristics and shape of flour particles. Wheat flour particle characteristics such as surface lipid content, roughness, and morphology with respect to...

Hyperspectral imaging is a non-destructive technique with great capability to detect food defects and diseases. In this research, infection of pistachio kernels by two different isolates of Aspergillus flavus, KK11 and R5, was determined using long-wave near-infrared hyperspectral imaging. Seven fungal growing stages on pistachio kernels, for both...

Comparison of chemical properties of regular DDGS ( 9% fat), and low-oil DDGS ( 4 and 7% fat) samples with composition determined by staining and imaging of DDGS particles.

Flow difficulties during handling, storage, and processing are common in cereal grain-based powder industries. The many studies that focus on the flow properties of powders can be classified as flow indicators, shear properties, and dynamic flow properties. The non-uniformity of physical and chemical characteristics of the individual particles that...

For the determination of main constituents, grain research laboratories around the world are using age old techniques which are time consuming, cost intensive, and sample destructive. In the present study, an attempt was made to investigate the feasibility of near-infrared (NIR) hyperspectral imaging for predicting moisture, protein, and starch con...

For the determination of main constituents, grain research laboratories around the world are using age old techniques which are time consuming, cost intensive, and sample destructive. In the present study, an attempt was made to investigate the feasibility of near-infrared (NIR) hyper spectral imaging for predicting moisture, protein, and starch co...

Mung bean (Vigna radiata (L.) R. Wilczek) is one of the major pulse crops grown in India. Cowpea weevil (Callosobruchus maculates F.) is the major insect that causes qualitative and quantitative losses of mung bean kernels during storage. There is an increasing demand from grain buyers and consumers toward zero-tolerance to contamination by insects...

Mung bean (Vigna radiata) is a major pulse crop grown in India and other parts of the world and consumed by human beings for its high protein content. Cowpea seed beetle (Callosobruchus maculatus (F.)) causes major portion of storage losses in pulses. Detection of cowpea seed beetle at early stages of its life stages could help to implement suitabl...