Red X iconGreen tick iconYellow tick icon

Professor

PhD (Leuven), MSc (Leuven), BSc (Bogor)

Indrawati Oey

Contact

Tel 479 8735 Ext 8735
Email indrawati.oey@otago.ac.nz
Office Hours 9am- 5pm (Mon-Fri)
Location Archway West 1.08

About

Indra is the Food Science Head of Department. She is actively involved in the teaching and supervision of our students.

Her research focuses on the development of smart processing strategies using conventional and advanced food technologies to create safe and healthier food products with unique sensory characteristics. Understanding consumer perception and acceptance of food products as well as processing technologies used is essential to achieve sustainable production and marketability of food products.

Indra is a Fellow for Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ), a Fellow for International Academy for Food Science and Technology (IAFST), a Fellow at the New Zealand Institute of Food Science and Technology and a Professional member of the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT), United States. She was the Chair of Training and Development for European Project funded NovelQ project (2005-2008). She has been awarded as Distinguished Professor by Institute of Food Science and Technology from Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences in 2017.

She is currently a Principal Investigator of the Riddet Institute Center for Research Excellence (CoRE) and a Science Leader in the Ngā iwi i Te Rohe o Te Waiariki Working Group for Māori Aquaculture programme.

Professor Oey is an active member of Food Waste Innovation, a University of Otago Research Theme which measures food waste, develops reduction strategies, applies innovative technology, and works to modify producer and consumer behaviour.

Teaching

Course Co-ordinator

  • FOSC 111 Food in a Changing World
  • AGRI 321 Agriculture Production and Food Security
  • FOSC 311 Food Product Development
  • 400 Level Level Advanced Topics Module: Food Enzymology

Contributor to

  • FOSC 202 Food Systems and Quality
  • FOSC301 Food Chemistry, Structure and Function

Research

Research interests

  • Plant proteins production and functionality
  • Enzymatic and chemical reactions in biological systems
  • Food processing and preservation technologies (thermal treatment, High Hydrostatic Pressure, Pulsed Electric Fields)
  • Enzyme technology and modulation
  • Postharvest Innovation and Sustainable Food Production
  • Kinetic modelling for design, evaluation and optimization of biological processes
  • Stability and functionality of health related secondary metabolites in vivo and in vitro to create novel functional foods

Research Projects (selected)

  • 2021–2024 Principal Investigator of Riddet Institute Center for Research Excellence for “Novel processing to enhance plant protein functionality and utilisation”. Funded by Ministry of Tertiary Education
  • 2020–2021 Principle Investigator, “PEF - Covid lost harvests recovery”. Funded by Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) funding for “Food Industry Enabling Technology” FIET Project (contract MAUX1402). Completed
  • 2020–2023 Principle Investigator, “Development of Pulsed Electric Field processing chamber for high throughput processing of value added products”. Funded by Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) funding for “Food Industry Enabling Technology” FIET Project (contract MAUX1402). Ongoing
  • 2020–2021 Co-Investigator, “Developing edible polymers to reduce the bioaccumulation of heavy metals in fish”. Funded by University of Otago Research Grant. Completed
  • 2015–2021 Principle Investigator Research grant on High Hydrostatic Pressure and Pulsed Electric Field processing technology: Funded by Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) funding for “Food Industry Enabling Technology” FIET Project (contract MAUX1402). Hosted by Massey University.In total, there are 6 institutions involved, University of Otago, University of Aucklan, Massey University, Plant and Food Research, AgResearch and Riddet Institute. NZ$ 16.8M. Completed

Postgraduate Supervision

Supervision topics

Please contact me for a list of topics or to discuss your ideas.

Current students

  • Courtney Johnston (MSc, 2022). Effect of particle size on starch and protein digestibility of lentils
  • Jason Wister (MSc, 2022). Freeze dried donor human milk to improve premature infant outcomes: a qualitative and quantitative study within Aotearoa New Zealand
  • Nicholas Horlacher (PhD, 2022). Solid state fermentation of Rapeseed (Brassica napus) to improve functional and nutritional properties of a crude protein extract
  • George Yang (PhD, 2022). Developing strategies to create new structured plant protein foods with more appealing texture using 3D printing technology
  • Caitlin-Berry Kilgour (PhD, 2022). New Zealand seaweeds as a novel biomaterial source for wound healing
  • Stephanie Mcleod (PhD, 2022). Food-related behavioural and psychological changes among pregnant women following plant-based diets
  • Ari Hayati (PhD, 2020). Effect of Pulsed Electric Fields on processing of fishbone by-products
  • Joy Fenhua Sim (PhD, 2021). Vibrational spectroscopy for origin food traceability and authenticity of coffee
  • Chelsea Brooke (PhD, 2019). Understanding the effect of storage on chilling damage for kiwifruit
  • Ladie Conde (2019). Effect of processing on potato and tubers
  • Neda Irvani (PhD, 2018). Extraction of algal protein

Previous Students

  • Jessica Ashleigh Fitzgerald (2022). Biochemical and metabolic defence responses to Candidatus Liberibacter solanacearum in potato tubers and the implications for PEF treatment
  • Roman Karki(2022) Application of pulsed electric fields and sous vide processing to enhance the quality of meat
  • Xingchen Li (2022). Evaluation and optimisation of flavour changes during oat processing: An integrated fingerprinting-kinetics approach
  • Erin Young (2022). The impact of active and intelligent packaging on Chinese consumer confidence in New Zealand food export products
  • Johannes M Magpusao (2022). Potential of using high pressure homogenisation to improve the functionality of microalgal suspensions
  • Sashie Abeywickrame (2022). Linking individual olfactory and gustatory sensitivity to adiposity and eating behaviour
  • Rachel Ginieis (2021). Individual multi-sensory fingerprint and its relationship with food reward susceptibility
  • Evelyn Mere Mete (2021). Effect of grain particle size of wholegrain foods on the postprandial glycaemic response
  • Prit Khrisanapant (2021). University of Otago. The effects of hydrothermal processing on legumes: volatile profile and digestibility aspects
  • Setya Budi Muhammad Abduh (2020). Effect of Pulsed Electric Fields on potato chips processing
  • Sheba Mae Magbanua Duque (2020). Impact of Pulsed Electric Fields treatment on oat flour properties
  • Stephen Gitonga Giteru (2019). The feasibility of using pulsed electric fields processing to modify biomacromolecules
  • Amali Alahakoon Mudiyanselange (2018). The impact of pulsed electric field and sous vide processing on the quality of tough meat cuts
  • Tingting Liu (2018). The impact of structure on the outcome of pulsed electric fields (PEF) processing of plant organs
  • Rajkumar Nandakumar (2018). Understanding the impact of pulsed electric field (PEF) processing on onions
  • Aswathi Soni (2018). University of Otago. Finding the achilles heel in B. cereus spores
  • Yafei Liu (2018). The impact of heat, pulsed electric fields and pH on the properties of ovomucin-depleted egg white
  • Claudia Philipp (2017). Rheological behaviour and final properties of pea protein-fortified extruded rice snacks
  • Vidya Kethireddy (2017). Application of Pulsed Electric Field processing for production of low sulphite wine and  the selective inactivation of non-Saccharomyces yeasts
  • Sze Ying Leong (2016). The feasibility of using pulsed electric field processing to increase the phytochemical contents of plant-based foods
  • Pui Yee  Lee (2015). An investigation of Chinese consumers' perceptions of pulsed-electric field and high hydrostatic pressure processing
  • Farnaz Faridnia (2015). The impact of pulsed electric field (PEF) processing on solid food materials
  • Shahin Roohinejad (2014). Extraction of β-carotene from carrot pomace using microemulsions and pulsed electric fields
  • Pankaj Sharma (2014). Pasteurisation equivalence of pulsed electric fields and its impact on the functional properties of bovine whole milk
  • Raseetha Vani Siva Manikam (2013). Feasibility of using combined proton transfer reaction mass spectrometry (PTR-MS) technique and biochemical analysis to assess the quality of broccoli florets during postharvest storage and minimal processing
  • Kathryn Bradbury (2012). Monitoring the impact of a voluntary bread folic acid fortification programme on the folate status of New Zealand women of childbearing age

Previous Otago MSc Students

  • Marbie Alpos (2020). Combined effects of calcium addition, thermal processing, and pulsed electric field (PEF) treatment on the texture and in vitro starch and protein digestibility of black beans (Phaseolus vulgaris)
  • Mylene Ross Arcena (2019). Integrated profiling, fingerprinting, and chemometrics as a tool for distinguishing the impact of Pulsed Electric Fields (PEF) pre-treatment, winemaking, and storage on Merlot grape juice and wines
  • Dawei Ji (2019). Purification and characterization of β-galactosidase from Lactobacillus leichmannii 313
  • Zhihao Hu (2017). Feasibility of using zein to create edible film
  • Natasha Rodrigues (2017). Effect of partial sucrose replacement with fructose on glycaemic, uricemic and blood pressure response
  • Alexandra Rozhkova (2016). Wine grape bioactive production & release following leaf plucking & pulsed electric field treatment, & wine industry applications
  • Fiona Zhang (2015). Chinese consumers' perception on the freshness of orange juice
  • Dafu Doo (2013). Effect of thermal and Pulsed Electric Field treatments on carrots texture

Publications

Conde, L. A., Kebede, B., & Oey, I. (2024). Evaluate the volatile retention performance of structurally modified cassava flour through pulsed electric fields. Innovative Food Science & Emerging Technologies, 92, 103578. doi: 10.1016/j.ifset.2024.103578

Magpusao, J., Oey, I., & Kebede, B. (2024). Evaluation of the bioprotective potential of gastrointestinal digest fractions of Arthrospira sp. and Nannochloropsis sp. suspensions treated with high pressure homogenisation. Sustainable Food Technology. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1039/D3FB00193H

Sim, J., Dixit, Y., McGoverin, C., Oey, I., Frew, R., Reis, M. M., & Kebede, B. (2024). Machine learning-driven hyperspectral imaging for non-destructive origin verification of green coffee beans across continents, countries, and regions. Food Control, 156, 110159. doi: 10.1016/j.foodcont.2023.110159

Hawke, A. M., Trujillo, J. E., Oey, I., Giteru, S. G., & Allan, B. J. M. (2024). Exposure to petroleum-derived and biopolymer microplastics affect fast start escape performance and aerobic metabolism in a marine fish. Science of the Total Environment, 906, 167423. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.167423

Hayati, A., Agyei, D., & Oey, I. (2023). Free amino acid profiles of trevally frames: An insight into their utilisation. Proceedings of the New Zealand Institute of Food Science & Technology (NZIFST) Conference : Food in a Changing World. S10. Retrieved from https://nzifst.org.nz

Back to top