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Food Science and Technology Department

Wajira RatnayakeDr. Wajira Ratnayake
Research Assistant Professor

Education: 
B.Sc. (Agriculture/Food Science and Technology) - University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka
M.Sc. (Food Science) - Memorial University of Newfoundland, Canada
Ph.D. (Food Science and Technology) - University of Nebraska-Lincoln, USA

Contact Information:
222 Food Industry Complex
Lincoln, NE 68583-0930
wratnayake2@unl.edu

Teaching and/or Extension activities:
Starch chemistry, Cereal food analysis, Product Development, Ingredient functionality, Consulting services.

Research areas:
Food ingredients: ingredient development, functionality, interactions, and applications. Functional ingredient development by encapsulation technologies. Ingredient applications of dry-edible beans. Structure, properties, and functionalities of starch. Grain and Cereal food analysis.

Selected publications:

  • Ratnayake, W.S., Otani, C., and Jackson, D.S. (2009) DSC enthalpic transitions during starch gelatinization in excess water, dilute sodium chloride, and dilute sucrose solutions. Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture. 89(12), 2156-2164.
  • Ratnayake, W.S. and Jackson, D.S. (2009) Starch gelatinization. Chapter 5. In: Advances in Food and Nutrition Research. Vol. 55. Ed. S. Taylor. Elsevier Science/Academic Press, Inc., Amsterdam. p. 221-268.
  • Ratnayake, W.S. and Jackson, D.S. (2008) Thermal behavior of resistant starches RS 2, RS 3, and RS 4. Journal of Food Science. 73(5), C356-C366.
  • Ratnayake, W.S. and Jackson, D.S. (2007) A new insight into the gelatinization process of native starches. Carbohydrate Polymers, 67(4), 511-529.
  • Ratnayake, W.S., Hoover, R., and Warkentin, T. (2002) Composition, structure and physicochemical properties of pea starch - A review. Starch/Starke, 54(6), 217-234.