Tzvetelin Teodossiev Dessev
Senior Scientist
I am a senior research scientist in the Food and Health Department, with a background in food process engineering. My current research focuses on the characterisation and pre-processing of novel raw materials with high nutritional value and enhanced techno-functional properties, as well as the dry fractionation of grains and pulses. I also work with innovative processing technologies, including modulated-pressure kneading, low-pressure baking, vacuum conditioning, and the process-induced structuring of plant-based meat analogues.
I hold a Ph.D. in Food Process Engineering and an MSc in Mechanical Engineering, specialising in the engineering and design of food processing equipment. My main research interests lie in rheology and food structure engineering, with particular emphasis on understanding the relationships between processing conditions, material properties, and the resulting food structure.
My additional research interests include fluid dynamics in food-processing operations, such as kneading, mixing, blending, emulsification, and aeration, as well as heat and mass transfer modelling, extrusion processing, and image analysis.
During my research career, I worked as a research officer at Massey University, New Zealand (2012-2014) where I was involved in an industry-funded project (Fonterra) on pasta-filata cheese matrix structuration by thermo-mechanical treatment and process scale-up. In 2008, I was employed as a post-doc researcher at ENITIAA, France where my work was mainly focused on innovative approaches in bake-off technology (BOT) for reduced energy demand. I have an academic career as an Associate Professor at the University of Food Technologies, Bulgaria (2005-2022) where I was lecturing BSc and MSc student courses in food structure engineering, food rheology, and engineering and design of food processing equipment.
