Education: B.Tech., PAU, Ludhiana (1995); M.Tech., PAU, Ludhiana (1997); Ph.D., PAU, Ludhiana (2009)

Positions held: Assistant Research Engineer, PAU Ludhiana (1999-2008), Research Engineer (2008-2015), Principal Scientist (2015-till date)

Field of Specialization: Post harvest engineering, Shelf life extension of fresh produce

Research Interests: (Maximum upto three areas of interest)

1. Post-harvest handling and processing for value addition to agricultural produce by dehydration, freezing, edible coatings
2. Food packaging: Modified atmosphere packaging of fresh produce, Mathematical modelling, Development of biobased compostable packaging material
3. Design and evaluation of equipment and technologies for processing, disinfection/sanitization, and food quality monitoring viz Refraction based drying systems for food dehydration , Ozone treatment system for fresh produce, Ozone treatment system for foodgrains, Sensor based technologies for monitoring quality and safety of foods

Research Projects:

1. Indo-UK project "Biobased packaging for fresh food (BioFreshPak)" funded by DBT and Innovate UK
2. Indo-UK project "Development and optimization of fresh produce supply chain and storage systems" funded by DBT and Innovate UK
3. PSBC funded project "Innovative refraction based drying technology for production of fruits and vegetable flakes/powder” under Secondary Agriculture Entrepreneurial Network (SAEN) in Punjab
4. "Development of sensor platform for rapid detection of adulteration in turmeric powder" by Deptt of Climate and Environment Change, Government of Punjab
5. Modified atmosphere packaging of fresh produce
6. Dehydration technologies for fresh produce

Selected Research Publications (maximum upto 5):

1. Kaur Gurjeet, Sidhu Gagandeep Kaur and Kaur Preetinder (2023) Moisture sorption isotherms characteristics for shelf-life prediction of peanuts (Arachis Hypogaea L.). Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture. https://doi.org/10.1002/jsfa.12475 (IF: 4.125)
2. Kaur Gurjeet, Sidhu Gagandeep Kaur, Kaur Preetinder and Kaur Amarjit (2022) Influence of ozonation and roasting on functional, microstructural, textural characteristics, and aflatoxin content of groundnut kernels. Journal of Texture Studies 53, 908-922. (NAAS: 9.94)
3. Sinha Aeshna, Gill PPS, Jawandha SK, Kaur Preetinder , Grewal SK. (2022). Salicylic acid enriched beeswax coatings suppress fruit softening in pears by modulation of cell wall degrading enzymes under different storage conditions. Food Packaging and Shelf life Vol 32(3):100821 DOI: 10.1016/j.fpsl.2022.100821 (NAAS: 12.43)
4. Zalpouri R, Singh M and Kaur P. (2022). Refractance Window Drying–a Revisit on Energy Consumption and Quality of Dried Bio-origin Products. Food Eng Rev 14, 257–270 https://doi.org/10.1007/s12393-022-09313-3 (NAAS: 11.76)
5. Kaur Kulwinder, Kaur Preetinder, Kumar Satish, Zalpouri Ruchika and Singh Manpreet (2022). Ozonation as a potential approach for pesticide and microbial detoxification of food grains with a focus on nutritional and functional quality. Food Reviews International, DOI: 10.1080/ 87559129. 2022.2092129 (NAAS: 12.48)

Awards/Honours/Distinctions:

• Received Medallion, Citation and Cash award of Rs. 10,000/- for best Doctoral Dissertation by Indian National Academy of Engineering, New Delhi INAE (2010),
• Awarded Post Doctoral Research Associateship by the Michigan state University, USA for four months from May 2016 till August 2016 to perform research on enhancing the safety and quality of packaged fresh produce in the School of Packaging.
• Qualified Master Trainer for Food Micro and Small Enterprises ‘Fruit and Vegetable Processing’ by PMFME, MOFPI, GOI ‘Fruit and Vegetable Processing’ in PM FME scheme, GOI