PULLMAN, Wash. — About ten years ago, Nattapon Kaisangsri visited the School of Food Science to conduct research on Extrusion Processing for six months with Dr. Ganjyal, during his Ph.D. at King Mongkut’s University of Technology Thonburi (KMUTT). Just last week, Dr. Kaisangsri came back to visit us again, now as an Assistant Professor at KMUTT. With him were two other faculty members, Dr. Natta Laohakunjit and Dr. Orrapun Selamassaku
Dr. Selamassakul also has a similar background to Dr. Kaisangsri, as she visited Oregon State in 2012 and 2013 for 6 months of research work during her doctorate degree. For their research, they both specialize in sustainable bioeconomy, while Dr. Selamassakul also focuses on sustainable agriculture. Dr. Laohakunjit is an Associate Professor and the Chair of Biochemical Technology at KMUTT. Dr. Laohakunjit’s research focuses on plants and agro-industrial byproducts to create bioactive compounds, antioxidant-rich peptides, and flavor-enhanced ingredients.
During their time in Pullman, the KMUTT team toured the School of Food Science’s laboratories where they were also able to participate in an extrusion demonstration ran by Dr. Girish Ganjyal’s lab group. They also discussed collaboration projects in both research and extension areas.
Roger Raherison, a Ph.D. student from KMUTT, has been conducting research in the laboratory for three months, focusing on developing new die designs for the extrusion process.
As global food challenges continue to evolve, partnerships like this one help create meaningful impacts for the food industry and the global food supply chain.
