Joseph Awika

Dr. Awika’s research focuses on chemistry and mechanisms by which bioactive secondary plant metabolites interact with macromolecules (carbohydrates and proteins) to affect food quality and biological properties relevant to health. Effect of such interactions on specific markers of chronic disease prevention, and innovative processing techniques that can lead to improved health and nutritional benefits of grains and other plant-derived commodities are of interest. He is also interested in the intersection of plant genetics and end-use traits relevant to human health and quality of life.

Dr. Awika’s research involves multidisciplinary and international collaborations with geneticists, nutritional biochemists, agronomists, plant breeders, among others, from around the world. 

Dr. Awika’s Cereal Quality Lab website. 

Food Science – Cereal Quality Program Website 

Courses Taught

FSTC 305. Fundamental Baking. (2-3). Credit 3. II Fundamentals of baking; chemical and physical properties of ingredients, methods of baking all products, fundamental reactions of dough, fermentation and oven baking. Prerequisite: CHEM 222 or 227 or approval of instructor.

FSTC 401. Food Product Development (2-3). Credit 3. II Design and develop food products using principles of food chemistry, food processing, nutrition, sensory analysis and statistics; team collaborate to improve food product characteristics to meet the needs of changing society. Prerequisites: FSTC 311, 312, 313, 314, 315, 326 or registration therein.

FSTC 631. Food Carbohydrates. (3-0). Credit 3. Chemistry, structure, functionality and nutritional properties of food carbohydrates; fiber chemistry, functionality and nutritional properties, artificial sweeteners, starch structure and functionality and hydrocolloid functionality. Prerequisite: BICH 410. (Offered in alternate years.)

FSTC 681. Seminar in Food Science . (1-0). Credit 1. Oral reports and discussions of current research and developments in food technology designed to broaden understanding of problems and to stimulate research. 

Area of Expertise

Cereal science; carbohydrate chemistry; polyphenol-food polymer interactions; bioactive compounds chemistry; international food and nutrition security research.

Research Focus

We use fundamental and applied scientific tools to improve knowledge on grains as sustainable, health promoting food components. Current areas of interest include underlying mechanisms for bioactive properties of secondary plant metabolites derived from grains; starch-protein-polyphenols interactions and their relevance to food quality, nutrition, health, and biopolymer applications; use of genetic and processing technologies to sustainably improve human health and wellbeing through food.

Support Staff and Students

Suleiman Althawab | Toyosi George |Chen Chen |Katherine Le Mere |  Gabriele Scott | Cyprian Syeunda  |

Select Publications

Audrey L. Girard, Joseph M. Awika. 2020. Effects of edible plant polyphenols on gluten protein functionality and potential applications of polyphenol-gluten interactions. Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety, 19, 2164-2199. https://doi.org/10.1111/1541-4337.12572

Herrman, D.A., Brantsen, J.F., Ravisankar, S., Lee, K., Awika, J.M. 2020. Stability of 3-deoxyanthocyanin pigment structure relative to anthocyanins from grains under microwave assisted extraction. Food Chemistry, 333, 127494. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodchem.2020.127494

Amoako, Derrick; Awika, Joseph. 2019. Resistant starch formation through intrahelical V-complexes between polymeric proanthocyanidins and amylose. Food Chemistry 285, 326–333. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodchem.2019.01.173

Teferra, F.T., Amoako, D., Rooney, W., Awika, J. 2019. Qualitative assessment of ‘highly digestible’ protein mutation in hard endosperm sorghum and its functional properties. Food Chemistry, 271, 561-569. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodchem.2018.08.014

Audrey L. Girard, Tadesse Teferra, and Joseph M. Awika. 2019. Effects of condensed vs hydrolysable tannins on gluten film strength and stability. Food Hydrocolloids 89, 36-43. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodhyd.2018.10.018

Shreeya Ravisankar, Shima Agah, Hyemee Kim, Susanne Talcott, Chaodong Wu, Joseph Awika. 2019. Combined cereal and pulse flavonoids show enhanced bioavailability by downregulating phase II metabolism and ABC membrane transporter function in Caco-2 model. Food Chemistry 279, 88-97. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodchem.2018.12.006

Audrey L. Girard, Scott R. Bean, Michael Tilley, Sherry L. Adrianos, and Joseph M. Awika. 2018. Interaction mechanisms of condensed tannins (proanthocyanidins) with wheat gluten proteins. Food Chemistry, 245, 1154-1162. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodchem.2017.11.054

Shima Agah, Hyemee Kim, Susanne Talcott, Joseph M. Awika. 2017. Complementary cereals and legumes for health: Synergistic interaction of sorghum flavones and cowpea flavonols against LPS-induced inflammation in colonic myofibroblasts. Molecular Nutrition and Food Research 61, 1600625, 1-11. https://doi.org/10.1002/mnfr.201600625

Amoako, Derrick; Awika, Joseph. 2016. Polymeric tannins significantly alter properties and in vitro digestibility of partially gelatinized intact starch granule. Food Chemistry 204, 10–17. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodchem.2016.03.096

Amoako, Derrick; Awika, Joseph. 2016. Polyphenol interaction with food carbohydrates and consequences on availability of dietary glucose. Current Opinion in Food Science 8, 14-18. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cofs.2016.01.010

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Awards Received

• Fulbright Faculty Fellow, 2018-2019
• Editor, Journal of Cereal Science, 2018 – present
• Associate Editor, Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture: 2011 – 2019
• Excellence in Teaching Award, American Association of Cereal Chemists Intl., 2016
• Best Graduate Research Awards (8 total), American Association of Cereal Chemists Intl., 2009 – 2019

Additional links

• https://foodscience.tamu.edu/cereal-quality-laboratory/
• http://soilcrop.tamu.edu/people/awika-joseph-m/
• http://soilcrop.tamu.edu/cereal-quality-lab/