University of Florida

Weihua (Wade) Yang, Ph.D.

Research Interests

Food safety and quality are traditionally the two sides of a balance with respect to food processing and preservation operations. Safe foods often connote over-cooked or over-processed, while good quality is usually connected with under-processed or perishable. Innovative/novel food processing and preservation technologies aim to ensure food safety while enhancing food quality.

Dr. Yang directs his research efforts towards developing innovative/novel food processing and preservation technologies, including pulsed UV lights, power ultrasound, pulsed electric fields, ultrahigh pressure, and dense phase carbon dioxide, to improve and ensure both the safety and quality of seafood, fruits, vegetables and other perishables.

Dr. Yang’s current research is focused on pulsed UV light and power ultrasound applications. Examples of his recent research projects:

  • Reduction of allergens in seafood, peanut butter, milk and soybean by pulsed UV lights and development of hypoallergenic products
  • Inactivation of Listeria Monocytogenes Scott A and enrichment of Vitamin D2 in slices of white button mushroom by pulsed UV lights
  • Power ultrasound enhanced extraction of xylan from lignocellulosic biomass and enzymatic conversion to xylo-oligosaccharide prior to ethanol production
  • Development of a novel tomato peeling process using power ultrasound

Classes Taught

Dr. Yang’s teaching responsibilities include an undergraduate course “FOS4427C - Principles of Food Processing” (4 credit hours, with laboratory) every Spring semester and a graduate course “Advanced Food Processing” (3 credit hours, with laboratory) every other Fall semester.

Selected Publications

  1. Feng, H, W. Yang, T. Hielscher. (2009). Power ultrasound. Food Science and Technology International, 14: 433-436.
  2. Wambura, P., W. Yang. (2009). Evaluation of power ultrasound treatment and coatings as affecting volatile lipid oxidation compounds in dry roasted peanuts. Journal of the American Oil Chemists Society (In Press).
  3. Chung, S.-Y., W. Yang, K. Krishnamurthy. (2008). Effects of pulsed UV-light on peanut allergens in extracts and liquid peanut butter. Journal of Food Science, 73(5): C400–C404.
  4. Wambura, P., W. Yang, N.R. Mwakatage. (2008). Effects of sonication and edible coating containing rosemary and tea extracts on reduction of peanut lipid oxidative rancidity. Food and Bioprocess Technology (Published online October 14, 2008).
  5. Wambura, P., W. Yang, L.T. Walker, Y. Wang, L. Williams. (2008). Improvement of oxidative stability of roasted peanuts by edible coatings and ultrasonication. Journal of Food Processing and Preservation, 32(3): 469–485.
  6. Wambura, P., W. Yang, Y. Wang. (2008). Power ultrasound enhanced one-step soaking and gelatinization for rough rice parboiling, International Journal of Food Engineering, 4(4), Article 1.
  7. Wang, Y., W. Yang, P. Winter, L. Walker. (2008). Walk-through weighing of pigs using machine vision and an artificial neural network. Biosystems Engineering, 100(1): 117-125.
  8. Wang, Y., W. Yang, L. Walker, T.M. Rababah. (2008). Enhancing the accuracy of area extraction in machine vision-based pig weighing through edge detection. International Journal of Agricultural & Biological Engineering (IJABE), 1(1): 37-42.
  9. Rababah, T.M., K.I. Ereifej, M.A. Al-Mahasneh, K. Ismaeal, A.-G. Hidar, W. Yang. (2008). Total phenolics, antioxidant activities, and anthocyanins of different grape seed cultivars grown in Jordan. International Journal of Food Properties, 11(2): 472 – 479.
  10. Zhao, W., R. Yang, R. Lu, M. Wang, P. Qian, W. Yang. (2008). Effect of PEF on microbial inactivation and physical–chemical properties of green tea extracts. LWT – Food Science and Technology, 41(3): 425-431.
  11. Al-Widyan, M.I., T.M. Rababah, A. Mayyas, M. Al-Shbool, W. Yang. (2008). Geometrical, thermal and mechanical properties of olive fruits. Journal of Food Process Engineering (In Press).
  12. Wambura, P., W. Yang, L. Williams, H. Feng. (2007). Shelf life extension of roasted peanuts by ultrasound assisted surface lipid removal. Trans. of the ASABE, 50(4): 1315-1321.
  13. Al-Mahasneh, M.A., T.M. Rababah, W. Yang. (2007). Moisture sorption thermodynamics of defatted sesame meal (DSM). Journal of Food Engineering, 81(4): 735-740.
  14. Wang, Y., W. Yang, P. Winter and L.T. Walker. 2006. Non-contact sensing of hog weights by machine vision. Applied Engineering in Agriculture, 22(4): 577-582.
  15. Yang, R., C. Zhang, H. Feng and W. Yang. 2006. A kinetic study of xylan solubility and degradation during corncob steaming. Biosystems Engineering, 93(4): 375-382.
  16. Wang, Y.-J., S.W. Chong and W. Yang. 2006. Effect of pericarp removal on properties of wet-milled corn starch. Cereal Chemistry, 83(1): 25-27.
  17. Yang, W., P. Winter, S. Sokhansanj, H. Wood and B. Crerer. 2005. Discrimination of hard-to-pop popcorn kernels by machine vision and neural networks. Biosystems Engineering, 91(1): 1-8.
  18. Yang, R., S. Xu, Z. Wang and W. Yang. 2005. Aqueous extraction of corncob xylan and production of xylooligosaccharides. Food Science and Technology/LWT, 38(6): 677-682.
  19. Yang, W., Q. Zhang and C. Jia. 2005. Understanding rice breakage through internal work, fracture energy, and glass transition of individual kernels. Trans. of the ASAE, 48(3): 1157-1164.
  20. Zhang, Q., W. Yang and Z. Sun. 2005. Mechanical properties of sound and fissured rice kernels and their implications for rice breakage. J. Food Eng. 68: 65-72.
  21. Yang, W. and C. Jia. 2004. Glass transition mapping inside a rice kernel. Trans. of the ASAE, 47(6): 2009-2015.
  22. Siebenmorgen, T.J., W. Yang and Z. Sun. 2004. Glass transition temperature of rice kernels determined by dynamic mechanical thermal analysis. Trans. of the ASAE, 47(3): 835-839.
  23. Wu, B., W. Yang and C. Jia. 2004. A three-dimensional numerical simulation of transient heat and mass transfer inside a single rice kernel during the drying process. Biosystems Engineering 87(2): 191-200.

Contact Information

359 Food Science and Human Nutrition Building
P.O. BOX 110370
Newell Drive
University of Florida
Gainesville, Fl 32611-0370
Email: wade.yang@ufl.edu