USU Professor Receives Outstanding Young Scientist Award for Dairy Science Research

By Ethan Brightbill

When Associate Professor Prateek Sharma was recognized with the Samuel Cate Prescott Outstanding Young Scientist Award from the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT), an international society of food scientists, his department head, Professor Heidi Wengreen, was proud but not surprised.

“Prateek has a genuine excitement for learning and discovery in dairy science,” she said. “He cares deeply about the structure of cheese because he knows it matters to the dairy industry and to anyone who simply wants their cheese to taste great and melt just right. He creates meaningful research opportunities for students and takes pride in mentoring the next generation of dairy scientists. We are so proud to see his passion and hard work recognized with this award.”

The award is given to one food scientist each year who has made significant contributions to the field within a decade of attaining their highest academic degree. Sharma received it at IFT First, the world’s largest food science and innovation expo earlier this year.

Sharma’s research focuses on improving the quality of dairy foods through a combination of chemistry, physics, engineering and a dash of microbiology.

“More than 50 percent of my research is in the area of cheese processing, chemistry and technology with the remaining percent in areas like fluid milk, dairy powders and whey,” Sharma said. “What I try to do is use the principles of material science to improve the quality of dairy products and the efficiency of dairy processing operations.”

When asked to provide examples of his work, Sharma is delighted to supply them. He has co-authored numerous papers on mozzarella alone, and he can speak at length about how the formation and destruction of chemical bonds translates into the meltability and stretchability of cheese on a slice of pizza or the precise combination of heat, protein, sugar, moisture and beneficial bacteria needed to achieve a Maillard reaction and the perfect level of browning.

His research also has numerous practical applications for the food industry. For instance, when cheddar cheese is mass produced, it often comes in massive blocks weighing hundreds of pounds that are then processed in different ways to make slices, shreds and cubes. However, the physical properties of a particular block of cheese affect how well it can handle passing through machines that transform it into products consumers are familiar with. Cheese that’s particularly sticky or fragile can lead to gummed up machinery and a loss of product, so there’s considerable money to be saved if manufacturers can identify the properties of cheese early on.