Ralph D. Waniska

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Texas A&M University
College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
Soil & Crop Sciences
Food Science & Technology
ProfessorAppointed: 1995
Professional Headshot of Ralph D. Waniska

Mailing Address

Department of Soil & Crop Sciences
TAMU Mail Stop 2474
Texas A&M University
College Station, Texas 77843-2474
United States

Contact Information

Phone: (979) 845-2985
Fax: (979) 845-0456
waniska@tamu.edu

Qualifications

Ph.D., Cornell University, Food Chemistry, 1982.
M.S., Texas A&M University, Food Science & Technology, 1976.
B.S., University of Nebraska, Chemistry, 1972.

Expertise and Research Interests

My interests include: Functionality of ingredients during process of cereal-based foods; Cereal Chemistry; Cereal Technology; Cereal Biochemistry; Physical and milling properties of cereals; Starch chemistry and functionality during processing; Protein functionality during processing; Wheat tortilla chemistry and technology; Corn tortilla and chip chemistry and technology Bioactivity of compounds found in cereal seeds.

I conduct research, teach and supervise graduate research on the chemical and biochemical properties of cereals and legumes to improve their agronomic, processing, and feed/food quality attributes. Specific areas of research include the type, distribution and bioactivity of antifungal proteins, hydroylic enzymes and phenolic compounds in corn, sorghum, and legumes, characterization and functionality of proteins in cereals and legumes, and the chemical, physical and structural properties of starch and proteins during food processing.

Other Expertise

Associate Editor - Cereal Chemistry - 1989-present, Food Scientist, Cereal Chemistry and Technology

Teaching Responsibilities:
Food Science & Technology 305 - Fundamentals of Baking [1 lab section]
Food Science & Technology 401 - Food Product Development [1 lab section]
Food Science & Technology 631 - Food Carbohydrates
Food Science & Technology 681 - Seminar - Food Science & Technology
Food Science & Technology 691 - Graduate Research

Future Research

Continue to apply ananlytical and empirical methods to understand what is occurring during food processing. This knowledge is used to increase efficiency of processing and enhance quality of products.

Industrial Relevance

Business Experience: Principal person in R. Dean Company, Waniska Consulting; Innovative applications of cereal chemistry and processing in: Wheat Flour Tortillas, Corn Tortillas, Tortilla Chips, Nonwheat Noodles, Cereal-Based Foods

Keywords

COS Keywords:

Bakery Products, Cereals, Feed Grains, Food Chemistry, Food Preparation, Food Processing, Food Storage, Food Technology, Nutrition Or Dietetics, Plant Diseases Or Pathology, Plant Physiology Or Morphology.

Additional Terms:

Antifungal Proteins, Cereal Chemistry & Technology, Cereal-based Foods, Corn Tortillas, Fiber, Hydrolytic Enzymes, Immunoassays, Legume-based Foods, Protein, Starch, Tortillas Chips, Wheat Tortillas.

Memberships

American Association of Cereal Chemists
Institute of Food Technologists
Pi Tau Sigma

Honors and Awards

1996-1996, Special Achievement Award for Teaching, Soil & Crop Sciences Department, Texas A&M University
1988-1988, Award of Excellence Program - Team Research, Gas Research Institute project, Sponsored by the Chancellor of the Texas A&M University System
1979-1979, Third Prize - Graduate Paper Competition, Institute of Food Technology, St. Louis, MO
2001, Special Achievement Award for Research, Soil & Crop Sciences Dept,, Texas A&M University, Research

Previous Positions

1990-1995, Associate Professor, Texas A&M University, Agronomy, Food Science
1984-1989, Assistant Professor, Texas A&M University, Agronomy, Food Science
1980-1983, Senior Biochemist, Del Monte Corporation
1976-1980, Graduate Teaching Assistant, Cornell University
1975-1976, Graduate Teaching/Research Assistant, Texas A&M University
1973-1974, Analytical Chemist, Eppley Cancer Institute

Patents

Patent application – with Jessica Garza for encap NBC, Patent Number: TAMUS Projects # 2008, 2003, Institution, United States of America.
Patent application – with Simina Pascut for special protein and oxidant, Patent Number: TAMUS Projects # 1981, 2002, Institution, United States of America.
Patent disclosure on TSPP (with Jessica Garza and Lisa Chedid, Rhodia), Patent Number: TAMUS Project #1901, 2002, Institution, United States of America.

Funding Received

  • Pioneer Hybrid Co.: Antifungal Proteins in Sorghum, $5,000/yr, 1996 to 1998.
  • Commercial Tortilla and tortilla related companies: Preparation Wheat Flour Tortillas // Evaluation of Ingredients in Wheat Flour Tortillas, $30,000/yr, 1992 to present.

Publications

  • Awika, J.M, Rooney, L.W, Waniska, R.D., Anthocyanins from black sorghum and their antioxidant properties, Food Chem (online), 20 Jun 2004
  • Bejosano, F.P, Waniska, R.D., Functionality of bicarbonate leaveners in wheat flour tortillas, Cereal Chem., 81(1), 77-79, 2004
  • Bueso, F.J, Rooney, L.W, Waniska, R.D, Silva, L., Combining Maltogenic Amylase with CMC or Wheat Gluten to Prevent Amylopectin Re-crystallization and Delay Corn Tortilla Staling, Cereal Chem, 81(5), 654-659, 2004
  • McDonough, C.M, Floyd, C.D, Waniska, R.D, Rooney, L.W., Effect of accelerated aging on corn, sorghum, and sorghum meal, 39(3), 351-361, 2004
  • Pascut, S, Kelekci, N, Waniska, R.D., Effects of wheat protein fractions on flour tortilla quality, Cereal Chem., 81(1), 38-43, 2004
  • Rooney, L.W, McDonough, C.M, Waniska, R.D., The corn kernel (composition and structure), Corn. C. Wayne Smith, Betran, J., and Runge, E.C.A. (eds.) Wiley., 2004
  • Rooney, Lloyd W, Waniska, R.D., Tortillas, Encyclopedia of Grain Sciences. Colin Wrigley, Harold Corke and Chuck Walker, eds. Elsevier Science Ltd., Academic Press. (Sent to Wendy Tomlinson, Elsevier 07/07/03, in press), 2004
  • Waniska, R.D., Cepeda, M., King, B.S., Adams, J.L., Lloyd W. Rooney1, Torres, P.I., Lookhart, G.L., Bean, S.R., Wilson, J.D., Bechtel, D.B., Effects of Flour Properties on Tortilla Qualities. Cereal Foods World, Cereal Foods World, 49(4), 237-244, 2004
  • Waniska, R.D, Rooney, L.W, McDonough, C.M., Sorghum utilization, Encyclopedia of Grain Science. Colin Wrigley, Harold Corke and Chuck Walker, eds. Elsevier Science Ltd., Academic Press. (Sent to Wendy Tomlinson, Elsevier 07/07/03), 2004
  • Bejosano, F.P, Waniska, R.D, Rooney, W.L., Antifungal proteins in commercial hybrids and elite sorghums, J. Agric. Food Chem., 51, 5911-5915, 2003
  • Betran, F.J, Bockholt, A, Foyt III, F, Rooney, L.W, Waniska, R.D., Registration of Tx802 (yellow QPM), Crop Science, 43, 1891-1892, 2003
  • Kelekci, N, Pascut, S, Waniska, R.D., The effects of storage temperatures on the staling of wheat flour tortillas, J. Cereal Sci., 37(3), 377-380, 2003
  • Prom, L.K, Waniska, R.D, Issoufou, K.A, Rooney, W.L., Response of eight sorghum cultivars inoculated with Fusarium thapsinum, Curvularia lunata, and a mixture of the two fungi, Crop Protection, 22, 623-628, 2003
  • Adams, J.L, Waniska, R.D., Effects of the amount and solubility of leavening compounds on flour tortilla characteristics, Cereal Foods World, 47(2), 60-64, 2002
  • Bandyopadhyay, Ranajit, Little, Christopher R., Waniska, Ralph D., Butler, David R., Sorghum grain mold: through the 1990s into the new millennium, Chapter in Sorghum and Millet Diseases 2000. Iowa State University Press, 173-190, 2002
  • Rodriguez-Ballesteros, Oscar R, Mansuetus, Anaclet S.B, Frederiksen, Richard A, Odvody, Gary N, Waniska, Ralph D, Rosenow, Darrell T., Free and bound phenolic acids in mature sorghum caropses as affected by inoculation with Fuisarium thapsinum, Chapter in Sorghum and Millet Diseases 2000. Iowa State University Press, 269-272, 2002
  • Seetharaman, K, Chinnapha, N, Waniska, R.D, White, P., Changes in textural, pasting and thermal properties of wheat buns and tortillas during storage, J. Cereal Sci., 35, 215-223., 2002
  • Waniska, R.D., Perspectives on starch functionality and methods of analysis in food systems, International Conference of Food System Functionality. http://www.msstate.edu/org/fsfa/Vol1/4 1 waniska., 2002
  • Waniska, R.D, Rooney, Lloyd W., Sorghum grain quality for increased utilization, Sorghum and Millet Diseases 2000. Iowa State University Press, 327-335, 2002
  • Waniska, R.D, Graybosch, R.A, Adams, J.L., Effect of partial waxy wheat on processing and quality of wheat flour tortillas, Cereal Chem., 79(2), 210-214, 2002
  • Waniska, Ralph D., Venkatesha, R.T., Chandrashekar, A., Krishnaveni, S., Bejosano, F.P., Jeoung-Mee Jeoung, Jayaraman, Jayaraj, Muthukrishnan, Subbaratnam, Liang, George H., Antifungal proteins and other mechanisms in the control of sorghum stalk rot and grain mold, Sorghum and Millet Diseases 2000, Iowa State University Press, 287-297, 2002
  • Rooney, L.W, R.D. Waniska, Sorghum Food and Industrial Utilization, 689-725, 2001
  • Waniska, R.D., Evaluation Methods and Quality Control for Snacks, In: Snack Foods Processing Book. Ed Lusas and L.W. Rooney, eds. Technomic Publishing Company, Lancaster, PA, 607-629, 2001
  • Waniska, R.D, Rooney, L.W., Structure and Chemistry of the sorghum caryopsis, In: Sorghum, W.C. Smith and R.A. Frederiksen (eds.), Wiley, 649-688, 2001
  • Waniska, R.D, Venkatesha, R.T, Chandrashekar, A, Krishnaveni, S, Bejosano, F.P, Jeoung, J, Jayaraj, J, Muthukrishnan, S, Liang, G.H., Antifungal proteins and other mechanisms in the control of sorghum stalk rot and grain mold, J. Agric. Food Chem., 4732-4742, 2001
  • Bueso, F.J, Waniska, R.D, Rooney, W.L, Bejosano, F.P., Activity of antifungal proteins against mold in sorghum caryopses in the field, Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 48, 810-816, 2000
  • Cepeda, M, Waniska, R.D, Rooney, L.W, Bejosano, F.P., Effects of leavening acids and dough temperature in wheat flour tortillas, Cereal Chemistry, 77, 473-477, 2000
  • Srinivasan, M, Waniska, R.D, Rooney, L.W., Effects of ingredients and processing on dough rheology of wheat flour tortillas, Food Science and Technology International, 6(4), 331-338, 2000
  • Suhendro E.L, Kunetz, C.F, McDonough, C.M, Rooney, L.W, Waniska, R.D., Cooking characteristics and quality of noodles from food sorghum, Cereal Chemistry, 77(2), 96-100, 2000
  • Rodriguez-Herrera R, Waniska R.D, Rooney W.L., Antifungal proteins and grain mold resistance in sorghum with nonpigmented testa, Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 47(11), 4802-6, November 1999 Abstract
  • Fernandez, D.A, Waniska, R.D, Rooney, L.W., Changes in starch properties of corn tortillas during storage, Starch, 51(4), 136-140, 1999
  • Suhendro, E.L, Almeida-Dominguez, H.D, Rooney, L.W, Waniska, R.D, Moreira, R.G., Use of extensibility to measure corn tortilla texture, Cereal Chemistry, 76(4), 536-540, 1999
  • Waniska, R.D., Perspectives on flour tortillas, Cereal Food World, 44(7), 471-473, 1999
  • Waniska, R.D, Yi, T, Lu, J, Xue-Ping, L, Xu, W, Lin, H., Effects of preheating temperature, moisture and sodium metabisulfite content on quality of noodles prepared from maize, Food Science and Technology International, 5(4), 339-346, 1999
  • Yau, J.C, Bockholt, A.J, Smith, J.D, Rooney, L.W, Waniska, R.D., Maize endosperm proteins that contribute to endosperm lysine content, Cereal Chemistry, 76(5), 688-672, 1999
  • Suhendro, E.L, Almeida-Dominguez, H, Rooney, L.W, Waniska, R.D., Objective rollability method for corn tortilla texture measurement, Cereal Chemistry, 75(3), 320-324, 1998
  • Suhendro, E.L, Almeida-Dominguez, H.D, Rooney, L.W, Waniska, R.D, Moreira, R.G., Tortilla bending technique: an objective method for corn tortilla texture measurement, Cereal Chemistry, 75(6), 854-858, 1998
  • Suhendro, E.S, McDonough, C.M, Rooney, L.W, Waniska, R.D, Yetneberk, S., Effects of processing conditions and sorghum variety on alkaline-processed half products for snacks, Cereal Chemistry, 75(2), 187-193, 1998
  • Seetharaman, K, Whitehead, E, Keller, Nancy P, Waniska, R.D, Rooney, L.W., In vitro activity of sorghum seed antifungal proteins against grain mold pathogens, Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 45(9), 3666-3671, 1997
  • Seetharaman, K, McDonough, C.M, Rooney, L.W, Waniska, R.D., Microstructure of wheat flour tortillas: effects of soluble and insoluble fibers, Food Science and Technology International, 3(3), 181-188, 1997
  • McDonough, C.M, Seetharaman, K, Waniska, R.D, Rooney, L.W., Microstructural changes documented by traditional and environmental scanning electron microscopy in wheat flour tortillas during baking, Journal of Food Science, 61(5), 1-5, 1996
  • Miller, F.R, Prihoda, K.L, Rooney, L.W, Rosenow, D.T, Waniska, R.D., Registration of a Food Quality Sorghum Restorer Parent, Tx2907, Crop Science, 36(2), 479, 1996
  • Seetharaman, K, Waniska, R.D., Physiological changes in sorghum antifungal proteins, J. Agric. Food Chem., 44, 2435-2441, 1996
  • Bello, A.B, Waniska, R.D, Gomez, M.H, Rooney, L.W., Starch solubilization and retrogradation during preparation of To (a food jell) from different sorghum cultivars, Cereal Chemistry, 72, 80-84, 1995
  • Fajardo, J.E, Waniska, R.D, Cuero, R.G, Pettit, R.E., Phenolic compounds in peanut seeds: enhanced elicitation by chitosan and effects on growth and aflatoxin B1 production by aspergillus flavus, Food Biotechnology, 9(1&2), 59-78, 1995
  • Friend, C.P, Ross, R.G, Waniska, R.D, Rooney, L.W., Effects of additives in wheat flour tortillas, Cereal Foods World, 40(7), 494-497, 1995
  • Suhendro, E.L, Waniska, R.D, Rooney, L.W., Effects of polyols in wheat tortillas, Cereal Chemistry, 72(1), 122-127, 1995
  • Beta, T, Rooney, L.W, Waniska, R.D., Malting characteristics of sorghum cultivars, Cereal Chem, 72(6), 533-538, 1995
  • Fajardo, J.E, Waniska, R.D, Cuero, R.G, Pettit, R.E., Phenolic compounds in peanut seeds: enhanced elicitation by chitosan and effects on growth and aflatoxin B1 production by Aspergillus flavus, Food Biotechnology, 8, 213-228, 1994
  • Seetharaman, K, Waniska, R.D., An approach to increasing the fiber content of wheat tortillas, Cereal Foods World, 40(7), 494-497, 1994
  • Yau, J.C, Waniska, R.D, Rooney, L.W., Effects of food additives on storage stability of corn tortillas, Cereal Foods World, 39(5), 396, 398-399, 401-40, 1994
  • McDonough, C, Gomez, M.H, Lee, J.K, Waniska, R.D, Rooney, L.W., Environmental scanning electron microscopy evaluation of tortilla chip microstructure during deep fat frying, J. Food Sci., 58(1), 199-203, 1993

Profile Details

Last Updated: 10/21/2004

COS Expertise ID #236047
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