Sherif Ramzy | Food safety | Global Food Systems Innovator Award 

Prof. Dr. Sherif Ramzy | Food safety | Global Food Systems Innovator Award 

Professor | National Research Centre | Egypt

Dr. Sherif Ramzy Mohamed is a Professor of Food Toxicology and Contaminants at the National Research Centre (NRC), Egypt, where he has served since 2018 following earlier roles as Assistant Professor (2013) and researcher. He holds a Ph.D. in Food Science and Technology (2008), preceded by an M.Sc. (2002) and B.Sc. (1997) in the same specialization. His research centers on food toxicology, mycotoxins, food contaminants, rapid detection techniques, biodegradation mechanisms, and non-traditional strategies for food safety risk mitigation. Emerging interests include smartphone-integrated diagnostic systems, microbial enzymatic degradation of toxins, fungal genomics, and sustainable biocontrol technologies. Over his career at NRC and through joint Egyptian-Chinese scientific collaborations, he has led major projects on the early warning, monitoring, and prevention of mycotoxins in grain supply chains, securing international research partnerships and grants. Among his key contributions are the development of manganese dioxide nanoribbon-based sensors for aflatoxin B1 detection, smartphone-controlled infrared spectrometry for fumonisin identification, genome-based interventions to reduce toxin biosynthesis, and innovative biological mechanisms for toxin degradation. He has also co-developed methods for eliminating fungal contaminants via autophagy control and pioneered research on bacterial strains capable of degrading zearalenone and other estrogenic toxins. His work has resulted in multiple patents, including a 2023 international patent on enzymatic biodegradation of zearalenone and earlier patents on rice straw applications and antiviral botanical extracts. He has published more than 60 peer-reviewed papers in Q1 and Scopus-indexed journals and vetted more than 150 manuscripts. His roles extend to editorial boards of international journals such as Annals of Food and Nutrition Research, Nutrition and Food Toxicology, Universal Journal of Food Science and Technology, and Journal of Food Technology and Food Chemistry. He is a fellow of the Board of Quality Standards (BU-FBQS) and an active member of professional bodies including the Egyptian Society of Natural Toxins, Asia Society of Researchers, and the International Society of Substance Use Professionals. His honors include multiple research productivity awards from the NRC and the Khayria Naguib Prize (2015). Through his scientific advisory work, conference participation, and supervision of postgraduate theses, he has shaped food safety research in Egypt and internationally. His long-term vision is to reduce the economic and health burden of foodborne contaminants by developing rapid, affordable detection tools, eco-safe biodegradation technologies, and evidence-based policies that enhance global food security, public health protection, and industrial innovation. He has 1007 citations from 33 publications, with an h-index of 15.

Profiles:  Google Scholar | Scopus | ORCID

Featured Publications 

1. Abdel-Wahhab, M. A., Hassan, N. S., El-Kady, A. A., Mohamed, Y. A., El-Nekeety, A. A., Sherif, R. M., Sharaf, H. A., & Mannaa, F. A. (2010). Red ginseng extract protects against aflatoxin B1 and fumonisins-induced hepatic pre-cancerous lesions in rats. Food and Chemical Toxicology, 48(3), 733–742.

2. Cai, X., Liang, M., Ma, F., Zhang, Z., Tang, X., Jiang, J., Guo, C., Ramzy Mohamed, S., Abdel Goda, A., Dawood, D. H., Yu, L., & Li, P. (2022). Nanozyme-strip based on MnO₂ nanosheets as a catalytic label for multi-scale detection of aflatoxin B1 with an ultrabroad working range. Food Chemistry, 377, 131965. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodchem.2021.131965

3. Yu, C., Liu, X., Zhang, X., Zhang, M., Gu, Y., Ali, Q., Mohamed, M. S. R., Xu, J., Shi, J., Gao, X., et al. (2021). Mycosubtilin produced by Bacillus subtilis ATCC6633 inhibits growth and mycotoxin biosynthesis of Fusarium graminearum and Fusarium verticillioides. Toxins, 13(11), 791. https://doi.org/10.3390/toxins13110791

4. Shena, G., Kanga, X., Sua, J., Qiua, J., Liu, X., Xu, J., Shi, J., & Mohamed, S. R. (2022). Rapid detection of fumonisin B1 and B2 in ground corn samples using smartphone-controlled portable near-infrared spectrometry and chemometrics. Food Chemistry, 384, 132487. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodchem.2022.132487

5. Hu, J., Wang, G., Hou, M., Du, S., Han, J., Yu, Y., Gao, H., He, D., Shi, J., Lee, Y.-W., Mohamed, S. R., Dawood, D. H., Hong, Q., Liu, X., & Xu, J. (2023). New hydrolase from Aeromicrobium sp. HA for the biodegradation of zearalenone: Identification, mechanism, and application. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 71(5), 2411–2420. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jafc.2c06410

Sanjay Kumar | Food Safety | Best Researcher Award

Dr. Sanjay Kumar | Food Safety | Best Researcher Award

Principal Scientist at Niagara Bottling, United States

Dr. Sanjay Kumar is a Principal Scientist specializing in food safety and microbiology with over two decades of international research experience. He holds a Ph.D. from ICAR-National Dairy Research Institute, India, with a strong foundation in microbial ecology and antimicrobial interventions. Dr. Kumar’s research centers on the inactivation of foodborne pathogens using novel, GRAS-status antimicrobials, quantitative microbiological risk assessment, and the microbiome of food animals.

Profile:

🎓 Education:

  • Ph.D. in Microbiology, ICAR-National Dairy Research Institute, India (2010)

  • M.S. in Microbiology, Kurukshetra University, India (2001)

  • B.S. in Industrial Microbiology, Kurukshetra University, India (1998)

🔬 Research Interests:

  • Control of foodborne pathogens using GRAS-status antimicrobials

  • Microbial ecology and contamination in food processing systems

  • Risk assessment through omics-based microbial exposure evaluation

💼 Professional Experience:

  • Principal Scientist, Niagara Bottling LLC (2019–Present)
    Leads microbiological R&D, food safety strategy, and regulatory compliance across 40+ plants.

  • Staff Scientist, Poultry Science, University of Georgia (2015–2019)
    Focused on microbiome, food safety interventions, and poultry gut health.

  • Postdoctoral Research Fellow, University of Pennsylvania (2013–2015)
    Investigated antimicrobial resistance and microbiome shifts in dairy cattle.

  • Postdoctoral Fellow, Korea Research Institute of Bioscience & Biotechnology (2012–2013)
    Characterized rumen methanogens and enzymes for methane mitigation.

🧪 Notable Funded Projects (Co-PI):

  • U.S. Soybean Board: Gut health in antibiotic-free broilers

  • Innovation Enzymes: Enzyme supplementation and poultry performance

  • Huvepharma: Probiotics against poultry pathogens

🏆 Awards and Honors:

  • Best Poster Awards (CAES, Center for Food Safety, ASAS)

  • ICAR Senior Research Fellowship

  • DBT Travel Award (BioMicroWorld, Lisbon)

  • Outstanding Teacher Award – Dolphin College, India

Citation Metrics:

  • Total Citations: 3,680

  • Citations Since 2020: 2,237

  • h-index: 29 (26 since 2020)

  • i10-index: 41 (30 since 2020)

Publication Top Notes:

  • Chicken Gut Microbiota: Importance and Detection Technology
    BOWKK Yue Shang, Sanjay Kumar
    Frontiers in Veterinary Sciences, 2018
    📚 Citations: 479

  • Magnesium ammonium phosphate formation, recovery and its application as valuable resources: a review
    YH Liu, S Kumar, JH Kwag, CS Ra
    Journal of Chemical Technology and Biotechnology, 2012
    📚 Citations: 229

  • Probiotics and atopic dermatitis: an overview
    YHP IA Rather, VK Bajpai, S Kumar, J Lim, WK Paek
    Frontiers in Microbiology, 2016
    📚 Citations: 224

  • New aspects and strategies for methane mitigation from ruminants
    S Kumar et al.
    Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology, 2014
    📚 Citations: 205

  • Effect of antibiotic withdrawal in feed on chicken gut microbial dynamics…
    HT S Kumar et al.
    PLoS ONE, 2018
    📚 Citations: 199

  • Factors affecting rumen methanogens and methane mitigation strategies
    S Kumar et al.
    World Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology, 2009
    📚 Citations: 169

  • Associative patterns among anaerobic fungi, methanogenic archaea and bacteria…
    D Kumar, S., Indugu, N., Vecchiarelli, B., Pitta
    Frontiers in Microbiology, 2015
    📚 Citations: 168

  • Temporal dynamics in the ruminal microbiome of dairy cows during the transition period
    Pitta, Kumar, et al.
    Journal of Animal Science, 2014
    📚 Citations: 155

  • Metagenomic assessment of the functional potential of the rumen microbiome…
    Pitta, Kumar, et al.
    Anaerobe, 2016
    📚 Citations: 133

  • Prevalence and antimicrobial resistance patterns of Salmonella…
    Velasquez, Macklin, Kumar, et al.
    Poultry Science, 2018
    📚 Citations: 118