Mohd Ishfaq Bhat

Post Doctoral Fellow
Food, Nutrition, and Packaging Sciences Department

Office: 242 Poole Agriculture Center
Phone: 864-722-7472

Email: mohdb@clemson.edu

Educational Background

Ph.D. (Process & Food Engineering)
G. B. Pant University of Agriculture and Technology, Pantnagar, India (2022)

M.Tech. (Process & Food Engineering)
G. B. Pant University of Agriculture and Technology, Pantnagar, India (2016)

B. Tech (Agricultural Engineering)
Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology, Kashmir, India (2013)

Profile

Dr. Bhat holds a Ph.D. in Process and Food Engineering and has extensive experience in biobased packaging, particularly in the development of cellulose nanocrystal-based bionanocomposites. As a postdoctoral fellow in the Cryovac Retort Processing and Food Testing Lab, he is further advancing his expertise in nanocellulose-reinforced biobased packaging through agrowaste valorization. He is also actively engaged in research and extension activities in retort food processing, collaborating with multinational food companies and providing technical support for industry-focused projects.He is a member of the Institute for Thermal Processing Specialists (IFTPS) and a Young Professional Member of the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers (ASABE).

Research Interests

His research interests include biopolymer modification for the development of sustainable and advanced food packaging materials, with a particular focus on agrowaste valorization and biobased packaging systems. He is also interested in computational approaches, including machine learning and multiscale modeling, for food packaging design, packaging performance evaluation, and retort processing optimization.

Extension and Outreach

Dr. Bhat's extension and outreach activities focus on thermal process development, flexible packaging integrity evaluation, and shelf-life studies for food products. Under the supervision of Dr. Scott Whiteside, He has worked on industry- and agency-focused projects involving federal organizations and multinational food companies, providing technical support in retort food processing, packaging performance evaluation, and product quality assessment.

Publications

1. Annu, A., Lohani, U.C., Shahi, N.C. , Gope, P.C., Kumar, A., Bhat, M.I. and Sividas, S. (2026). Microwave assisted hydration of barnyard millet (Echinochloa frumentacea): process standardization based on soaking characterization and energy utilization. J Food Sci Technol (2026). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13197-026-06672-1
2. Malik, S., Singh, A., Shahi, N. C., Bhat, M. I., et al. (2024). Optimization of pretreatments to enhance quality characteristics and storage period of kinnow (Citrus reticulata Blanco) using response surface methodology. Scientific Reports (Nature)
3. Bhat, M. I., Shahi, N. C., Lohani, U. C., Kumar, A., Singh, S., Nasir, G., & Aman, J. (2023). “Optimizing Crystallinity and Particle Size of Cellulose Nanocrystals from Rice Straw Biomass: An Integrated Sonication-Assisted Acid Hydrolysis Approach” Biomass conversion and Biorefinery.
4. Rafiq, S., Bhat, M. I., Ishfaq, M., Junaid, S., Fayaz, I., Sofi, S., Muzaffar, K., Mir, J., Majid, D., Amin, T., Islam, R., Dar, B. N., & Makroo, H. A. (2023). “Non-edible biomass as innovative substrate for lipid biosynthesis: a step towards circular economy” Biomass conversion and Biorefinery.
5. Bhat, M. I., Junaid, S., Ishfaq, M., Rafiq, S., Fayaz, I., Mir, J., Amin, T., Majid, D., Dar, B. N., & Makroo, H. A. (2023). “Comparative study on thermo-mechanical, structural and functional properties of pectin extracted from immature wasted apples and commercial pectin.” International Journal of Biological Macromolecules: 254, Part 1, 127658.
5. Bhat, M. I., Shahi, N. C., Lohani, U. C., Pathania, S., Malik, S., Singh, S. and Amin, T. (2023). "Cellulose nanocrystals reinforced chitosan/titanium dioxide bionanocomposite with enhanced interfacial compatibility: Fabrication, characterization, and application in fresh-cut apple slices." International Journal of Biological Macromolecules: 253, 127498
6. Rafiq, S., Bhat, M. I., Sofi, S., Muzaffar, K., Majid, D., Dar, B. N., & Makroo, H. A. (2023). Bioconversion of Agri-Food Waste and By-Products into Microbial Lipids: Mechanism, Cultivation Strategies and Potential in Food Applications. Trends in Food Science & Technology, 139, 104118
7. Singh, S., Shahi, N. C., Lohani, U. C., Bhat, M. I., Sirohi, R., & Singh, S. (2023). Process optimization for the extraction of bioactive compounds from defatted flaxseed cake (Linum usitatissimu) using ultrasound-assisted extraction method and its characterization. Journal of Food Process Engineering, 46(6), e14217.
8. Gaur, V. K., Sirohi, R., Bhat, M. I., Gautam, K., Sharma, P., Srivastava, J. K., & Pandey, A. (2023). A review on the effect of micro- and nano-plastics pollution on the emergence of antimicrobial resistance. Chemosphere, 311, 136877.
9. Bhat, M. I., Shahi, N. C., Lohani, U. C., Singh, S., Sidique, Q., & Sirohi, R. (2022). Microwave irradiation assisted intensive and quick delignification of lignocellulosic biomass, and confirmation by spectral, morphological and crystallinity characterization. Bioresource Technology, 351, 127029.