Associate Professor


Research Area \ Research Statement \ Research Group Info

Dr. Gani's expertise lies at the intersection of food chemistry and functional food engineering, with specific focus areas including:

Encapsulation and Targeted Delivery: Developing advanced delivery systems for bioactives, vitamins, and live cultures.

Nano-Reduction of Macromolecules: Utilizing physical techniques like ultrasonication and ball milling to reduce starches and proteins (such as whey) to the nanoscale to alter their functional and rheological properties. 

Food Hydrocolloids & Biopolymers: Characterizing the physical, thermal, and structural properties of complex carbohydrates. 

Resistant Starches & Nutraceuticals: Isolating and modifying starches from underutilized regional crops to improve digestibility profiles and antioxidant potential.

Research Focus and Mission

While a formal, private "Research Statement" is utilized for faculty applications, Dr. Gani's published body of work presents a cohesive academic mission. His primary focus is on unlocking the physicochemical and nutraceutical potential of underutilized Himalayan plant sources, such as horse chestnut, minor millets, water chestnut, and aquatic macrophytes like lotus.

A major pillar of his research involves structural food chemistry and the engineering of protective food matrices designed for gut health applications. This includes creating biocomposite hydrogels and utilizing modified starches or β-glucans as encapsulating agents. These matrices are explicitly designed to protect sensitive functional ingredients—particularly antioxidants and probiotic cultures—ensuring their survival through simulated gastrointestinal tract conditions and facilitating targeted release in the gut microbiota.

Research Group Information (Adil Gani's Lab)

Located at the University of Kashmir, Dr. Gani's research group is highly interdisciplinary, heavily integrating food technology, structural chemistry, and biotechnology.

Collaborative Dynamics: The lab frequently co-authors and collaborates with other prominent regional researchers and faculty, including Prof. F.A. Masoodi, Dr. Asima Shah, Bilal Ahmad Ashwar, and Mudasir Ahmad.

Methodological Expertise: The group employs advanced analytical techniques for food analysis and quality control. Regular methodologies include GC/MS and LC/MS for compound identification, X-ray diffraction (XRD) for evaluating relative crystallinity, dynamic light scattering (DLS) for measuring zeta potential, and in vitro digestion models to assess bioaccessibility.

Recent Lab Output: Recent projects from the group include formulating novel millet starch-based nanoparticles via acid hydrolysis, evaluating the antioxidant and antiproliferative activities of processed walnut extracts, and developing resistant starch nanoparticles (RSN) incorporated into gum acacia to form functional, bioactive hydrogels