Sustainable drying technologies? of food

Pankaj Pathare is an Associate Professor of Postharvest Technology at Sultan Qaboos University. He has graduated with a B. Tech. degree (Agricultural Engineering) from India and PhD (Process & Chemical Engineering) from the University College Cork (Ireland). Before joining SQU, he worked as a researcher at Newcastle University, UK, and Stellenbosch University, South Africa. His work focuses on postharvest loss quantification, computer vision applications, and renewable energy in food processing. Dr. Pathare addresses critical food industry challenges, including minimizing mechanical damage, enhancing product quality, and improving energy efficiency. An internationally recognized expert, he has published over 100 peer-reviewed articles and numerous keynote conference presentations. He has also edited three books. He received the Distinguished Researcher Award from SQU in 2025, and his team earned the National Research Award (Oman) in 2024. Dr. Pathare serves on the editorial boards of several leading SCI journals, demonstrating his commitment to advancing knowledge in food engineering and postharvest technology. His expertise has been acknowledged by Stanford University, which recognized him as a World Top 2% Scientist from 2022 to 2024.

Hemantha Jayasuriya is a Faculty Member at the Department of Soils, Water and Agricultural Engineering, College of Agricultural and Marine Sciences, Sultan Qaboos University, Oman. He obtained B.Sc. Eng. (Hons) in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka in 1983. His M.Eng. and Ph.D. in Agricultural Engineering were from the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT) Thailand. He is a chartered mechanical engineer by profession with over 7 years of industrial experience and over 30 years of academic experience in teaching, research, and administrative activities during his career. He has supervised and completed nearly 40 postgraduate students including several Ph.D. students and published over 100 scientific publications in peer-reviewed journals, and international conference proceedings. He has also published edited books, technical reports, and book chapters and possesses patents. He has membership credentials with international professional bodies such as ASABE, ISPA, ISTVS, and AAAE and is currently the Vice president of AAAE for Energy, Environment, and Emerging Technologies.