I completed my undergraduate work in food science at North Carolina State University. During my time at NC State I led several research projects in food engineering which totaled over $22,000 in funding, including: (1) high pressure processing of bovine colostrum, (2) designing and building a pilot scale tuna thaw system to evaluate the effectiveness of using hot air for thawing, (3) developing a user-friendly computer program to model a sous-vide cooking process, and (4) evaluating a novel method to promote process uniformity during high pressure processing. I also held internships with Milkco (Asheville, NC) and MOM Brands (Asheboro, NC).
My research interests are within mathematical modeling and parameter estimation as they apply to process validation and microbial inactivation kinetics. My current research involves estimating parameters for a lab-scale model for thermal inactivation of Salmonella in pistachios as a function of product temperature, product water activity, and process humidity with plans to validate this model at the commercial scale. At the conclusion of the project, a set of guidelines will be developed and disseminated to pistachio processors to assist in process validations for this industry. I wish to continue my work with process validation in a PhD program at Michigan State.
- Casulli KEand Dolan KD. A method for calculating scaled sensitivity coefficients under static environmental conditions using isothermal microbial inactivation as a case study. Journal of Food Engineering. In progress.
- Smith DF, Casulli KE, Hildebrandt IM, Dolan KD, and Marks BP. Parameter estimation for Salmonella thermal inactivation kinetics. Journal of Food Protection. In progress.
- Casulli KE, Dhakal S, Park S, Sandeep KP, and Balasubramaniam VM. Compression heating of selected polymers during high pressure processing. Journal of Food Process Engineering. In progress.
Selected Presentations:
- Casulli KE, Smith DF, Dolan KD, and Marks BP. Parameter estimation for Salmonella thermal inactivation kinetics. Inverse Problems Symposium. East Lansing, MI. June 2015.
- Casulli KE, Dhakal S, Park S, Sandeep KP, and Balasubramaniam VM. Compression heating of selected polymers during high pressure processing. International Nonthermal Processing Workshop and Short Course. Columbus, OH. October 2014.
- Casulli KE, Dhakal S, Park S, Sandeep KP, and Balasubramaniam VM. Compression heating of selected polymers during high pressure processing. IFT Annual Meeting. New Orleans, LA. June 2014.
- Casulli KE, Balasubramaniam VM, and Sandeep KP. Development of a superior high pressure processing fluid. Spring 2014 CAPPS Meeting. Raleigh, NC. April 2014.
- Casulli KE, Farkas BE, and Snyder OP. Use of commercial apps for prediction of sous-vide meat heating times. IFT Annual Meeting. Chicago, IL. July 2013.
- Casulli KE, Farkas BE, Foster DM, and Poulsen KP. Effect of high pressure processing on the viscosity and IgG content of bovine colostrum. IFT Annual Meeting. Las Vegas, NV. June 2012.
When I am not in the lab, I enjoy brewing beer, golfing, playing ice hockey, watching sports and spending time with my dog.
- Department of Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering Galen and Ann Brown Scholarship (2015)
- International Nonthermal Processing Conference Graduate Research Competition Winner (2014)
- NSF Graduate Research Fellowship, Honorable Mention (2014)
- IFT Dogwood Section Scholarship (2014)
- Southeastern Food Processors Association Scholarship (2011, 2012, 2014)
