Dr. Pooja joined PAU as Assistant Professor on 02.08.2018 after completing B.Sc (Botany Hons.) from Panjab University, Chandigarh in 2009 and M.Sc (Microbiology) from PAU in 2011. She did her PhD (Microbiology) from PAU, Ludhiana in 2016. She was awarded with INSPIRE National fellowship from DST, New Delhi, India during her PhD. She has also qualified ASRB-NET. She was awarded with two Gold medals for her excellence in academics during her Master’s and Doctorate. Her field of specialization is Microbial fermentations, Postharvest management of Horticultural crops, value addition of fruits and vegetables for their shelf life extension along with quality analysis of water, wastewater and different types of fresh and processed food products. She has guided 7 M.Sc students. She has completed 3 sponsored, 4 consultancy and 3 extension projects as Co-PI. She has published 46 papers including research articles, review articles and book chapters in reputed national and international journals. She has also authored a book entitled “Text Book on Industrial Microbiology”. Currently, she is the incharge of Food Microbiology laboratory and holds Deputy Technical Manager post in NABL accreditated ‘Quality Control Laboratory for fresh and processed foods’ at PHPTC.

Professional Accomplishments

Research Projects

Ongoing:     

1. Evaluation of Scholar 230SC (Fludioxanil) for postharvest shelf life management in Kinnow.
2. Bio-efficacy studies of 1, 4 DMN treated potatoes under cold store conditions.
3. Evaluation of Bio-efficacy of GI 14S25 on potato sprouts inhibitors under cold storage.

Research Publications:

1. Mahajan S, Nikhanj P, & Singh A (2024). Microbial biopigment production by Rhodotorula using horticultural waste: Its functionality, stability, and applications. Indian Journal of Microbiology. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12088-024-01370-y. (NAAS-9.00)
2. Mahajan S, & Nikhanj P (2024) Optimization of microbial biopigment production from Rhodotorula MTCC 1446 utilizing potato waste-based media. Waste and Biomass Valorization, 15, 1465–1475. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12649-023-02061-5. (NAAS-9.20)
3. Kaur N, & Nikhanj P (2024) Investigating potential of edible coatings for microbial safety, quality, and shelf life extension of fresh-cut cucumbers: A statistical optimization approach. Journal of Stored Products Research, 108, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jspr.2024.102393. (NAAS-8.70)
4. Kumari J, & Pooja (2023) Optimization of edible coating conditions using statistical response surface methodology for shelf life extension of fresh-cut guava. Acta Alimentaria, 52(2), 163–176. https://doi.org/10.1556/066.2023.000XX. (NAAS- 7.00)
5. Kapoor S, Gandhi N, Kaur G, Khatkar SK, Bala M, Nikhanj P, Mahajan BVC, & Sharma D (2022) Electrospray application of guava seed oil for shelf life extension of guava fruit. International Journal of Food Science and Technology. https://doi.org/10.1111/ijfs.15833. (NAAS- 9.71)
6. Nikhanj P, & Kocher GS (2020) Optimization of malolactic fermentation parameters with isolated and characterized lactic acid bacteria associated with grape berries. Journal of Food Processing and Preservation, 44, https://doi.org/10.1111/jfpp.14905. (NAAS- 7.41)
7. Singh MP, Nikhanj P, & Sodhi HS (2020) Physicochemical and nutritional studies on vinegar dips for shelf life extension of Agaricus bisporus. Journal of Food Processing and Preservation, 44, https://doi.org/10.1111/jfpp.14706. (NAAS- 7.29)

           Awards/Honours/Distinctions:

1. Young Scientist award (National level) by Microbiologists Society of India for the year 2023
2. A S Atwal Gold Medal for Best student in Academics 2011-12, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana.
3. Shri Puran Anand Adlakha Medal for obtaining highest OCPA (8.60/10.00) in M.Sc for the academic session 2011-12, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana.
4. INSPIRE fellowship from DST, New Delhi during Ph.D programme.
5. College level Merit fellowship during M.Sc programme (2009-2011) by Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, India.
6. Gold medal certificate for securing highest OCPA 8.76 in Ph. D (Microbiology) for the year 2015, by SAASCA, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana.