College of Agriculture and Bioresources

Research Area(s)

  • Protein quality and utilization

Department

Food and Bioproduct Sciences

Other Affiliations/positions

Adjunct Assistant Professor, July 2009 – present, Department of Process Engineering and Applied Science, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS.

Research Interests

Dr. Michael Nickerson holds a Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food Research Chair in Protein Quality and Utilization in the Department of Food and Bioproduct Sciences at the University of Saskatchewan since 2006. His main research areas include evaluating processing technologies for proteins derived from agriculture commodities, assessing protein quality, improving plant protein functionality, and developing value-added innovations associated with the use of proteins derived from oilseed, legume and cereal crops. Currently, he is Editor-in-Chief of Canadian Food Insights (www.canadianfoodinsights.com), is President of the Canadian Institute of Food Science and Technology (www.cifst.ca; 2016/17), serves as a Board of Director for the Agricultural Council of Saskatchewan (www.agcouncil.ca) and a member of the Editorial Board of Food Research International.

Areas of specialization

  • Food proteins
  • Food chemistry
  • Encapsulation and controlled delivery
  • Pulses, cereals and oilseeds

Education

  • Ph.D. (Food Chemistry), Dalhousie University
  • M.Sc. (Food Chemistry), Dalhousie University
  • B.Sc. (Honours, Marine Biology), Dalhousie University

Selected Publications

Stone, A.K., Teymurova, A., Chang, C., Cheung, L. and Nickerson, M.T. (2015). Formation and functionality of canola protein isolate with both high -and low-methoxyl pectin under associative conditions. Food Science and Biotechnology. 24, 1209-1218.

Can Karaca, A., Low, N.H. and Nickerson, M.T. (2015). Potential use of plant proteins in the microencapsulation of lipophilic materials in foods: a review. Trends in Food Science and Technology, 42, 5-12

Friesen, K., Chang, C. and Nickerson, M. (2015). Incorporation of phenolic compounds, rutin and epicatechin, into soy protein isolate films: mechanical, barrier and cross-linking properties. Food Chemistry, 172, 18-23

Stone, A.K., Karalash, A., Tyler, R.T., Warkentin, T.D., and Nickerson, M.T. (2015). Functional attributes of pea protein isolates prepared using different extraction methods and cultivars. Food Research International, 76, 31—38.

Vanrankovich, N.V., Khan, N.H., Nickerson, M.T., Kalmokoff, M. and Korber, D.R. (2015). Evaluation of pea protein –polysaccharide matrices for encapsulation of acid-sensitive bacteria. Food Research International, 70, 118-124)

Courses

Undergraduate courses:

  • FABS 460.3 - Protein Science & Technology
  • FABS 493.3 - Food Product Development

Gradaute courses:

  • FDSC 850.3 - Advanced Food Proteins