Biological engineering is an interdisciplinary area focusing on the application of engineering principles to analyze biological systems and to solve problems in the interfacing of such systems -- plant, animal or microbial--with human-designed machines, structures, processes and instrumentation. A basic goal is to design technology that operates in harmony with the biology of living systems. In many cases, currently available knowledge is inadequate to support engineering design of food and biological processes. Hence, greater fundamental knowledge of biology and its potential applications are also of concern to the food and biological engineer.

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Projects in this area include:

• studies on cryopreservation of plant and animal germplasm
• uptake of nutrients in hydroponic systems
• stomatal control of gas and water exchange in plants

Improvements in producing, harvesting and processing plants and plant products are based on an understanding of their engineering properties. Current studies in this area:

• developing nonchemical methods of pest control through examination of insect-plant interaction
• maintaining product quality during handling and storing of fruits and vegetables
• automating grading systems and improving the quality of animal feed through control of silage fermentation and spoilage

Processing food materials often involves transport of momentum, energy, and mass. Basic quantitative understanding of transport processes allows engineers to improve existing processes and design new ones. Current interests include:

• quantitative study of microwave heat transfer in liquid and solid foods
• moisture migration in solid foods under microwave heating
• heat transfer during thermal sterilization of foods

The management of animals and processing of animal products require sound biological and behavioral information concerning the animals. Information on their physiological response to environmental, nutritional, reproductive, and pathological conditions is crucial. Ongoing studies encompass:

• automated milking
• poultry heat stress and thermoregulation
• environmental control systems for intensive aquaculture
• heat transfer between animals and their environment

More efficient dairy management is sought through the application of:

• electronics to milk flow measurement
• estrus and calving detection
• automatic cow identification

Biotechnology's promise for agriculture will also rely on biological engineers for design and scale-up of fermentation processes, purification of biosynthetic products, and optimization of existing microbial processes. Example projects include:

• kinetics of enzymatic hydrolysis of biomass
• microbial production of solvents from whey permeate