Personal Information

Dr. Neetu Kumra Taneja Dr. Neetu Kumra Taneja Designation : Assistant Professor neetu.taneja@niftem.ac.in +91-130-2281219

  1. Dr. Neetu Kumra Taneja’s aim is to contribute towards a significant reduction in food-borne illnesses and food spoilage by improving the safety of foods by:

    · Exploring practical solutions, with an emphasis on natural products for the food industry in order to provide safe and wholesome foods for the consumer

    · Develop rapid and inexpensive diagnostic tools/sensors for detecting food-borne pathogens using nano-biotechnological interventions.

    · Providing microbiology testing services to industry.

     

    Research Focus: Focus on food safety, controlling foodborne pathogens and biofouling using various technologies and natural plant antimicrobials & rapid diagnostics of foodborne pathogens

     

    Our Lab works in the following areas:

    · Novel technologies and multiple hurdle approach for controlling ‘resistant’ foodborne pathogenic bacteria (including antibiotic resistant strains).

    · Plant-derived antimicrobials and their applications in safe food formulations; prepare antimicrobial washes/coatings and films for perishable and semi-perishable foods.

    · Microbial Biofilms: Bacterial attachment and biofilm formation in food production environments and novel technologies for their eradication (special focus on natural bioactive compounds.

    · Microbiological Risk Assessment: Molecular epidemiology of food-borne pathogens, their survival and prevalence in traditional Indian foods.

    · Designing and evaluation of Nanotechnological tools and materials (especially bionanocomposites) for microbial tracking and obliteration.

    · Novel and Rapid Diagnostics cum antimicrobials combatives for Food-borne pathogens powered by aptamer technology and natural bioactives

  1. Travel Grant for invited talk at IAFP-2020 2020

    · Best Teacher Award by by Sree Narayan Sanskritik Chetna Nyas, 2018

    Noida on September 5, 2018

    · Editorial Board Member International Journal of Food and Fermentation Technology (IJFFT) ISSN – 2249-1570 /E-ISSN – 2277-9396

    · Best Mentor Award by NIFTEM 2014-15

    · Post-doctoral Scholar Development Award 2011

    by Wake Forest University Health Sciences

    · Awarded Senior Research Fellowship from Council of Scientific

    and Industrial Research (CSIR), Govt. of India, New Delhi 2005-2008

    · Awarded Junior Research Fellowship from Council of Scientific

    and Industrial Research (CSIR), Govt. of India, New Delhi 2003-2005

    · Awarded Scholarship of merit from University of Monsanto

    During the M.S in microbiology at University of Delhi, South Campus 2002

  1. In vitro and In situ Abrogation of Biofilm Formation In E. coli by Vitamin C through ROS generation, disruption of quorum sensing and EPS production. Shivaprasad DP, Taneja NK*, Lakra DP and Sachdev D (2021). Food Chemistry 341(Pt 1):128171. doi: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2020.128171. (I.F: 6.2) (*Corresponding author)

     

    · Phenotypic and genotypic characterization of biofilm forming, antimicrobial resistant Escherichia coli isolated from Indian dairy and meat products. Bhardwaj DK, Taneja NK*, Shivaprasad DP, Chakotiya A, Patel P, Taneja P, Sachdev D. (2021). International Journal of Food Microbiology. 336:108899. doi: 10.1016/j.ijfoodmicro.2020.108899. Epub 2020 Sep 30. PMID: 33160121.. (I.F: 4.187) (*Corresponding author)

     

    · A surveillance of Food-borne outbreaks in India. Akshay Bisht, Manoj P. Kamble, Pritesh Choudhary , Kartikey Chaturvedi, Gautam Kohli, Vijay Kumar Juneja, Shalini Sehgal, Neetu Kumra Taneja*(2021). Food Control. 121: 107630. doi:10.1016/j.foodcont.2020.107630 (I.F: 4.420) (*Corresponding author)

     

    · Molecular docking, synthesis and anticancer activity of thiosemicarbazone derivatives against MCF-7 human breast cancer cell line. Belay ZelekeSibuh, SoniaKhanna, PankajTaneja, Paratpar Sarkar, Neetu Kumra Taneja (2021). Life Sciences. 273: 11930. doi.org/10.1016/j.lfs.2021.119305

     

    · Evaluation of the Biochemical and Genetic Effects of the in vitro Antimicrobial Activities Triphala Powder Extracts on Bacillus subtilis. (2021). International Journal of Pharma Sciences and Scientific Research (Accepted).

    · Aman Sharma, Shivaprasad D.P., Komal Chauhan, Neetu Kumra Taneja* (2019). Control of E. coli growth and survival in Indian Soft Cheese (Paneer) using multiple hurdles: phytochemicals, temperature and vacuum. LWT- Food Science and Technology. Volume 114, November 2019, 108350. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lwt.2019.108350 (I.F: 3.714) (*Corresponding author)

     

     

    · Dinesh Kumar Bharadwaj, Neetu Kumra Taneja* (2019). Animal Food Export: Challenges and Opportunities in India. Appro Poult Dairy & Vet Sci 7(1):615-617. APDV.000655.2019. DOI: 10.31031/APDV.2019.07.000655 (I.F: 0.573) (*Corresponding author)

     

     

    · Vinay Kumar, Divya Sachdev, Renu Pasricha, Priyanka H. Maheshwari, Neetu Kumra Taneja. Zinc Supported Multiwalled Carbon Nanotube Nanocomposite; a synergism to micronutrient release and a smart distributor to promote the growth of Onion Seeds in arid conditions (2018). ACS applied materials & interfaces 10 (43), 36733-36745 (I.F: 8.456)

     

    · Sikri K, Batra SD, Nandi M, Kumari P, Taneja NK, Tyagi JS. The pleiotropic transcriptional response of Mycobacterium tuberculosis to vitamin C is robust and overlaps with the bacterial response to multiple intracellular stresses. Microbiology. 2015 Apr;161(Pt 4):739-53. (I.F: 1.866)

     

    · Kaur K*, Taneja NK*, Dhingra S, Tyagi JS. DevR (DosR) mimetic peptides impair transcriptional regulation and survival of Mycobacterium tuberculosis under hypoxia by inhibiting the autokinase activity of DevS sensor kinase. BMC Microbiol. 2014 Jul 21;14:195. (*Co-First author) (I.F: 2.56)

     

    · Taneja NK, Ganguly T, Bakaletz LO, Nelson KJ, Dubey P, Poole LB, Deora R. D-alanine Modification of a Protease-Susceptible Outer Membrane Component by the Bordetella pertussis dra Locus Promotes Resistance to Antimicrobial Peptides and PMN-mediated Killing. J Bacteriol. 2013. Nov;195(22):5102-11. (I.F: 3.234)

     

    · Dhingra S*, Kaur K*, Taneja N.K*, and Tyagi J.S. DevR (DosR) binding peptide inhibits adaptation of Mycobacterium tuberculosis under hypoxia. FEMS Microbiol Lett. 2012 May;330(1):66-71. (*Co-First author) (I.F: 1.994)

     

     

    · Taneja NK, Dhingra S, Mittal A, Naresh M, Tyagi JS. Mycobacterium tuberculosis transcriptional adaptation, growth arrest and dormancy phenotype development is triggered by vitamin C. PLoS One. 2010 May 27;5(5):e10860. (I.F: 2.776)

     

     

    · Taneja NK, Tyagi JS. Resazurin reduction assays for screening of anti-tubercular compounds against dormant and actively growing Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Mycobacterium bovis BCG and Mycobacterium smegmatis. J Antimicrob Chemother. 2007 Aug;60(2):288-93. (I.F: 5.217)

     

     

    · Majumdar SD, Sharma D, Vashist A, Kaur K, Taneja NK, Chauhan S, Challu VK, Ramanathan VD, Balasangameshwara V, Kumar P, Tyagi JS. Co-expression of DevR and DevR(N)-Aph proteins is associated with hypoxic adaptation defect and virulence attenuation of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. PLoS One. 2010 Feb 26;5(2):e9448. (I.F: 2.776)

     

     

    · Taneja P, Frazier DP, Kendig RD, Maglic D, Sugiyama T, Kai F, Taneja NK, Inoue K. MMTV mouse models and the diagnostic values of MMTV-like sequences in human breast cancer. Expert Rev Mol Diagn. 2009 Jul;9(5):423-40. Review (I.F: 3.099)

     

    · Biofilms and Food Industry. Newsletter October 2015, pp:2-6. AFSTI Chapter Mumbai.

     

    · Bionanocomposites and their Application in Food Packaging. Shivaprasad D.P and Neetu Kumra Taneja. FMT Magazine (July 2019 issue)

Books/Book Chapters:

Phytochemicals in therapy of radiation induced damage and cancer. In Book:Cancer Preventive and Therapeutic Compounds: Gift from Mother Nature. Edited by Sahdeo Prasad and Amit K Tyagi. Bentham Science Publishers (2017). ISBN 978-1-68108-492-3.

 

· Emerging Silver Nanomaterials for Smart Food Packaging in Combating Food Borne Pathogens. In Book: Silver Nanomaterials for environmental and agri-food applications” Eds: Kamel A. Abd-Elsalam. Elsevier (Accepted)

 

· Nutraceuticals and natural product derivatives for disease prevention. In Book: Handbook of Nutraceuticals and Natural Products” Edited by: Sreerag Gopi and Preetha Balakrishnan. Wiley & Sons, Inc (Submitted)

1. Qualification

# Degree Name Subject University/College Year
1 PhD. Biotechnology All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), India 2004 - 2008
2 Post-doctoral Fellow Microbiology and Immunology Wake Forest University, USA 2008 - 2011
3 M.S Microbiology University of Delhi South Campus, India 2001-2003
4 B.S Microbiology Gargi College, University of Delhi, India 1997-2000

2. Experience

# Designation University/College Duration
1 Assistant Professor NIFTEM 2012 - Present

International Experience(s)/Collaboration(s)/Counsultancy:

  1. Teaching Microbiology and Biotechnology courses (theory and practicals) to the undergraduate, B.Tech (Food Technology and Management) and post-graduate, M.tech (Food Safety and Quality Management) students for the past 8 years at NIFTEM.

    · Subjects taught: General Microbiology, Advanced Food Microbiology, Food Biotechnology and Food Safety and Public Health.

    · Assistant Professor (March 2012 – till date): Department of Basic and Applied Sciences, National Institute of Food Technology Entrepreneurship and Management (NIFTEM), Ministry of Food Processing Industries, Government of India, Kundli, Haryana, India.

     

    · Post-Doctoral fellow (2009- 2011): Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Wake Forest University of Health Sciences, Winston Salem, NC, USA.

     

    · Research Fellow (2003 – 2008) at Department of Biotechnology, AIIMS, New Delhi.

Externally Funded Projects:

1. ‘Evaluation of anti-biofilm, anti-microbial effect of natural compounds against food-borne pathogens.’

Role: Principal Investigator

Funding Agency: SERB

Cost: ~35 lacs

Duration: 3 years (2015-2018)

Status: Completed

 

2. ‘Flavor change of Amrutham Nutrimix (THR) and Development of Nutraceuticals based ready to use Therapeutic foods for the management of malnutrition in children and women in reproductive age’

Role: Co-Principal Investigator

Funding Agency: WCD, Govt. of Kerala

Cost: Rs. 41.99 lacs

Duration: 1 year (2020-21)

Status: Completed

 

3. ‘Assessment of Physicochemical and Nutritional characterstics of underutilized millets (Kodo and Kutki) and development of value added products.’

Role: Co-Principal Investigator

Funding Agency: Department of Tribal Affairs Government of Madhya Pradesh

Cost: Rs. 93.37680 lacs

Duration: 3 years (2017-2020)

Status: Ongoing

 

Consultancy projects:

· Development of Protein based Health Drink for M/s Sunfoods overseas.

· Evaluation of antimicrobial efficacy and nutritional safety of a Sanitizer SafeWash For Fruits And Vegetables for M/s Aeon Power Pvt Ltd.

· Shelf Stability for Antidote-Almond Milk for ANTIDOTE®.

Patent:

  1. Bagchi G, Mayuri, Kumra N, Kaur K, Saini D.K, Tyagi A.K and Tyagi J.S. ICMR Indian patent (Granted) 211217: ‘A simple and fast process for evaluating promoter activity of persistent M. tuberculosis in hypoxic conditions using M. smegmatis as a surrogate host.’ International classification number C12N 1/15.

     

    · Divya Sachdev and Neetu Kumra Taneja. Indian patent (Granted): 349010.

    Co-precipitation synthesis of economical layered silver-iron oxides nanocomposites for rapid killing of bacterial pathogens.

     

    · Divya Sachdev, Neetu Kumra Taneja, Akshay Bisht, Renu Pasricha and JS Rana. Filed Indian patent: Biologically derived fluorescent functional nanoprobe as universal stain for gram negative bacteria and cryoextender for sperm protection. Indian Patent Application No. 202011010076