Gulhan Unlu

• Food, dairy and wine microbiology
• Food biotechnology
• Functional foods
• Microbial food safety
• Food biopreservation
• Bioactive packaging of foods
• Bioconversion of agricultural and industrial waste into value-added products

• Can H., S.K. Chanumolu, B.D. Nielsen, S. Alvarez, M.J. Naldrett, G. Ünlü, H.H. Otu. 2023. Integration of Meta- Multi-Omics Data Using Probabilistic Graphs and External Knowledge. Cells 12: 1998; https://doi.org/10.3390/cells12151998
• Lee, W.-J., B. Nielsen, F.L. Younce, C.G. Edwards, and G. Ünlü. 2023. Polyphasic identification of a Zygosaccharomyces rouxii isolate from grape juice processing concentrate and its control using thermal processing. AIMS Agriculture and Food. 8(2): 662-673. https://doi.org/10.3934/agrfood.2023036
• Shen, X., S. Yuan; H. Zi, Z. Hongmei, G. Ünlü, C. Ross, M. Mendoza, I. Hanrahan, J. Tang, and M. Zhu. 2022. Listeria monocytogenes cross-contamination during apple waxing and subsequent survival under different storage conditions. Food Microbiology. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fm.2022.104166
• Meldrum, A., G. Ünlü, and H. Joyner. 2022. The effect of organic acids and storage temperature on lite salad dressing rheology and Zygosaccharomyces parabailii growth. Journal of Food Science and Technology. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13197-022-05459-4
• Sindi, Abrar, Md. B. Badsha, and G. Ünlü. 2020. Bacterial populations in international artisanal kefirs. Microorganisms 8(9), 1318; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms8091318
• Sindi, Abrar, Md. B. Badsha, B. Nielsen, and G. Ünlü. 2020. Antimicrobial activity of six international artisanal kefirs against Bacillus cereus, Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella enterica serovar Enteritidis, and Staphylococcus aureus. Microorganisms 8(6), 849; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms8060849
• Nielsen, B., M.J. Colle, and G. Ünlü. 2020. Meat quality and safety - a biological approach. International Journal of Food Science and Technology 56 (1): 39-51. https://doi.org/10.1111/ijfs.14602
• Meldrum, A., G. Ünlü, and H. Joyner. 2019. Dairy protein stabilizers affect both rheological properties and growth of Zygosaccharomyces parabailii in lite salad dressings. Journal of Food Preservation and Processing. https://doi.org/10.1111/jfpp.14069
• Ziyaina, M., B. Rasco, T, Coffey, G. Ünlü, and S. Sablani. 2019. Colorimetric Detection of Volatile Organic Compounds for Shelf-Life Monitoring of Milk. Food Control 100: 220-226. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodcont.2019.01.018
• Iqbal, G., T. Zahoor, N. Huma, A. Jamil, and G. Ünlü. 2019. In-vitro GIT tolerance of microencapsulated Bifidobacterium bifidum ATCC 35914 using polysaccharide-protein matrix. Probiotics and Antimicrobial Proteins 11 (3): 830-839. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12602-017-9384-5
• Ovissipour, M., C. Liu, G. Ünlü, B. Rasco, J. Tang, S. Sablani. 2018. Quality Changes in Chum Salmon (Oncorhynchus keta) Caviar (Ikura) Affected by Thermal Pasteurization, Storage Time and Packaging Material. Journal of Aquatic Food Product Technology 27(2): 200-210. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10498850.2017.1417340

Ünlü is a food microbiologist. She has been studying foodborne microorganisms, including the good (probiotics, starter cultures, adjunct cultures), the bad (pathogenic microorganisms) and the ugly (spoilage organisms) throughout her career. Over the years, her research laboratory has focused on lactic acid bacteria (LAB) and their fermentations with particular emphasis on functional foods such as kefir and yogurt; yeast and yeast-based fermentations; biopreservation and probiotic bacteria; bioactive packaging; dairy food and ingredient microbiology; and value-added processing of agricultural and industrial byproducts. Her research laboratory has worked on diverse commodities (dairy, potatoes, fish, grape juice and wine) and by-products (cheese whey, potato peel waste and fish skin/bones) that are significant for the state of Idaho and the region.

• Fulbright Specialist, Shakhrisabz Branch of Tashkent Chemical-Technological Institute (TCTI), Shakhrisabz, Uzbekistan, 2022
• Biotechnology Division 2012-13 Outstanding Volunteer Award, The Institute of the Food Technologists, 2013
• Fulbright Research Fellow, The Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program, 2013
• Alumni Award for Excellence, University of Idaho Alumni Association, University of Idaho, December 2012
• Alumni Award for Excellence, University of Idaho Alumni Association, University of Idaho, December 2004
• Alumni Award for Excellence, University of Idaho Alumni Association, University of Idaho, December 2002