Yen-Con Hung

Yen-Con Hung is the Koehler-Ayres Professor in the Department of Food Science & Technology at the University of Georgia's College of Agricultural & Environmental Sciences. His research focuses on developing advanced processing technologies to ensure microbial safety of foods and extending shelf-life of fresh produce.

His primary research areas include:

• Microbial inactivation using thermal and non-thermal technologies
• Pathogen modeling and combined processing optimization
• Electrolyzed oxidizing water for food safety and quality preservation
• Water electrolysis development and optimization
• Postharvest technologies for fresh produce (including controlled atmosphere storage and cold chain management)
• Peanut Information Network System contributions

Analysis of his 2018-2020 publications reveals dominant research themes in electrolyzed water applications and persulfate-based decontamination. Key contributions include elucidating pathogen inactivation mechanisms, studying viable but non-culturable states in bacteria, enhancing phytochemicals in vegetables, and investigating postharvest physiology in longan and blueberry fruits. His work bridges food safety engineering with produce physiology through rigorous experimental modeling.