Professor Richard Tester

Responsibilities

Head of BSc and MSc Food Bioscience Programmes
Member of the University Research Committee
Member of the School's Health and Safety Committee
Member of the School’s Research Committee
Member of Departmental Ethics Committee

Research

The research concerns aspects of carbohydrate biosynthesis, chemical and physical aspects, nutritional properties and industrial applications. More precisely, the research is focused towards understanding how the structure of carbohydrates is developed during biosynthesis and how this controls functionality in food, pharmaceutical and related systems. The work is underpinned by government, charity, industrial and private finance and has led to the formation of industrial products, patents and ventures (including POC funded work on paper security systems, ‘Temp-Tell Limited’ monitoring systems and ‘Glycologic Limited’, a specialist spin-out company focusing on carbohydrate based drug delivery). Much research is collaborative with centres and companies based both within and outside the UK. Richard Tester has published around one hundred articles and has been actively involved in protecting IP for many years through the patent system.

Editorial

Assistant Editor and Editor of three journals – Food Hydrocolloids, JSFA, Staerke/Starch

Key Words

Carbohydrates; food; pharmaceutical; nutrition; lipids; digestion

Recent Research Publications

Khondkar, D., Tester, R. F. and Karkalas, J. (2009) Effect of cross-linking on the resistance to enzymatic hydrolysis of waxy maize starch and low-methoxy pectin. Food Hydrocolloids 23, 387-393.

Alvani, K., Qi, X. and Tester, R. F. (2009) Rapid method to determine the molecular weight of dextrins and dextrans. Carbohydrate Polymers 78, 997-998.

Tester, R. F. and Al-Ghazzewi, F. H. (2009) Utilisation of Glucomannans for Health In Food Hydrocolloids: Characteristics, Properties and Structures, (C H Hollingworth ed.), Chapter 9, pp 1-9. Nova Science Publishers Inc. ISBN 978-1-60876-222-4.

Donthidi, A. R., Tester, R. F. and Aidoo, K. E. (2010) Effect of lecithin and starch on alginate-encapsulated probiotic bacteria. Journal of Microencapsulation 27(1) 67-77.

Al-Ghazzewi, F. H. and Tester, R. F. (2010) Effect of konjac glucomannan hydrolysates and probiotics on the growth of the skin bacterium Propionibacterium acnes in vitro. International Journal of Cosmetic Science 32, 139-142.

Khondkar, P., Aidoo, K. E. and Tester, R.F. (2010) The effects of temperature, pH and cations on the rheological properties of the extracellular polysaccharides of medicinal species of the genus Tremella Pers. (heterobasidiomycetes). International Journal for Medicinal Mushrooms 12 (1), 73-85.