Contact Professor Naresh Magan

Areas of expertise

  • Air
  • Food Quality
  • Food Safety

Background

Professor Magan completed his BSc in Botany and PhD in Plant Pathology at Exeter University. He subsequently completed his PhD at Rothamsted Research while being registered at Reading University. He was awarded a DSc by Cranfield University in 2013 for his research contributions related to "ecophysiology of spoilage and mycotoxigenic fungi". He has been carrying out research in applied aspects of mycology including fungi in extreme environments for more than 30+ years. He heads an internationally recognised centre of excellence in specialised areas of the application of fungal technology in the agrifood, environment and food safety areas. The research group includes academic staff, post-doctoral fellows, visiting scientists, PhD students and excellent technical support. The group consists of around 10-12 scientists at any one time. In the last 30+ years, over 60 PhD and 70 MSc students have successfully completed their research projects under his supervision. Naresh has published 325+ refereed journal papers and 400+ publications in total including edited books, Chapters and Proceedings papers. He has an H-index of 81 (Google Scholar) and 59 (Scopus). 

Research opportunities

We are interested in students who would like to complete there PhD research in the Applied Mycology area, especially related to (a) food safety, (b) impacts of climate change scenarios and extreme environments on food security, (c) molecular ecology of spoilage and mycotoxigenic fungi, (c) biocontrol agents - development and formulation technologies, (d) bioremediation systems, (e) post-harvest Decision Support Systems for minimising food spoilage, (f) use of volatiles for the early detection of contaminants in food and the environment.

Current activities

Research at present includes: Molecular ecology and ecophysiology of fungi in extreme environments, spoilage and mycotoxigenic fungi in food production systems; Impact of climate change factors on diseases and mycotoxigenic fungi; prevention strategies including use of physical and novel molecular approaches to minimising mycotoxin contamination; Ecophysiology of biological control agents for improved field efficacy against pests/fungal diseases; Fungal bioremediation strategies for enhanced degradation of xenobiotic compounds; Electronic nose technology for early detection of microbes for food/environment/health applications; Solid and liquid fermentation systems for enhancing secondary metabolite production. 

Clients

Clients have included Food Standards Agency, Unilever, HGCA, Danone, European Millers Association, Unilever, Bionema and a wide range of companies working in relevant research areas in the Food Security sphere. Research grants have been obtained from the national Research Councils, the EU and via Innovate UK with a range of sensor and food related Companies..

Publications

Articles In Journals

Conference Papers

  • Magan N (2017) Mycotoxins and Food Security: Deciphering the Impacts of Climate Change Scenarios. In: 2017 IAFP Annual Meeting, Tampa, 9-12 July 2017.

Books

  • Kerry R, Ingram B, Garcia-Cela E & Magan N (2019) Spatial analysis of mycotoxins in stored grain to develop more precise management strategies. In: Precision agriculture’19, Wageningen Academic Publishers, p. 721-727.
  • Medina A, Rodriguez A & Magan N (2015) Changes in environmental factors driven by climate change: Effects on the ecophysiology of mycotoxigenic fungi. In: Climate Change and Mycotoxins. Botana, LM, Sainz MJ (ed.), Walter de Gruyter GmbH, p. 71-90.
  • Gouma S, Fragoeiro S, Bastos A & Magan N (2014) Bacterial and Fungal Bioremediation Strategies. In: Microbial Biodegradation and Bioremediation, London: Elsevier, p. 301-323.
  • Magan N & Sahgal N (2007) Electronic nose for quality and safety control. In: Advances in Food Diagnostics, Blackwell, Iowa, USA, p. 119-129.
  • Magan N & Aldred DCN (2007) Why do fungi produce mycotoxins. In: Food Mycology: a multifacted approach to fungi and food, Taylor & Francis, Boca Raton, Florida, USA, p. 121-133.
  • Magan N & Aldred DCN (2006) Managing microbial spoilage in cereal and bakery products. In: Food Spoilage Microorganisms, Woodhead Publications, p. 194-212.
  • Magan N (2006) Ecophysiology of biocontrol agents for improved competence in the phyllosphere. In: Microbial Ecology of Aerial Plant Surfaces, Cabi International, Wallingford, UK, p. 150-164.
  • Magan N, Hope R & Aldred DCN (2006) Ecophysiology of Fusarium culmorum and mycotoxin production. In: Advances in Food Mycology, Springer, p. 123-136.
  • Olsen M, Jonsson N, Magan N, Banks J, Fanelli C, Rizzo A, Haikara A, Dobson A, Frisvad J, Holmes S, Olkku J, Persson S & Borjesson T (2006) Prevention of ochratoxin A in cereals in Europe. In: Advances in Food Mycology, Springer, p. 317-342.
  • Marin S, Magan N, Ramos AJ & Sanchis V (2006) Ecophysiology of Fumonisin production by Fusarium section Liseola. In: Advances in Food Mycology, Springer, p. 115-122.
  • Magan N, Sanchis V & Aldred DCN (2004) Role of spoilage fungi in seed deterioration. In: Fungal Biotechnology in Agricultural, Food and Environmental Applications, Marcell Dekker, p. 311-323.
  • Magan N (2004) Mycotoxin research: progress and future prospects. In: Meeting the Mycotoxin Menace, Wageningen Academic Publishers, p. 295-304.
  • Magan N, Olsen M (eds), (2004) Mycotoxins in food: detection and control, Woodhead Publishing Ltd.
  • Aldred DCN, Olsen M & Magan N (2004) HACCP and mycotoxin control in the food chain. In: Mycotoxin in food: detection and control, Woodhead Publishing.
  • Kozakiewicz Z, Battilani P, Cabanes J, Venancio A, Mule G, Tjamos E, Lichter A, Magan N, Sanchis V, Lebrihi A, Zinzani G & Minguez S (2004) Making wine safer: the case of ochratoxin A. In: Meeting the Mycotoxin Menace, Wageningen Academic Publishers, p. 133-142.
  • Sanchis V & Magan N (2004) Environmental profiles for growth and mycotoxin production. In: Mycotoxins in food: detection and control, Woodhead Publishing Ltd.
  • Magan N, Arroyo A & Aldred DCN (2003) Mould prevention in bread. In: Bread making - improving quality, Woodhead Publishing, p. 500-514.
  • Magan N, Arroyo A & Aldred DCN (2003) Natural antifungal agents for bakery products. In: Natural antimicrobials for minimally processed foods, Woodhead Publishing, p. 272-280.
  • Tothill IE & Magan N (2003) Rapid detection methods for microbial contamination. In: Rapid and on-line instrumentation for food quality assurance, Woodhead Publishing, p. 136-160.
  • Tothill IE & Magan N (2003) Detection of Microbial contamination in food. In: Rapid and on-line Instrumentation for Food Quality Assurance, Woodhead Publishing Limited.
  • Tothill IE, Piletsky SA, Magan N & Turner APF (2001) New biosensors. In: Instrumentation and sensors for the food industry, Woodhead, Cambridge, p. 760-775.
  • Butt T, Jackson C, Magan N (eds), (2001) Fungi as biocontrol agents: progress, potential and problems, CABI BioSciences.
  • Magan N & Aldred DCN Environmental fluxes and fungal interactions: maintaining a competitive edge. In: Stress in yeast and filamentous fungi, Elsevier Ltd, Amsterdam, Holland.
  • Magan N & Aldred DCN Control of spoilage micro-organisms using novel preservatives. In: Spoilage microorganisms in cereals and bakery products, Woodhead Publications.
  • Medina Vaya A, Magan N & Medina Vaya A An overview of oat contamination with mycotoxins: strategies for their control.. In: Oats: Cultivation, Uses and Health Effects., USA: Nova Publishers.
  • Magan N & Aldred DCN Why do fungi produce mycotoxins?. In: New challenges in food mycology, Marcell Dekker.
  • Magan N & Sahgal N Electronic sensing: food and feed application. In: Rapid methods in Europe, 2005, Wageningen University Publications.
  • Magan N Ecophysiology: Impact of environment on growth, synthesis of compatible solutes and enzyme production. In: Ecology of Saprotrophic Basidiomycetes, Elsevier Ltd, Amsterdam, Holland.