Li Ma

co-author of "Practical Tools for Plant and Food Biosecurity"

January 8, 2018

Dr. Li Maria Ma is an Associate Professor in Food Microbiology at the National Institute of Microbial Forensics & Food and Agricultural Biosecurity of Oklahoma State University. She received her B.S. in Food Engineering from Dalian Polytechnic University, P. R. China, and Ph. D degree in Food Microbiology from Purdue University.

Currently, Dr. Ma teaches several graduate-level courses including Advanced Biotechnology Methods, Forensic Microbiology, Emerging Issues in Food Safety & Biosecurity, and Career Skills & Professionalisms. Her current research areas include the development of rapid molecular detection and DNA fingerprinting methods for foodborne pathogens, ecological studies of foodborne pathogens in plant/animal environments through conventional and metagenomic & meta-transcriptomic approaches, and development of novel control measures against foodborne pathogen contamination of foods, such as cold plasma and nanoparticles. She has published over 40 peer-reviewed scientific articles, 4 book chapters, and holds 4 U. S. patents. Dr. Ma currently also serves as the president for the Oklahoma Association for Food Protection, an affiliate of the International Association for Food Protection.

This book is based on EU-funded project PLANTFOODSEC, covering intentional and unintentional threats to plant biosecurity and to food safety areas. Biosecurity is a strategic and integrated approach for analyzing and managing relevant risks to human, animal and plant life and health, and associated risks to the environment. Interest in biosecurity has risen considerably over the last decade in parallel with the increasing trade in food and plant and animal products; higher levels of international travel; new outbreaks of transboundary diseases. Although most diseases outbreaks have natural causes or are the result of inadvertent introductions of pathogens through human activities, the risk of a deliberate introduction of a high consequence plant pathogen cannot be excluded. Vigilance is required to identify, prevent and manage new and emerging issues that could impact on production capacity, plant biosecurity or food safety and food chain resilience.

URL: https://library.okstate.edu/news/celebratingbooks/2018-honorees/name

Last Updated: 9 January 2018