Osman Erkmen is professor of food microbiology in the Department of Food Engineering, Gaziantep University. Gaziantep, Turkey. He started his career as a research assistant at the Department of Food Engineering in 1985 and later became an assistant professor in 1994 and associate professor of food microbiology in 1999. He has been working as a professor in this department since 2004, where he teaches courses in general microbiology, food microbiology, food sanitation, and food toxicology. His research focuses on the uses of nonthermal processes and natural antimicrobials in food preservation; the production of fermented foods; the microbial production of lycopene, thiamin, alcohol, and citric acid from industrial wastes; and microbial inactivation and modeling. He studies the combined effect of nonthermal processes, natural antimicrobials in the destruction of microbial cells and spores, and its application in food preservation, as well as characteristics of white and red wines production from Gaziantep grapes. Professor Erkmen has published over 150 research articles, reviews, book chapters, proceeding articles, and popular articles, edited two books, and authored three books in the ?elds of food microbiology, general microbiology, food toxicology and food sanitation, with more than 3,500 citations. He has more than 10 patents, organized more than 20 international scientific symposiums, and participated in more than 65 international symposiums.
