Mr. Ajay Kamboj | Sustainable Agriculture and Food Security | Best Researcher Award
Ph.D. Scholar | Punjab Agricultural University | India
Mr. Ajay Kamboj is a emerging horticultural researcher specializing in postharvest biology, fruit quality management, antioxidant defence mechanisms, and novel edible coating technologies. His research primarily focuses on mitigating postharvest quality deterioration in fruits through biochemical, enzymatic, and oxidative stress analyses, with strong expertise in FTIR spectroscopy, coating rheology, and statistical modeling, including PCA and correlation analysis. His publication portfolio demonstrates consistent contributions to high-impact journals. He has authored multiple Q1-ranked research articles, including studies on carrageenan–potassium sorbate graft coatings for mandarin, composite xanthan gum coatings for strawberries, and cinnamic acid–based coatings for mangoes, published in Food Hydrocolloids, International Journal of Biological Macromolecules, and Plant Foods for Human Nutrition. His work also extends to innovations such as chitosan/karonda polyphenol-enriched coatings for Prunus salicina and investigations into ripening and sugar metabolism in low-chill pear varieties, contributing to journals like Postharvest Biology and Technology and Acta Physiologiae Plantarum. Mr. Ajay Kamboj has contributed to academic publishing through a book chapter on protected cultivation in fruit crops, reflecting additional engagement in scholarly dissemination. His Scopus metrics-57 citations, 12 documents, and an h-index of 4-further evidence his growing research impact. He actively serves as a peer reviewer for reputable international journals, including Journal of Food Measurement and Characterisation and Erwerbs-Obstbau, demonstrating recognition within the scientific community for his subject-matter expertise. His research contributions advance sustainable postharvest technologies, shelf-life enhancement strategies, and biochemical quality preservation in horticultural produce. His findings support future innovations in food security, fruit storage, and plant-based coating materials, marking him as a promising researcher in postharvest fruit science.
Featured Publications
1. Gautam, A., Gill, P. P. S., Singh, N., Jawandha, S. K., Arora, R., & Kamboj, A. (2024). Composite coating of xanthan gum with sodium nitroprusside alleviates the quality deterioration in strawberry fruit. Food Hydrocolloids, 110208.
2. Ajay, A., Gill, P. P. S., Jawandha, S. K., Singh, N. P., Kaur, S., & Kaur, P. (2023). Role of gum Arabic combined with cinnamic acid coating on quality and cell wall degradation enzymes of mango fruits at low temperature. International Journal of Biological Macromolecules, 259, 129088.
3. Jan, Z., Jawandha, S. K., Gill, P. S., Singh, H., Kamboj, A., Singh, A., & Jhanji, S. (2026). Chitosan/karonda polyphenol extract enriched coating alleviates postharvest quality deterioration by elicitation of antioxidant defence response in Prunus salicina. Postharvest Biology and Technology, 231, 113857.
4. Kamboj, A., Gill, P. P. S., Jawandha, S. K., Singh, N. P., Arora, R., Singh, A., & Kaur, P. (2025). Enhancing postharvest quality and antioxidant properties of mango using cinnamic acid-enriched xanthan gum coatings. Plant Foods for Human Nutrition, 80(3), 135.
5. Jalota, A., Singh, M., Gill, P. P. S., Grewal, S. K., & Kamboj, A. (2025). Effect of on-tree storage on ripening related changes and sugar metabolism in fruits of different low-chill pear varieties. Acta Physiologiae Plantarum, 47(11), 106.