Kyoto University · Agricultural and Biological Sciences
Professor Kyuya Nakagawa's research lab specializes in the development and analysis of advanced food and pharmaceutical processing technologies, with a focus on freeze-drying, microencapsulation, and structural control of biopolymers. The lab investigates the fundamental mechanisms of phase transitions, mass transfer, and microstructure evolution during freezing, thawing, and drying processes, using in-situ imaging techniques such as X-ray CT and mathematical modeling. Key research directions include optimizing encapsulation efficiency for sensitive compounds like flavors and β-carotene, understanding ice crystal growth and pore formation during freeze-drying, and engineering functional food and pharmaceutical delivery systems. The lab integrates experimental analysis with numerical simulation to design stable, high-performance micro- and nano-structured materials for enhanced shelf-life and controlled release.
Figures are computed from collected data and may differ slightly.
Abstract A mathematical model that simulates temperature profiles during freezing process of standard pharmaceutical formulations (mannitol and BSA based) was set up in two‐dimensional axsymmetric space, and the ice crystal mean sizes were semi empirically estimated from the resulting temperature profiles. Water vapor mass transfer permeability values during sublimation step were also estimated from ice phase morphological parameters. All these numerical data were compared with experimental data
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