Lise Korsten

Biography

Prof Korsten is currently responsible for the food safety and regulatory control programmes within the DST Centre of Excellence Food Security.  She is also responsible for the food safety programme within the Institute for Food Nutrition and Well-Being.  She is a chief editor of Crop protection and is chairing the International Society for Plant Pathology Task Force on Global Food Security. Prof Korsten developed South Africa's first biocontrol agent for fruit and established a biocontrol research group at the University of Pretoria that has published extensively.  Prof Korsten has also established a fruit health group that focuses on food safety of fresh produce and on Sanitary and Phytosanitary aspects related to international trade.   

Research Interest

Prof Korsten has focussed her research mainly on complementary fields of postharvest technology and food safety as related to international trade in fresh produce requirements.  She has been able to establish research teams in food safety, postharvest technology, biocontrol and mushroom and fruit health. As a team they have been able to develop several innovative technologies to reduce disease and prevent product contamination. The value of her research programmes can best be illustrated by the strong industry financial support.  She has been able to attract extensive funding over her entire academic career and the high number of papers she has presented or published reflects the impact of her research work.