Ramesh C. Ray

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Ramesh Chandra Ray, born on 22 November 1955 in Jajpur, Odisha, is an Indian agriculture and food microbiologist, author, and editor. He served as principal scientist (microbiology) and head of the Regional Centre at the ICAR-Central Tuber Crops Research Institute (CTCRI) in Bhubaneswar. He has written books such as Agricultural and Biotechnological Applications of Bacillus subtilis, Lactic acid Fermentation of Sweet Potato, and Extracellular Thermostable α-amylase from Streptomyces erumpens, and he edits several agriculture and food microbiology titles. His work covers food biology, bioprocess technology, fermented foods, food security, bio-ethanol from starchy crops, and the bioprocessing of agricultural and food wastes. He is a Fellow of the National Academy of Agricultural Sciences, the National Academy of Biological Sciences, and the Confederation of Horticultural Societies in India. He also serves as Series Editor for Food Biology and Applied Biotechnology Reviews and was listed among the world’s top 2% scientists by Stanford University in 2021, 2022, and 2023.

Ray completed his education at Utkal University, earning a BSc with majors in Botany, Zoology, and Chemistry in 1974, an MSc in Botany in 1976, and a PhD in Botany in 1984. His career began as a lecturer at Kendrapara Autonomous College (1980–1985). He worked as a Scientist of Plant Physiology at ICAR-IHRS in Bangalore (1985–1988), then as Senior Scientist of Microbiology at CTCRI (1988–1998). He later became Principal Scientist at CTCRI’s Regional Centre in Bhubaneswar, a role he held for nearly two decades. From 2019 to 2020, he served as a senior consultant at the International Potato Center in Odisha.

Ray’s research highlights include exploring natural food fermentation and the benefits of microbes in fermentation, with a focus on lactic acid fermentation and lacto-pickling of vegetables. He studied the development of lacto-juice from sweet potatoes and the processing of fruit wines and probiotic beverages from underutilized fruits like Jamun and cashew apple. He has worked on bio-processing of fruit and vegetable wastes to make enzymes and organic acids, promoting zero-waste solutions. He has also investigated the use of cow dung microflora for agriculture and environment, including biocontrol, plant growth promotion, and enzyme production, and he studied bioethanol production from plant biomass, including mohua flowers, comparing yeast and bacteria for efficiency.