Mrs. W.T.V. Thathsaranee

Lecturer

Department of Food Science and Technology,
Faculty of Agriculture, University of Ruhuna,
Mapalana, Kamburupitiya,
Sri Lanka 81100

Research Interests

Qualifications

Reading for the PhD | Queensland University of Technology (QUT), Australia
M.Phil. (Engineering) | Queensland University of Technology (QUT), Australia
B.Sc. in Agriculture (Honours) | University of Ruhuna, Sri Lanka

Biography

Mrs. W.T.V. Thathsaranee is a Lecturer in the Department of Food Science and Technology, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Ruhuna. Research interests include Food Engineering and Plant-Based Food Material Drying.

Awards

Total: 13

01
Research Publication Awards (2025) awarded by Faculty of Agriculture, University of Ruhuna, Sri Lanka for impactful scientific research as evaluated by peers and published in the year of 2023 - Food Chem 2023, Vol 422, 136200; LWT 2023, Vol 182, 114787; Polym (Basel) 202, Vol 15, Iss 3, pp 767
02
Research Publication Awards (2024) awarded by Faculty of Agriculture, University of Ruhuna, Sri Lanka for impactful scientific research as evaluated by peers and published in the year of 2022 - Compr Rev Food Sci F 2022, Vol 21, Iss 1, pp 689-718
03
Publication Excellence Award (2023) awarded by the Advanced Drying and Sustainable Energy Research (ADSER) group, Faculty of Engineering, Queensland University of Technology, Australia in recognition of the outstanding publications made during year 2023
04
QUT Postgraduate Research Award (QUTPRA) (International) and QUT HDR Tuition Fee Sponsorship (2022-2026) awarded by Queensland University of Technology, Australia to pursue PhD studies
05
Faculty Write Up Scholarship (2022) awarded by Queensland University of Technology, Australia
06
Finalist - India Australia Circular Economy (I-ACE) Hackathon (Innovation in reducing packaging waste under University Student category) (2021) Organized by Atal innovation Mission (AIM), NITI Aayog Government of India and Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO)
07
QUT Tuition Fee Waiver and QUT Master of Philosophy Development (MDev) Scholarship (2020 - 2022) awarded by Queensland University of Technology, Australia to pursue Master of Philosophy studies
08
Runner-up of the Poster Presentation (Student Session) - International Symposium on Agriculture and Environment (ISAE-2016), Faculty of Agriculture, University of Ruhuna, Sri Lanka held on 13 January 2016
09
Dr. SK Charles Memorial Gold Medal: For the graduate with the highest Grade Point Average for the Degree of Bachelor of the Science of Agriculture and graduated in the year 2015, at the convocation held on 27 May 2016
10
Upali Wijayawardena Gold Medal for Agriculture: For the graduate who obtained the highest Grade Point Average with First Class Honours for the Degree of Bachelor of the Science of Agriculture and graduated in the year 2015, at the convocation held on 27 May 2016
11
The Gold Medal awarded by Professor YDA Senanayake: For the graduate who obtaining the highest Grade Point Average for the subjects offered by the Department of Crop Science in all the semester examinations of the Degree of Bachelor of the Science of Agriculture, and graduated in the year 2015 at the convocation held on 27 May 2016
12
Mallika De Mel Memorial Gold Medal: For the graduate who obtained the Degree of Bachelor of the Science of Agriculture with First Class Honours with the highest Grade Point Average, and graduated in the year 2015, at the convocation held on 27 May 2016
13
Dr. PSJW Serasinghe Memorial Gold Medal: For the graduate who obtained the highest marks for the Crop Science subject in Farm Practice Course in the third year of the Degree of Bachelor of the Science of Agriculture and showed the best performance in the specialization program in Crop Science during the final year and graduated in the year 2015, at the convocation held on 27 May 2016

Journal Publications

Total: 16

Welsh, Z. G., Weligama Thuppahige, V. T., & Karim, M. A. (2026). Multiscale modeling for food drying: A downscaling approach. Journal of Food Engineering, 402, 112695.

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Weligama Thuppahige, V. T., Welsh, Z. G., Joardder, M., & Karim, A. (2024). Recent advances in determining the cellular-level property evolutions of plant-based food materials during drying. Trends in Food Science & Technology (Q1), 143. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tifs.2023.104291.

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Weligama Thuppahige, V. T., Welsh, Z. G., Suresh. J. Joardder, M., & Karim, A. (2024). Investigation of evolving cellular-level structure of apple during convective drying using X-ray micro-computed tomography. Proceedings of the 23rd International Drying Symposium (IDS) –, 2024, 22-23 November 2024, Wuxi, China (Oral Presentation).

Welsh, Z. G., Weligama Thuppahige, V. T., & Karim, A. (2024). A multiscale model to investigate intracellular water transport during convective drying of food material. Proceedings of the 23rd International Drying Symposium (IDS) –, 2024, 22-23 November 2024, Wuxi, China.

Weligama Thuppahige, V. T., Moghaddam, L., Welsh, Z. G., Wang, T., & Karim, A. (2023). Investigation of critical properties of Cassava (Manihot esculenta) peel and bagasse as starch-rich fibrous agro-industrial wastes for biodegradable food packaging. Food Chemistry (Q1), 422. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodchem.2023.136200.

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Weligama Thuppahige, V. T., Moghaddam, L., Welsh, Z. G., Wang, T., Xiao, H. W., & Karim, A. (2023). Extraction and characterisation of starch from cassava (Manihot esculenta) agro-industrial wastes. LWT - Food Science and Technology (Q1), 182. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lwt.2023.114787.

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Weligama Thuppahige, V. T., Moghaddam, L., Welsh, Z. G., & Karim, A. (2023). Investigation of Morphological, Chemical, and Thermal Properties of Biodegradable Food Packaging Films Synthesised by Direct Utilisation of Cassava (Monihot esculanta) Bagasse. Polymers (Basel) (Q1), 15(3), . https://doi.org/10.3390/polym15030767.

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Weligama Thuppahige, V. T., & Karim, M. A. (2022). A comprehensive review on the properties and functionalities of biodegradable and semi biodegradable food packaging materials. Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety (Q1), 21(1), 689-718. https://doi:10.1111/1541-4337.12873. https://doi.org/10.1111/1541-4337.12873

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Feature cover based on the original article “A comprehensive review on the properties and functionalities of biodegradable and semi biodegradable food packaging materials” submitted by Vindya Thathsaranee Weligama Thuppahige and Md Azharul Karim has been published as the cover page of “Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety” journal (Q1), 21 (1), 2022. https://doi.org/10.1111/1541-4337.12947

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Habarakada, A., Perumpuli, P. A. B. N., Thathsaranee, W. T. V., & Wanninayaka, I. P. (2021). Physical, chemical and nutritional quality parameters of three different types of oil: Determination of their reusability in deep frying. Food Research (Q3), 5(5), 226-235. https://doi.org/10.26656/fr.2017.5(5).079.

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Weligama Thuppahige, V. T., Yan C, Moghaddam L, & Karim, M. A. (2021). Characterization of starch extracted from waste Cassava (Manihot esculenta) bagasse as an alternative to commercial cassava starch in biodegradable food packaging sector, Centre for Biomedical Technologies (CBT) Inaugural Conference 2021: Queensland University of Technology, Australia.

Jayasinghe, D., Wijesinghe, M., Gunawardena, U. A. D. P., Mohotti, K., & Thathsarani, W. T. V. (2021). Analytical Hierarchy Process for Comparison of Organic and Chemical Farming of Tea Small Holdings in Baddegama, Galle, Proceedings of International Forestry and Environmental Symposium 2020, Department of Forestry and Environmental Science, University of Jayawardanepura, Sri Lanka, pp-63.

KM. Mohotti, WTV Thathsarani, S. Subasinghe and PGDS Amarasena (2019). Evaluation of Earthworm Population and as Biological Activity in Tea Soils Exposed to Organic and Conventional Practices: A Case Study in Baddegama Area, Sri Lanka, Proceedings, International symposium on sustainable soil management, pp 75-77.

Kanishka, M. E. V. L., Perumpuli, P. A. B. N., Thathsaranee, W. T. V., & IP, W. (2019). Development of cost-effective vegetable biscuit with locally available materials and evaluation of its physicochemical, microbiological, and sensory properties, proceedings, International Symposium on Agriculture and Environment (ISAE – 2018) pp-113.

Chandrsekara, T. T., Raveendran, K., Fernando, G. S. N., Perumpuli, P. A. B. N., & Thathsaranee, W. T. V. (2018). Effect of Dhool Spreading Thickness on made tea quality in orthodox-rotorvane type tea processing, Proceedings, International Symposium on Agriculture and Environment (ISAE–2018), pp.180-183.

Thathsaranee, W. T. V., Mohotti, K. M., & Subasinghe, S. (2016). Evaluation of Biological Parameters in Tea Soils Exposed to Organic and Conventional Practices: A Case Study in Baddegama Area, Proceedings – Student Session, International Symposium on Agriculture and Environment (ISAE – 2016), pp.18.