Prof. F.A. Masoodi, formerly Dean of Academic Affairs at the University of Kashmir, India, is a senior Professor at the Department of Food Science and Technology, University of Kashmir. Prof. Masoodi has also served as the Dean of Applied Sciences along with being the Head of the Department of Food Science and Technology at University of Kashmir for 10 years, and Co-ordinator for 3 years. He is credited with the establishment of the Department of Food Science and Technology and the Food Pilot Plant at the University of Kashmir before which he was associated with Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology- Kashmir (SKUAST-K), SKUAST-J, and CCS HAU, Hisar (India). He graduated in Agricultural Sciences, and thereafter obtained higher education in Food Technology from reputed institutions of India including GBPUAT, Pantnagar and PAU, Ludhiana. Prof. Masoodi has about 400 publications to his credit which have earned him more than 16000 citations, with an h-index of 76 and i-10 index of 217. He has supervised 15 PhD scholars and many post-graduate students for their dissertations. Prof. Masoodi has handled several extra-mural funded projects focussing on the enhancement of quality of traditional meat products, value addition of fruits and vegetables, and refinement of traditional fermentation technology. He has played a pioneering role in ensuring environmental and food sustainability by working on the utilization of apple pomace in bakery products, for the production of pectin and pullulan. Prof. Masoodi has also established Food Quality Control Laboratory at SKUAST-Jammu. Prof. Masoodi has held the membership of various National and State level committees including NAAC, ICMR, DBT, FSSAI, RuTAG and other academic councils of various universities. Besides this, he is on the Editorial board and reviewer of various National and International Journals.Farah Naqash is a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of Integrative Agriculture, College of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine (CAVM), United Arab Emirates University (UAEU), United Arab Emirates. She holds a PhD in Food Technology from the University of Kashmir, India. Her doctoral research focused on the isolation and characterization of biopolymers, particularly pectin derived from apple pomace, and exploring its potential applications. Her research interests encompass food by-product valorization, biopolymers and their applications, active and sustainable food packaging, encapsulation of bioactive compounds and functional ingredients, and innovative food product development. Dr. Farah has contributed to the field of food science and technology through research articles and book chapters published in reputed journals and academic publications. She previously served as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Food Technology at the Islamic University of Science and Technology (IUST), India, under the Technical Education Quality Improvement Programme (TEQIP-III), supported by the Ministry of Education, Government of India, and the World Bank. During her tenure at IUST, she worked as Principal Investigator (PI) and Co-Principal Investigator (Co-PI) on two externally funded research projects. In addition to her research and teaching experience, Dr. Farah has actively participated in various national and international conferences, seminars, and other academic events.Prof. Prakash Maran Jeganathan holds a PhD in Food Technology from Anna University, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. His area of research is valorisation of industrial waste into valuable by products mainly on pectin and its applications. He is working as Professor in the Department of Food Science and Nutrition, Periyar University, Salem, Tamil Nadu, India. He obtained his first Master’s degree (M.Sc.) in Food Science and Nutrition from Gandhigram Rural University, Gandhigram, Tamil Nadu, India and second Master’s (M.Tech.) in Food Processing Technology from Annamalai University, Chidambaram. Prof. Prakash Maran Jeganathan has more than 85 publications to his credit which have earned him more than 9000 citations, with an h-index of 51 and i-10 index of 80. He is an author for 4 books, published 8 chapters in reputed book publishers, supervised 4 PhD scholars and many UG & PG students in the field of Food Science and Technology. Further, he served as reviewer for different national and international Journals, delivered various lectures and act as a resource person in different international and national conferences, seminars and workshops. He was ranked in “World’s Top 2% Most Influential Scientists by Stanford University and Elsevier” since 2019.

• Section I: Pectin chemistry and functionality1. Pectin: Structure and properties2. Structural and conformational effects on gelation and rheology3. Mechanisms underlying emulsifying properties of pectin4. Bioactivity and health benefits of pectin5. Modified pectin: Processing, structure and applicationsSection II: Valorization of agro-industrial waste streams for sourcing pectin6. Pectin from conventional sources7. Pectin from fruit and vegetable peels8. Pectin from pulp and pomace9. Pectin from non fruit sourcesSection III: Functional applications of pectin in food industry and allied arenas10. Pectin in Dairy products and beverages11. Pectin as an ingredient in low and reduced fat food products12. Pectin as an emulsifying agent in food products13. Pectin-based active and biodegradable food packaging14. Pectin as an encapsulation and delivery vehicle for food components15. Pectin for pharmaceutical drug delivery16. Pectin as a biomaterial in regenerative medicine and cellular agriculture17. Pectin for environmental protection