A lecturer bringing Vietnamese agricultural products from the Laboratory to European dining tables

"People at HUST often say I’m masculine! Maybe it’s because whatever I do, I throw myself into it with passion, always feeling emotions even with the driest technical problems,” shared Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Minh Tan, Lecturer at the School of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Chemistry and Life Science, Hanoi University of Science and Technology.

"MY JOB IS TO TAKE RESEARCH BEYOND THE LABORATORY"

Born and raised in a technical environment, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Minh Tan has been attached to Hanoi University of Science and Technology from her undergraduate engineering studies to her current role as lecturer and researcher.

She earned her PhD in Chemical Process and Equipment Technology at Dresden University of Technology (Germany) in 2004, and completed postdoctoral research on membrane technology at Johannes Kepler University Linz (Austria) in 2014. Upon returning to Vietnam, she has been teaching and conducting research at the School of Chemical Engineering (now part of the Faculty of Chemistry and Life Science).

Assoc. Prof. Nguyen Minh Tan in the laboratory. Photo: HUST.

Since 2012, she has served as Director of the Institute for Research & Development of Natural Product Applications (INAPRO) at Hanoi University of Science and Technology. The university’s personnel records note her tenure from 2012–2023, while many recent articles and press releases continue to introduce her as INAPRO’s Director, underscoring her long-standing connection with the institute.

“Taking research beyond the laboratory” is a phrase she often repeats when sharing her work. My job is to take research beyond the laboratory to an industrial scale whether in agricultural products or wastewater treatment,” she said.

THE SCIENTIST WHO “RESCUED” VIETNAMESE AGRICULTURAL PRODUCE

A highlight in Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Minh Tan’s scientific journey is the JEVA technology (Juice Evaporation at Ambient Pressure). In 2012, while conducting research in Austria on membrane technology applied in agriculture, she came up with the idea of using lychee to produce fruit juice that could be available year-round. From that initial idea, she and her team worked tirelessly in the laboratory, seeking a way to concentrate lychee juice while preserving its natural flavor.

Assoc. Prof. Nguyen Minh Tan presenting JEVA Technology to international scientists. Photo: HUST.

Challenges relating to temperature, pressure, and nutrient preservation were gradually resolved. After years of effort, JEVA technology was born. This is a tropical fruit juice concentration technology that integrates membrane processes such as MF, NF, RO, and MD, combined with a cold-surface evaporation system, allowing juice processing at low temperatures (below 42°C) and ambient pressure. As a result, the product retains its natural flavor, color, and beneficial bioactive compounds, while achieving a high level of dry matter concentration.

In particular, products made with JEVA can be stored at room temperature without preservatives, meeting the strict standards of demanding markets such as Europe, the US, and Japan.

A key advantage of JEVA is enhancing the value of agricultural produce. This technology can transform low-cost raw materials into premium export products. For example, 1 kg of downgraded watermelon worth 2,000–4,000 VND, when concentrated into juice using JEVA, can be sold on international markets for 250,000–400,000 VND.

At the same time, JEVA offers flexibility and independence from seasonality: one system can process many different kinds of fruit juice.

Another advantage of JEVA is its high mobility: the system can be integrated into containers, transported to different regions, and operated on-site. Its operation is simple, remotely controllable, and requires minimal labor or advanced technical skills.

Beyond fruit juice, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Minh Tan has also developed a JEVA-based process to reduce the moisture content of honey, preserving its nutrients and antioxidant activity while lowering HMF levels. This technology has been applied to produce herbal honey, bringing high economic value to both farmers and businesses.

In Vietnam, “rescuing agricultural produce” has long been a phrase associated with seasonal oversupply. With JEVA, the story goes beyond mere “rescue”: it is about creating a new value chain extending shelf life, standardizing quality, enabling concentrated products to meet export standards, and reducing seasonal dependency.

JEVA technology developed by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Minh Tan has attracted the attention and adoption of many domestic and international enterprises, significantly enhancing the value of Vietnamese agricultural products. Her journey from the laboratory to the market, where she combines academic research with entrepreneurship, has earned her the affectionate nickname “the scientist who rescued Vietnamese agricultural produce”.

"DO NOT LET ANY LIMITS HINDER YOUR ASPIRATIONS"

On March 8, 2025, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Minh Tan was awarded the 2024 Kovalevskaia Prize, an honor recognizing outstanding contributions by female scientists.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Minh Tan delivers a message to female scientists: “Do not let any limits hinder your aspirations. Every failed experiment today is a brick for the tower of success tomorrow.” (Photo: HUST).

Speaking at the award ceremony, Assoc. Prof. Tan shared this message with female scientists: “Do not let any limits hinder your aspirations. Every failed experiment today is a brick for the tower of success tomorrow".

She explained that in scientific research, she has always believed that failure is necessary for gaining experience and drawing lessons. Early in her career, each failure left her frustrated, self-critical, and constantly asking herself: “Why did this happen? Where did I go wrong?”.

But over time, through practical experience, she came to realize that what once seemed like failure was not necessarily failure at all, but often the foundation for a new direction. “That’s why now, whenever things don’t go as planned, I stay positive and choose to look on the bright side,” she said.

She still remembers the advice of her Austrian mentor: “If something happens and you cannot solve it immediately, just leave it, don’t touch it, and go to sleep for one night!”. Her immediate reaction was to protest: “But what if after sleeping one night, I wake up and it’s still the same?”.

The professor explained: “Sleeping on it for one night is not about avoiding the problem, but about holding off on making an immediate decision. If you decide right away, you’ll be influenced by emotions and mood”.

She “countered” her mentor: “But what if after one night of sleep, nothing has changed?”

The reply came instantly humorous yet profound: “Then sleep another night. And if nothing changes, sleep yet another night, if you can. I’m nearly 80 years old now, and I think I’m qualified to tell you that!”.

Today, Assoc. Prof. Tan understands that “sleeping another night” is not about delay or avoidance but about giving oneself distance and stepping back to see the issue from a different perspective before making a decision.

Assoc. Prof. Nguyen Minh Tan and her team from the School of Chemistry and Life Sciences, together with researchers from the School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, are discussing the application of AI in developing an “Electronic Nose” system. Photo: HUST.

Currently, Assoc. Prof. Nguyen Minh Tan’s research team is collaborating with a group from the School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering to develop an AI-powered “Electronic Nose” system.

For example, with exported durians, transportation can take 2–3 weeks depending on the destination, so it is crucial to ensure the fruit ripens just in time upon arrival. Traditionally, ripeness is determined through chromatography analysis; even with modern equipment, the process still takes 3–4 hours.

“If we can develop the Electronic Nose system, the ripeness of fruit can be determined very quickly and at low cost. Beyond agricultural produce, we aim for the system to distinguish between fresh milk and milk that has been stored for a long time. This technology will be especially useful for school canteens,” she shared.