Food Proteins group

Understand how processing and storage affect protein quality and induce protein modifications, including protein oxidation, Maillard reactions (protein glycation) and reactions with polyphenols (reactions between oxidized phenolics (i.e. quinones) and nucleophilic amino acid residues).

Develop and use state-of-the-art analytical methods to identify and quantify reactants, intermediates and products of protein modifications and other food components, both by chromatography-based methods and spectroscopy.

Obtain and use quantitative data and reaction kinetics to understand reaction mechanisms, determine major reaction routes and most significant modifications of food components.

Apply multivariate data analysis to understand the complex relationship between processing, storage and chemical reactions in foods and beverages.

Develop advanced chemometric tools to unravel information otherwise hidden in the large amount of data collected from our analytical methods.

Exploit the established chemical mechanisms to predict, control and modulate changes in food quality and functionality during production and storage.

In collaboration with our partners, determine absorption and uptake of the major modifications of food components occurring during production and storage in both cellular systems and animal models.

In collaboration with our partners, establish immunogenic and inflammatory responses in both cellular systems and animal models based on metabolic degradation of food components.