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Presentation
The Graduate Program in Food and Nutrition at the State University of Campinas (PPGAN), established in 1987, aims to train professionals at both the Master’s and Doctoral levels through basic or applied research, with an integrated view of Food Science, Food Technology, and Nutrition. Using classical and modern techniques, PPGAN distinguishes itself from typical Nutrition schools by studying food (whether fresh or processed) as a health promoter and its impacts on diet and consumer eating habits. Research efforts focus on discovering previously unknown properties, evaluating processes, providing guidelines, and suggesting ways to enhance the beneficial health properties of food, as well as understanding how consumers make food choices in different consumption contexts. Accordingly, PPGAN graduates are expected to have a broad understanding of food and nutrition, preparing them to work as educators and/or researchers, generating and disseminating knowledge, technology, and innovation in the field of food.
PPGAN promotes and conducts cutting-edge research on topics such as the nutritional quality of foods, functional foods, bioactive compounds, innovative industrial processes, quality systems, advanced sensory analyses focused on consumer preferences, perceptions, and choices, and the evaluation of public policies related to food and nutrition.
The program received a CAPES rating of 6 in the most recent evaluations and trains future researchers with an integrated view of the interaction between food and the consumer, aiming at the ultimate goal of food: sustainable health.
Research Lines
Consumption and Quality
• Sensory and Instrumental Analysis of Food Sensory Parameters
Description: Food product development; discriminative sensory evaluations, determination of sensory profiles using traditional descriptive methods (trained panels) and consumer panels; affective tests with consumers; instrumental determination of physical and chemical parameters; correlations between sensory and instrumental measurements through univariate and multivariate statistical analyses.
• Food Consumption, Behavior, and Choices; Relationships between Attitude, Expectation, Health Value, Acceptability, and Consumption Intention
Description: Assessment of food consumption considering factors such as health and nutrition claims, dietary habits, consumption context, and accessibility for specific population groups with a focus on health. Use of qualitative and quantitative research methods combined with affective sensory tests to understand the structuring and impact of intrinsic factors (sensory properties) and extrinsic factors (price, health and marketing claims, technologies, etc.) on consumer preferences and food consumption intentions.
• Public Policies and Regulation Related to Human Food and Nutrition
Description: Evaluation of public policies on school and workplace feeding programs. Assessment of food labeling with a focus on consumer communication and ensuring food safety.
Modeling and Planning of Integrated Systems for Food Production
Faculty Member: Enrique Ortega Rodrigues
Project:
Modeling and planning of integrated systems for food production: The project aims to study the behavior of agroecosystems and aquatic systems; develop an application to visualize system responses under various critical conditions; perform energy and economic analyses of Brazilian agricultural and agro-industrial systems; conduct energy planning; and identify priorities for sustainable development.
Applied Nutrition in Food Technology
- Evaluation of Food Consumption, Digestion Effects, Bioaccessibility, and Bioavailability of Nutrients and Bioactive Compounds in In Vivo and In Vitro Models
Description: Study of the effects of consuming different lipid, protein, carbohydrate, micronutrient, and bioactive compound sources on health and disease prevention. Determination of the chemical composition of fresh foods, modifications after domestic or industrial processing, and during storage. Assessment of the bioaccessibility and bioavailability of nutrients and bioactive compounds. - Use of Byproducts from Food Production Chains to Obtain Bioactive Compounds and Nutrients
Description: Comprehensive utilization of foods to enrich the human diet through bioactive compounds using the principles of circular economy, by reusing byproducts, reducing environmental impact, generating new inputs, and adding value to waste. - Evaluation of the Bioactive Potential of Compounds and Extracts from Food Matrices in In Vitro and In Vivo Models
Description: Development and application of in vitro (chemical, enzymatic, cellular, and microbial) and in vivo models to assess the bioactive potential of compounds and extracts aimed at producing functional food ingredients or nutraceuticals. These models, derived from pharmacology (preclinical drug potential assessment), have been adapted to food science to evaluate the potential of generated samples for functional ingredient production or the potential of food-derived fractions in the prevention or treatment of chronic non-communicable diseases (diabetes, cancer, obesity, inflammation, etc.). - Development of Biotechnological Processes to Obtain Bioactive Compounds or Functional Ingredients and Assessment of Biological and Nutritional Potential
Description: Development of biotechnological processes (enzymatic and fermentative) to produce extracts rich in bioactive compounds from plant matrices, such as phenolic compounds with preventive and therapeutic effects in chronic non-communicable diseases. These processes aim to offer alternatives to conventional extraction methods, which are often inefficient, generate large amounts of waste, degrade target compounds, and reduce yields. Biotransformations can also be designed to enhance the bioactivity of phenolics in the produced extracts.
The production of lipid nanoparticles with structured oils, generated via enzymatic interesterification processes, is another focus of this project, producing functional ingredients (special lipids with low caloric value and antioxidant properties) and evaluating their nutritional and technological functionality for application in food products. Studies on the development of interesterification reactions of different oils under various processing conditions allow the production of lipid bases specifically designed for diverse food applications, with highly specific and desirable nutritional properties.
Contact – Coordination
E-mail: ppgan@unicamp.br