Area: Consumption and Quality
Research Line: Sensory Science
• Sensory and Instrumental Analysis of Sensory Parameters in Foods
Description: Development of food products; discriminative sensory evaluations; determination of sensory profiles using traditional descriptive methods (trained panels) and with consumers; affective tests with consumers; instrumental determination of physical and chemical parameters; correlation between sensory and instrumental measurements through univariate and multivariate statistical analyses.
• Consumption, Behavior, and Food Choices; Relationships between Attitude, Expectation, Health Value, Acceptability, and Intention to Consume
Description: Evaluation of food consumption, considering factors such as health and nutrition claims, dietary habits, consumption context, and accessibility, in specific population groups with a focus on health. Use of qualitative and quantitative research methods associated with affective sensory tests to understand the structuring and effect of intrinsic (sensory properties) and extrinsic (price, health and marketing claims, technologies, etc.) food factors on consumer preferences and consumption intentions.
Research Line: Public Policy and Food and Nutritional Security
• Public Policies and Regulations Related to Food and Human Nutrition
Description: Evaluation of public policies for school meals and workplace nutrition. Evaluation of food labeling, focusing on consumer communication and assurance of food safety.
Research Line: Chemistry, Functionality, and Application of Biopolymers and Other Food-Derived Compounds
• Development of Ingredients and Products for Special Purposes
Description: Development of extracts with bioactive potential; encapsulation of extracts and active compounds for protection and controlled release.
Area: Nutrition Applied to Food Technology
Research Line: Nutrients, Bioactive Compounds, and Functional Food Ingredients – Production, Characterization, Health Effects, and Stability During Processing and Storage
• 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 substance sources on health and disease prevention. Determination of the chemical composition of raw foods, post-processing modifications (domestic or industrial), and during storage. Evaluation of the bioaccessibility and bioavailability of nutrients and bioactive compounds.
• Use of By-Products from Food Production Chains to Obtain Bioactive Compounds and Nutrients
Description: Full utilization of foods to enrich the human diet by supplying bioactive compounds through the application of circular economy concepts, reuse of by-products, reduction of environmental impact, generation of new inputs, and value addition 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 models (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, originally from pharmacology (preclinical drug potential evaluation), have been adapted for food science to assess the potential of samples for functional ingredient production or the effectiveness of food-derived fractions in the prevention or treatment of chronic non-communicable diseases (diabetes, cancer, obesity, inflammation, etc.).
• Development of Biotechnological Processes for Obtaining Bioactive Compounds or Functional Ingredients and Evaluation of Their Biological and Nutritional Potential
Description: Development of biotechnological processes (enzymatic and fermentative) for the production of extracts rich in bioactive compounds from plant matrices—for example, phenolic compounds with preventive and therapeutic actions in chronic non-communicable diseases. These processes offer alternatives to conventional extraction methods, which are often inefficient, generate large amounts of waste, degrade the target compounds, and reduce yields. Furthermore, biotransformations can be designed to enhance the bioactivity of phenolics present in the produced extracts.
The production of lipid nanoparticles using structured oils obtained through enzymatic interesterification is another aspect of this project. It results in functional ingredients (low-calorie specialty lipids and antioxidants) and includes the evaluation of 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 for the production of lipid bases specially designed for different food applications, with highly specific and beneficial nutritional properties