Food Technology

Manfred Eggersdorfer is Senior Vice President for Nutrition Science & Advocacy at DSM Nutritional Products. He studied chemistry at the Technical University Munich and did his PhD in organic chemistry in the field of synthesis and characterization of unusual amino acid. He was post-doc at the Stanford-University,California working with Carl Djerassi on the isolation and characterization of sterols from marine origin. Manfred Eggersdorfer is active as professor for Healthy Ageing at the Faculty of Medical Sciences at the University of Groningen. He is member of the Advisory Board of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft Curatorial for Innovation, and affiliate of various other organizations.

He is author of numerous publications in the fields of vitamins, innovation in nutritional ingredients, and renewable resources, reviewer for a variety of journals and associate editor of the “International Journal of vitamin and Nutrition Research.

John Tsaknis has completed his Ph.D. and Postdoctoral studies from Lincolnshire University, School of Food Sciences and is a chartered chemist from the Royal Society of Chemistry, UK. He is full professor in the School of Food Technology and Nutrition in Athens Greece. He is a member of the Standing Committee “Residues and Chemical Contaminants” in the International Dairy Federation (IDF) and Reviewer of 7 international scientific journals. He has published more than 40 papers in reputed journals and participated in more than 30 international conferences and has been serving as an editorial board member of repute.

Food Safety, Nanotechnology, Food Technology, Food Chemistry, Nutrition

Antonis Zampelas PhD is Professor of Human Nutrition, Chair of the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, Director of the Laboratory of Food Chemistry and Food Analysis in the Agricultural University of Athens. He is also Professor at the United Arab Emirates University and Visiting Professor at the University of Nicosia in Cyprus. Before returning to Greece, Professor Zampelas worked for the University of Surrey, as Research Fellow and also for the UK Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, as Senior Scientific Officer. In Greece and before joining the Agricultural University of Athens, he was Assistant Professor of Human Nutrition and Director of the Professional Training Year in the Department of Nutrition and Dietetics at Harokopio University in Athens Greece. He was also President of the Hellenic Food Authority (2008-2010). He has been involved in numerous trials and projects related to the effects of diet on parameters influencing the development of coronary heart disease.

Dr Zampelas' interest is also the development of nutritional educational programs for Greek school children. Professor Zampelas is currently Past President of the Hellenic Society of Lipidology, Atherosclerosis and Vascular Diseases. He also served as Vice-Chairman of the Committee of National Drug Administration for the approval of Nutritional Supplements (2005-2007), and as a member of the Executive Committee of the European Atherosclerosis Society (2005-2008). He is now Vice President of the Hellenic Society of Medical Nutrition and he was Consultant in Nutrition of the European Association for Cardiovascular Prevention and Rehabilitation Society. Professor Zampelas is editor of 2 Nutrition text books, co-editor of 2, co-author of 17 text-book chapters and contributed to 120 peer reviewed publications in international scientific journals

Associate Professor Yiannis Kourkoutas is Head of the Laboratory of Applied Microbiology & Biotechnology at the Department of Molecular Biology & Genetics, Democritus University of Thrace, at Alexandroupolis, Greece. He obtained his first degree in Chemistry in 1997 and his PhD in Food Biotechnology in 2002, both from the University of Patras, Greece. He further continued for Post-Doctoral studies at the University of Ulster, UK. His current main research focus is on bioprocesses, novel food product development and nutrition (novel functional foods with potential health benefits, exploitation of agro-industrial wastes, high-added value products, etc). He has more than 200 publications/communications, including 77 papers in peer-reviewed journals, 14 chapters in books, 105 conference proceedings and 4 patents (citations>1400; h-factor: 20). He has been invited as a plenary keynote lecturer and has served as chairman in several conferences. He has participated in many research projects (totaling more than 3,850,000€), coordinating most of them. His funds derive from EU (7th FP), National Grants (Generally Secretary of Research and Technology, Greece) and the Food/Agriculture Industry. He has also served as Associate Editor in scientific journals, as Lead Guest Editor in many special issues, as reviewer in a high number of scientific journals and as evaluator of research proposals in national and European calls.

His works focus its action on the subjects of food and environmental biotechnology and nutrition, with the aim of developing innovative technologies for the production of (a) new functional foods with potential beneficial effects on health (probiotics and prebiotics, natural products with positive effects, pharmaceuticals food, etc.) and (b) high added value products through the exploitation of various waste from the agro-industry by combining modern applications of Biotechnology.

Ondulla T. Toomer is a North Carolina native and graduated from North Carolina State University with a Ph.D. in Nutrition with a minor in Biotechnology in 2005. In July 2005, Toomer began a postdoctoral fellowship in the Mucosal Immunology Laboratory of Pediatric Gastroenterology at Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School under the supervision of Dr. Allan Walker and Dr. Hai Ning Shi studying the immunological health benefits of probiotics in neonatal development using a murine model. Toomer completed a second postdoctoral training program at the United States Department Agriculture (USDA)/Agricultural Research Service (ARS) in Beltsville MD with a research emphasis in differential gene expression in the reproductive tissues of turkey hens. Subsequently, Dr. Toomer was employed for over 7 years with the United States Food and Drug Administration-Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition as a Research Biologist with a research emphasis in the development and prevention of Pediatric Food Allergy and the identifying immunological biomarkers of food allergy using in vitro and in vivo models, and studying the effects of commensal microorganisms and/or probiotics on early (pre-weaning) immunological development.

Dr. Toomer is employed with the USDA-ARS as a Research Chemist in the Market Quality and Handling Research Unit and as an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Food, Bioprocessing and Nutrition Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh NC with a research emphasis on identifying the chemical constituents of raw and processed peanuts that are of nutritional benefit to the American consumer, and to investigate the usefulness of peanuts and/or peanut-by-products as alternative feed ingredients within the animal feed industry.

Dr. Sandra Poirier has been employed at Middle Tennessee State University, USA, since 2005. She received her B.Sc. and M.Sc. degrees in Family and Consumer Sciences from Florida State University and University of Arizona respectively. Her doctorate was received in 1998 from Florida International University in Miami, Florida with her dissertation in the area of health-related quality of life. Prior to coming to MTSU, Dr. Poirier taught three years at Zayed University in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Additionally, she has worked at the University of Florida Cooperative Extension Service, Florida International University, Florida Atlantic University, University of Arizona Cooperative Extension Service, and the Provincial Government of Alberta, Canada.

Dr. Poirier has more than 15 years of international teaching experience working in culturally diverse environments. Her strengths include creating innovative educational programs with a focus on food and culture, identifying appropriate outreach efforts to solve community problems, and empowering students for successful careers. She has been recognized for her ability to create and teach online courses, work as an advisor for student organizations, and creating positive educational environments for optimal learning. She has published over 25 journal articles and been invited to speak in Malaysia, Switzerland, Germany, Poland, Austria, Puerto Rico, and the Andros Island in the Caribbean.

Dr. Vijai Shukla is an Indian-Danish food scientist, Researcher and Professor in lipidology, and a central figure in the study of essential fatty acids. He is also the President of the International Food Science Center based in Denmark, Fellow of the American Oil Chemists’ Society (AOCS) and Adjunct Professor to the Department of Food Science and Nutrition at University of Minnesota. Dr. Vijai K S Shukla is author of nearly 100 original scientific publications, 12 invited review papers, 15 book chapters in the areas of biochemistry, human nutrition, cosmeceuticals, nutraceuticals, enzymology, modern analytical techniques for the separation of lipids and proteins. He is the editor of six books.

Dr. Vijai K S Shukla research interests have ranged from physical phenomena to mechanism of autoxidation, isolation of lipids, spectral phenomena related to lipids, modern analytical methodology and involvement of essential fatty acids in health and diseases such as multiple sclerosis and Batten's syndrome. He has shown essential fatty acid deficiency in multiple sclerosis and Batten's disease. These were related with glutathione peroxidase activity and antioxidants requirements in these diseases. He has also analyzed arctic diet in Greenland Eskimos and compared with Danes elucidating some of the mechanism of coronary heart diseases in these population groups. In his research work, Dr. Shukla employs modern analytical methodology in order to resolve various scientific problems.

Emma Chiavaro graduated in pharmaceutical chemistry and technology cum laude from the Sapienza University of Rome. She received a specialization degree in food chemistry and technology from the University of Parma in 1997 and a PhD in food of animal origin inspection from the University of Naples Federico II in 2000. From March to September 2001 she obtained a research contract at the “Stazione Sperimentale per l’Industria delle Conserve Alimentari (SSICA)” of Parma developing protocol analysis for the determination of mycotoxins on food matrices of animal and vegetable origin, through RP-HPLC and fast fluorimetric methods. From March 2002 to January 2005 she had a research grant of the University of Parma, Faculty of Agriculture, (theme "Optimization of heat sterilization treatments", SDS AGR/15 - Food Science and Technology) at the Department of Industrial Engineering. Professor Chiavaro is Associate Editor of the Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture (Wiley) and LWT-Food Science and Technology (Elsevier), a member of the editorial board for Lipid Insights (Libertas Academica), Advances in Chemistry (Hindawi Publishing Corporation), and Journal of Food Research (Canadian Center of Science and Education), and acts as reviewer for more than 30 scientific journals. She is the author of more than 80 publications in international peer-reviewed journals, 21 in national journals, and more than 60 abstracts or communications to national and international congresses and conferences.

Main research areas of interest - technology of oils and fats - physical properties of foods - calorimetric techniques and thermal properties of food - processing and technological aspects of food composition and analysis - technological and nutritional quality of vegetables after cooking and preservation techniques

RESEARCH SCIENTIST with experience in in oil and fat technology. The strengths include creativity as well as strong knowledge on vegetable oils and bioactive compounds. Educator (University of the State of Minas Gerais - UEMG) and Post-doctorate at São Paulo State University-UNESP.

Oil and fat technology

Marco Pellegrini received his M.Sc. in Telecommunications Engineering from University of Firenze (Italy) at the age of 26 and completed his Ph.D. in Methods and Technologies for Environmental Monitoring at the age of 31 (University of Basilicata, Italy). He is contract Professor of Physics and Remote Sensing, both at Università Politecnica delle Marche (Italy) and professional Telecommunications and Systems Engineer

He has published more than 20 papers in reputed journals and conference proceedings and has been serving as a peer reviewer and technical program committee (TPC) member for international conferences.

Massimo Mozzon got his M.Sc. in Food Science and Technology from University of Udine in 1992 and his Ph.D. in Nutrition Physiology from Università Politecnica delle Marche in 1999. In the same year he won an open competition for a position of Researcher (Scientific Sector AGR/15, Food Science and Technology) at the Department of Agricultural, Food and Environmental Sciences - Università Politecnica delle Marche and eventually, in 2011, he got his current position (Associate Professor) at the same Dept,

Research activities of Massimo Mozzon are mainly focused on relationships between technology and chemical aspects of food quality, resulting in more than 70 scientific publications (48 journal papers, 3 book chapters, 1 book) and conference proceedings.