Designing next-generation hybrid foods by structuring biopolymers from food waste

Supervisors: Prof.ssa Sonia Calligaris

Project description:
Nowadays, the worldwide interest is focused on the consumption of foods that promote human health being also sustainable for the planet. This is in line with the European Green Deal whose strategy is to boost economy, health and quality of life exploiting the link between healthy people, healthy societies and healthy planet. Today, it is well known that the health effects of foods are related not only to the content of a specific nutrient/bioactive molecules but also to the organization of components into food structures at different length of scales. Foods can be considered as composite materials whose functionalities are governed by microstructure. Thus, studying the food structure-function relationship is essential to deliver the desired functionalities to consumers.
In this context, the understanding of the structuring ability of hybrid mixtures (i.e. protein-protein or protein-carbohydrate from both plant and animal sources) is an emerging area of interest for the design of innovative food products that are not only novel but also aligned with the principles of sustainability. Many biopolymers can be recovered from materials deriving from plant and animal origin wasted by the food industry. However, their efficient use is impaired by the current lack of knowledge about how these elements interact in the formation of complex food structures thus influencing food’s functionality and consumer acceptability.
This PhD project will focus on the study of interactions among biopolymers from food waste of interest of the Friuli Venezia Giulia region to form different hybrid structures like gels, emulsions and foams.

Biography and contacts:
Roberta Pratolino, born in 1999 in Udine (Italy).
In 2022 she graduated in Food Science and Technology at the University of Udine (99/110). In 2024 she obtained an MSc degree in Food Science and Technology at the University of Udine (105/110). In November 2024, she started the doctoral course at the Ph.D. school “Food Science” at the University of Udine

pratolino.roberta@spes.uniud.it
Phone: +39 0432 558137