Chemistry, biochemistry and botany

Synthesis and investigation of functional light-responsive molecules and nanomaterials. Study of biological systems and active molecules. Bioaccessibility and biological activity of nutrients and food components. Applied biology, ecology, biodiversity and genetics of Fungi and Plants.

Keywords: biodiversity, digestion, foodomics, functional-foods, green-infrastructures, metabolomics, mycorrhizas, nanomachines, nanoscience, NMR, nutrition, photochemistry, proteins, supermolecule, truffles.

Main research fields

Photochemical nanosciences. Study of luminescent and/or photoreactive chemical species and nanostructured materials. Design, synthesis and investigation of functional molecular devices, machines and motors. Use of various kinds of modelling, synthetic and analytic techniques to solve problems related to the interaction between light and chemical compounds.

Chemistry of Biological Systems. Definition of biological systems using holistic descriptors based on NMR spectroscopic data and relaxation parameters. Bioacitvity of proteins, protein hydrolysates, and peptides (from food sources, industrial by-products and wastes) and their applications.

Nutritional Biochemistry. In vitro digestion. Assessment of the biological activity of food components at molecular and functional level. Exploitation of food industry by-products. Formulation and evaluation of functional foods and related nutritional and health claims.

Mycology – Applied Plant Biology. Mycorrhizal diversity, ecology and application in agriculture and forestry. Mushroom and truffle genetics, biology and cultivation. Eco-physiology of wild plant species; their cultivation and use in habitat restoration and in green-infrastructures.

People

Giorgia Antonelli

PhD Student

Elena Babini

Assistant professor

keywords: Protein and peptide profile of food matrices, Protein digestion, Antioxidant activity of proteins and peptides,

Guido Baldoni

Associate Professor

keywords: CO2 Sequestration, Waste recycling, Long-term experiments, Crop rotation, cropping techniques, N use efficiency, Crop

Massimo Baroncini

Associate Professor

keywords: Supramolecular Chemistry, Photochemistry, Synthetic Chemistry, Material Chemistry

Alessandra Bordoni

Full Professor

keywords: Nutrigenetics, Nutrigenomics, Functional foods, Polyunsaturated fatty acids, Chronic disease prevention, Bioactive

Francesco Capozzi

Full Professor

keywords: Metabolomics, Molecular Structure, Biological systems, Molecular profile, Metalloproteins, Metabolic biomarkers, NMR

Francesca Danesi

Associate Professor

keywords: Bioactive food components, Antioxidants, (Poly)phenols, n−3 fatty acids, Functional foods, Cell culture, Nutrigenomics,

Luca Laghi

Associate Professor

keywords: Food microstructure, Metabolomics, Nmr in agricultural and food science

Claudio Marzadori

Full Professor

keywords: nitrogen mineralization, toxic metals, nutritional stresses, soil biomasses reuse, extra-cellular enzymes, root

Federico Puliga

Junior assistant professor (fixed-term)

keywords: Mushroom cultivation, Mycorrhizas, Fungal biology, Fungal diversity, Truffle cultivation, Molecular biology,

Mattia Santoni

Research fellow

Teaching tutor

Alessandra Zambonelli

Full Professor

keywords: mycelial pure cultures, truffles, mycorrhizae, rDNA