SupervisoryTeam

Supervisor Photo

Olga Martín Belloso

Supervisor Details

Email: omartin@tecal.udl.cat

Organization Type: University

Organization Name: University of Lleida

Short Biography: Technology at University of Lleida, Spain, and researcher of Agrotecnio CERCA Center, being the Head of the research group Innovative technologies for obtaining ingredients and food products (TI2PA) and its core unit Novel Technologies for Food Processing. Her scientific work is currently focused on developing nanostructured delivery systems to enhance the functionality of food ingredients towards the design of safer and healthier foods. She has authored about 380 research papers in SCI Journals, several books, book chapters and patents. She belongs to the editorial board of recognized Journals being editor of some of them and has been invited speaker in numerous international meetings and courses. She has been recipient of the 2008 ICREA Academia Award, 2015 IFT Fellow, 2016 IUFoST Fellow, 2018 Narcís Monturiol medal, IAEF Lifetime Achievement Award (2023) and Doctor honoris causa by University of Cantabria (2022), among others. She has been President of EFFoST, is Vice-President of the ISFE, President of SESIA and the Ambassador in Spain of GHI.

Co-Supervisor Photo

Miguel Angel Cubero Márquez

Co-Supervisor Details

Email: macubero@ingredalia.com

Organization Type: Non-academic institution

Organization Name: Ingredalia SL

Short Biography: With a background in Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, and a later PhD on Food Science and Technology, he has worked from 1998 on the food industry, and most of that time leading new products development and R+D+I projects, indeed creating dedicated departments in the companies he has worked in. Currently, he is CEO of a foodtech start-up, which makes upcycled ingredients from Spanish vegetables a reality. In his former jobs at Indulleida and Cosmos, as well as in his actual position, he has supervised master students and helped on several PhD training, mostly with UdL, but also with UCAM and Vevey university, among others.

Added Value: He has a full added value chain view, as he can give to the projects a vector to be prepared for future scale-up and go to market strategy. Also, his network includes several technological partners, from industry (including corporates as CocaCola, Nestle or Danone, and start-ups as MOA Foodtech, Bio2Coat or Levprot Bioscience) but also technological centers and several associacitions, such as Cluster Food+I, where he is a Board Member at Spain, or Food Valley at Netherlands, where he is collaborating on a position paper on upcycled products. His applied research point of view can be of high value to this program. In addition, his knowledge of real industry problems can be key to generate new industrial PhD programs.

Other Co-Supervisor Photo

Isabel Odriozola Serrano

Other Co-Supervisor

Email: isabel.odriozola@udl.cat

Organization Type: University

Organization Name: University of Lleida

Short Biography: Isabel Odriozola is an Associate Professor of the Nutrition and Bromatology Area at the UdL and researcher of Agrotecnio CERCA Center. She is member of the research group of Novel technologies for food processing. Recent years, her research has been focused on using NLS to improve the in vitro bioaccessibility and bioavailability of health-related compounds. In fact, emphasis has been made on studying the in vitro functionality of emulsions so that they can be applied in different dietary matrices in order to improve the nutritional and technological quality of food. Currently, her interest is getting knowledge in the in vitro colonic bioaccessibility of health-related compounds. Furthermore, she is conducting research on establishing the effects of these health-related compounds as well as other food components in gut health using in vitro models of great relevance for the current proposal. Thus, she is interested in establishing the bases for the development of functional foods with antiobesity properties. She has 59 publications included in the SCI (h-index of 33), with 2671 citations. She has been the PhD supervisor of 3 PhD candidates (2 in progress).

Added Value: The possible co-supervisor has an extensive experience in the development and use of in vitro models to assess the bioaccessibility and bioavailability of bioactive components in different food matrix. Her connection to other European research groups will be key for strengthening the international mobility of the selected candidate.

ResearchGroup

Description: The research group is part of the group Novel Technologies for Food Processing, the core group of the Innovative technologies for obtaining ingredients and food products (TI2PA) recognized as consolidated by the Generalitat de Catalunya and members of the Centre for Research in Agrotechnology (Agrotecnio), which is part of the network of Research Centres of Excellence of Catalonia (CERCA). In this frame, the research area on nanostructured systems is formed by a Professor, Olga Martín Belloso, 3 associate professors (Gemma Oms, Isabel Odriozola and Laura Salvia), 2 postdoctoral researchers and 6 PhD candidates involved in some tasks of the present proposal. There is a great relationship of the research group and the food industry, which usually collaborate in the research projects of the group. The companies offer the use of their facilities and provide raw material and ingredients to develop new food products. They also share relevant technological information regarding the formulation of plant-based functional foods.

ResearchLine

Description: Use of nanostructured lipid systems (NLS) to design plant-based foods with anti-obesity properties. There is an increasing demand for plant-based food products due to the societys consciousness of reducing environmental foodprint of the agrifood sector, protecting animal welfare as well as the awareness of the health-promoting properties of plant-based diets. Hence, the design of novel plant-based food products with optimal technological and functional properties arise as a major challenge for food scientists and industry parties. However, these type of foods contain none or low amounts of healthy lipids, thus the use of NLS for the formulation of plantbased foods is of crucial importance to obtain foods with optimal technological properties and nutritional value. In addition, a proper understanding of the interactions among the components of plant-based foods is critical for a proper design of the food products due to their impact on food stability, digestibility and overall functionality of the health related compounds they contain, which ultimately will impact on their anti-obesity effect.

Others

Description: Plant-based diets have become popular as a means of reducing the environmental footprint of the diet and promoting human health and animal welfare. In addition, they are shown to have beneficial effects on obesity and other associated diseases such as type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. Thus, the development of plant-based food can contribute to a more sustainable food production system and products. It is crucial to find solutions to improve our food systems helping us move towards Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for peace and prosperity for people and the planet, as it is described by The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and adopted by all United Nations Member States in 2015. There is an evidence of the tremendously increased number of the consumers who are trying to reduce their consumption of animal products. Hence, the plant-based global market is projected to increase substantially in the future years. Therefore, the results derived from the project are expected to benefit a number of consumers and food industries, which will be able to offer healthy plant-based food products with a low environment impact. These companies will gain scientific and technological knowledge for an optimal foods design with ingredients of vegetable origin, where plant-based biopolymers and lipids have a very relevant technological and functional role. They will also benefit by having access to food systems that protect beneficial active compounds, which can be added to a final product.

CareerDevelopment

Objectives

  • Future postdoc employment at the University
  • Increased employability in the non-academic sector
  • International mobility
  • Building collaborative networks
  • Trainings to enhance career opportunities
  • Application of postdoctoral grants (MSCA, Juan de la Cierva, etc.)
  • Involvement in teaching, supervision, or mentoring

Expected Outputs

  • PhD defense
  • Application of grants (MSCA, Juan de la Cierva, etc.)
  • Publication of articles
  • Attendance to international conferences

Training Skills

  • Project Management
  • Time Management
  • Grant Writing
  • Open Science
  • Gender and diversity dimension of research
  • Ethics and Research Integrity
  • Teaching
  • Supervision
  • Intellectual Property
  • Research Valorization
  • Leadership
  • Advanced Digital Skills
  • Responsible use of Artificial Intelligence
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