Outstanding performance in research and teaching and an invitation to the Institute of Food Science and Human Nutrition
The Alexander von Humboldt Foundation gives a Georg Forster Research Award in the field of food chemistry to Prof. Dr. Esra Capanoglu Guven from Istanbul. This award is in tribute to this scientist's work to date. The prize money of 60,000 euros also enables her to spend a research stay in Germany. Recognised colleagues from a research institution in Germany nominate - in this case by Professor Tuba Esatbeyoglu from the Institute of Food Science and Human Nutrition.
Nominees for the award are academics fundamental discoveries, new theories or findings have had a lasting impact on their own field of expertise, even beyond their narrower field of work. Furthermore they are expected to continue to contribute to the development of research-based approaches to solutions for the specific challenges of emerging and developing countries in the future.
Joint research: Scientific cooperation between Turkey and Germany
Worldwide, the demand for "healthy" foods and beverages is increasing; the market for functional foods that are rich in phytochemicals, such as fruits and vegetables, grows. Novel food processing techniques - such as cold plasma, pulsed electric fields and high pressure processing - replace heat treatment to meet consumer demand for healthy and safe products. From nutritional and functional properties, information on the concentration of bioactive compounds reaching the bioavailable fraction and being absorbed by the intestinal lumen is much more important than the concentration of these compounds in the corresponding foods. On the other hand, the food matrix has a significant influence on the bioavailability of phytochemicals. The presence of proteins and dietary fibres affects the bioavailable fraction and should therefore be taken into account in the development of functional foods.
In the joint research project, Professor Capanoglu and Professor Esatbeyoglu will focus on the effects of novel non-thermal technologies on the content, bioaccessibility and bioavailability of bioactive compounds in different food matrices. They will also explore the interactions between phenols and other food components.
Shared knowledge and sustainable cooperation: working together is success with an impact
The researchers are in contact since 2013 and have worked together on several publications and a DAAD project since then. Now, the funded research stay will intensify their collaboration. Ms Capanoglu and Ms Esatbeyoglu are particularly interested in secondary plant compounds in food chemistry, their biological activities including antioxidant properties as well as their bioavailability. In addition, there is an interest in side streams of the food industry.
Prof. Capanoglu brings expertise in the effects of processing and food matrix on the content and bioavailability of phenolics and other bioactives. She will increase her knowledge of cell-based methods and new technologies such as cold plasma, which she will acquire during her stay in Germany.
While on the other hand, Prof. Esatbeyoglu would like to strengthen her knowledge on the effects of food matrix (e.g. interactions between proteins and phenols or dietary fibres and phenols, etc.) and the development of functional foods. This fellowship brings together the experience of both sides in an innovative and interdisciplinary work. Both scientists will benefit from each other's complementary expertise and resources. This programme will support synergistic activities between research expertise in Germany and Turkey and strengthen scientific interaction between the two countries.
This research on alternative processing technologies will lead to the production of higher quality food in the industry, reduction of waste generated, more usable by-products and reduction of costs and labour. On the other hand, the planned studies on bioavailability will enable a deeper understanding of food, which in turn will contribute to the quality of the food produced.
- Profile of the award winner: Prof. Dr. Esra Capanoglu Guven
