Department of Food Science

Tasks:

Scientific tasks are primarily placed within the oxidation area where model studies are used to describe the mechanisms behind oxidation processes in proteins as well as in protein-/lipid models. The models are particularly used to study how oxidation affects the protein structure and how the protein structure influences different oxidation processes (e.g. light, enzymes and transition metal ions). Accessibility of proteases is also used as a measurement of changes of the protein structure (at primary and higher protein structure levels) after oxidation. Knowledge from model studies is carried on to dairy products such as milk, powder and cheese where the oxidation processes are described as direct measurement of primary oxidation products (e.g. free radicals and protein and lipid peroxides) and also secondary oxidation products (e.g. dityrosine, protein carbonyl at amino acid level and lipid carbonyls).

Methods:

Mass spectrometry (Ion-trap, MALDI ToF-ToF and GC-MS), spectroscopic methods (electron spin resonance (ESR/EPR) fluorescence spectroscopy and circular dichroism (CD)) as well as different separation techniques (reverse phase, gel filtration, ion exchange, etcetera) are used in this research.

Projects:

Dairy Health a DKK 20 mill project awarded by FøSu (2010).Running 2012-2015.

FIAF (Milk in regulating lipid metabolism and overweight. Uncovering milk’s ability to increase expression and activity of fasting-induced adipose factor) is a DKK 30 mill project, which was awarded by FøSu in 2010. Running 2011-2015.

Redox potential in milk - the influence on cheese quality is a DKK 7 mill project awarded by the Innovation Law in 2010. Running 2010-2014.

Previous projects:        

Post doc granted by FTP (The Danish Research Council for Technology and Production): Proteins as antioxidants (2009-12). Website for this project.

Whey protein fractions - control of oxidation (2008-11)

Generation of pentanal in milk – a mechanistic study (2010-11)

Effect of falcarinol on protein oxidation in primary myotubes from pigs (2009-10)

Light induced oxidation in low fat cheeses - effect of amino acid and protein oxidation (2007-09)

Oxidative Modification of Milk Proteins and its Effect on Proteolysis by Milk Relevant Proteases (2007)

Education:

• 2007: PhD in Science – molecular biology/food science, Aarhus University (Oxidative Modification of Milk Proteins and its Effect on Proteolysis by Milk Relevant Proteases)
• 2002: Master of Engineering, Biotechnology, Aalborg University (Structure and Thermal Stability of Lipoprotein Lipase)

Collaborators:

• Michael Davies, Free Radical Group, Heart Research Institute, Sydney, Australia
• Ronald Mason, Free Radical Metabolism Group, National Institute of Health (NIH/NIEHS), NC, USA
• Daniel Otzen, iNano, Aarhus University
• Leif Skibsted, Food Science, University of Copenhagen
• Lene Vognsen, Arla Foods
• Mette Bakman, Arla Foods.

Employed since 2003.