I received his PhD degree from the SUN (second university of Naples) in 2009 in Food and Health. Since 2010 he has worked at Wageningen UR as a post-doc in the FQD group and as researcher at RIKILT. In 2014 I have entered the tenure track in the FQD group on the design of healthier plant-based foods. In particular, I am interested in understanding the role of the plant matrix on nutrients bioavailability and the effect of plant based ingredients on gut health.

The food matrix can be defined as the whole of the food chemical components and their molecular relationships, i.e. chemical bonds and physical interactions. In other words, the chemical composition of food and the way those components are structurally organized at micro-, meso- and macroscopic scales (Figure 1).

FM can affect the nutritional quality and the potential health effect of food in 2 different ways: By affecting the stability of bioactive compounds during processing (including storage and cooking) and affecting the level of bioactive compounds that are available for absorption in the digestive tract.

In my research activity I investigate how to describe, predict and optimize this effect. This would help consumers in better design their meals and dietary habits as well as food industry in designing food that are able to deliver the desired level of nutrients/bioactive compounds in the gastrointestinal tract.

Projects

1. Fermentation of antioxidant dietary fibres
2. Fighting diabetes: Technological strategies to reduce the glycaemic index of starchy foods
3. Unravelling the role of cell wall encapsulation on bio-accessibility of intracellular nutrients
4. Plant matrix and protein digestibility
5. Tryptophan, gut microbiota and AhR
6. Polyphenols as inhibitors of digestive enzymes
7. Starch-polyphenols interactions
8. Microbial metabolism of lipids in the gut and gut health
9. Technological strategies to improve nutritional and sensorail quality of immature rice-based products
10. Technological strategies to improve nutritional and sensory quality of jackbeans-based products
11. Oral processing and nutrients bioavailability
12. Dietary peptides and gut health