Junior assistant professor (fixed-term) at the University of Bologna, his research interests focus on the use of microbial cultures, particularly yeasts, lactic acid bacteria, and probiotics, for: The production of bioactive molecules or functional ingredients from food industry waste and by-products or new protein sources; The development/production/characterization of traditional or innovative foods.
Education
He graduated with a Bachelor's degree in Biological Sciences in 2005 and a Master's degree in Molecular and Cellular Biology in 2008 from the University of Bologna. Subsequently, he obtained a Ph.D. in Food Science and Biotechnology from the same university in 2013.
Teaching activities
Since 2022, he has been teaching Module 1 (2 ECTS) of the course Valorization of Food Industry By-products, titled "Biotechnological approaches for the valorization of food industry by-products" (Course code: 82298, Master in Food Science and Technology, course code: 8531).
From 2022 to 2024, he taught Module 2 of the course Oenological Microbiology (2 ECTS) (Course code: 04220, Bachelor in Viticulture and Enology, LM-26, course code: 8527).
Scientific activities
From 2014 to 2016, he participated in the European project Bibafood (Initial Training Network, Marie Curie Actions) as an Experienced Researcher (ER) at Prodigest (Ghent, Belgium). After completing the European project, he held the position of Senior Scientist in the R&D department of the same company, studying and characterizing next-generation probiotics using in vitro systems, including the Simulator of the Human Intestinal Microbial Ecosystem (SHIME).
Since 2019, he has been working on the biotechnological valorization of agro-food industry waste and by-products (such as whey, fish waste, etc.) using yeasts, including Yarrowia lipolytica, and lactic acid bacteria to obtain microbial biomass, functional hydrolysates, high-value molecules, and single-cell oils to be reused in the food chain. Additionally, he has been (or is) involved in numerous national and international research projects, including: INGREEN, NEWTECHAQUA, ONEHEARTH, RELEAF, BIO4SUSPACK, SMARTFORCLIME, AGRITECH.
Since 2023, he has been the responsible for the UNIBO team in the PRIN FUNPRO-L project (Functional fermented milk enriched with selected vaginal probiotic to promote female well-being), funded by the European Union - NextGenerationEU under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR) - Mission 4 Education and Research - Component 2 From Research to Business - Investment 1.1 Notice PRIN 2022 (DD N. 104 of 2/2/2022), proposal code 20228W34ZM - CUP J53D23009740006.
He serves as a reviewer for the following journals: LWT, Food Chemistry, Frontiers in Food Microbiology, Nature Scientific Reports.
Scientific and editorial committee memberships
Since 2020, he has been a member of the Italian Society of Agro-Food and Environmental Microbiology (SIMTREA).
Since 2022, he has served as a review editor for the journal Frontiers in Microbiology, section Food Microbiology.
Institutional activities and academic appointments
Since 2023, he has been a member of the Quality Assurance Committee for the Bachelor's degree in Viticulture and Oenology.
