Maria Alessia Schouten

Postdoctoral researcher at the Department of Agricultural and Food Sciences, University of Bologna. Her research focuses on the quality, stability, safety and processing of various food matrices. In particular, she has worked on mitigation strategies for process contaminants (e.g. acrylamide and furanic compounds) in highly susceptible products such as fried potatoes, roasted coffee and bakery goods. She is currently involved in several international and national projects focused on the valorisation of agro-food waste and by-products, sustainable packaging solutions, shelf life assessment, and reformulation strategies aimed at improving nutritional and technological performance. Her work also includes the evaluation of rheological, physicochemical and technological properties of foods and ingredients, within an integrated risk-benefit approach to maintain and enhance overall food quality.