Beverages Webinar | Probiotic and Functional Beverages: Potential Implications for Health
Beverages Webinar | Probiotic and Functional Beverages: Potential Implications for Health
Part of the MDPI Beverages Webinar Series series
20 March 2026
Probiotic beverages, Functional beverages, Fermented foods, Cognitive and metabolic health, Gut-brain axis
Welcome from the Chairs
1st Beverages Webinar
Probiotic and Functional Beverages: Potential Implications for Health
Are you interested in how probiotic and functional beverages can contribute to human health? If so, join us for the webinar titled “Probiotic and Functional Beverages: Potential Implications for Health”. This event is designed for food scientists, nutritionists, researchers, product developers, and industry professionals within the food and beverage industry, as well as for anyone interested in exploring the latest scientific advances behind health-promoting fermented and functional drinks.
The webinar will present current research on the development and application of probiotic and functional beverages as effective carriers of beneficial microorganisms and bioactive compounds. Topics will include the role of probiotic beverages in cognitive health through the gut–brain axis, the development of functional fermented dairy drinks using novel microbial strains, and the health effects of biofunctional fermented products on metabolic and oxidative stress markers.
This webinar offers a valuable opportunity to gain insights from recent scientific evidence and innovative case studies highlighting how fermented and functional beverages may support cognitive, metabolic, and overall health. Join us to explore emerging perspectives and future directions in the rapidly evolving field of probiotic and functional beverage research.
Date: Friday, 20 March 2026
Time: 14:00 CET to 15:30 CET
Webinar ID: 823 9425 3217
Webinar Secretariat: journal.webinar@mdpi.com
Event Chairs
Department of Food Science and Technology, Ionian University, Argostoli, Greece
Panagiotis Kandylis, associate professor in food technology and quality, holds a PhD from the University of Patras on the use of immobilized microbial cells in winemaking, along with MSc degrees in food biotechnology, environmental analysis, physical sciences, and a diploma in oenology. His research focuses on wine and beer science, low-alcohol and innovative fermented beverages, functional foods and probiotics, antioxidant properties of foods, native microbial strains, food by-product valorization, food fermentation technology, and food quality and sensory evaluation of foods. He has participated in several national, European, and privately funded research projects. He serves as a reviewer and Editorial Board Member of several international journals, and has authored numerous peer-reviewed publications, book chapters, and patents in the field of food and beverage science and technology.
Department of Food Science and Technology, Ionian University, Argostoli, Greece
Dimitra Dimitrellou, assistant professor in dairy science and technology, holds a bachelor’s degree in chemistry and food technology, an MSc in food biotechnology, an MSc in environmental analysis, an MA in continuing education and lifelong learning, a PhD in chemistry, and a diploma in oenology. Her research focuses on milk and dairy technology, including cheese, yogurt, ice cream, and fermented milk products; the development of novel dairy products with enhanced properties; probiotics and prebiotics in dairy matrices; the evaluation of traditional dairy products; and whey valorization. Her broader research interests also include bread, fermented alcoholic beverages, meat products, and the valorization of food industry by-products. She has participated in and coordinated several research projects and is the author or co-author of numerous peer-reviewed publications, book chapters, and patents. She serves as a reviewer of the Editorial Board for a wide range of international journals in the fields of dairy science and food science in general.
Keynote Speakers
Department of Agriculture, Food, Natural Resources and Engineering, University of Foggia, Italy
Antonio Bevilacqua holds a PhD in food product biotechnology (2006) and an MSc in food science and technology from the University of Foggia, Italy, where he is currently a full professor of microbiology at the DAFNE Department and coordinator of the Master’s Degree Program in food science and technology. His research focuses on food spoilage and pathogenic microorganisms, starter cultures and probiotics, predictive microbiology and mathematical modeling, risk analysis, and sustainable agriculture, including plant growth-promoting bacteria and bioremediation. He has coordinated several national and international research projects and serves as an Associate Editor and Editorial Board Member of leading journals in food microbiology and food science.
Laboratory of Applied Microbiology & Biotechnology, Department of Molecular Biology & Genetics, Democritus University of Thrace, Alexandroupolis, Greece
Ioanna Prapa is a molecular biologist and holds a PhD in applied microbiology and biotechnology. She has been awarded a competitive personal scholarship (financed by the State Scholarship Foundation of Greece and the European Union) to conduct her doctoral research (2018-2021). She has authored 18 peer-reviewed research papers in scientific journals and published 30 conference proceedings. She has participated as a research associate and as a post-doctoral researcher in 6 EU- and Greek-funded projects related to functional food development, probiotic and microbiome research in the agri-food sector.
Dr. Olga I. Papagianni is a postdoctoral researcher in the Human Nutrition Unit of the Nutrition and Public Health Laboratory. She studied food science and nutrition at the Department of Food Science and Nutrition, University of the Aegean (2009-2015) and completed her master's studies in business administration, MBA, Frederick University (2017-2018). During the period 2019-2022, she completed her doctoral thesis in human nutrition (Nutrition Unit, Nutrition and Public Health Laboratory, Department of Food and Nutrition Science, University of the Aegean) under the supervision of Associate Professor Koutelidakis E. Antonios. Her scientific interests focus on the development of innovative functional foods, based on traditional raw materials and bioactive compounds, on the design and execution of nutritional interventions, clinical trials, and epidemiological studies, to investigate their bioactivity and bioavailability. He has 20 scientific publications in peer-reviewed journals, 19 presentations at Greek and international peer-reviewed conferences, and 3 chapters in two scientific books. She has participated in 14 research projects.
Registration
This is a FREE webinar. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information on how to join the webinar. Registrations with academic institutional email addresses will be prioritized.
Certificates of attendance will be delivered to those who attend the live webinar.
Can’t attend? Register anyway and we’ll let you know when the recording is available to watch.
Program
|
Speaker/Presentation |
Time in CET |
|
Dr. Panagiotis Kandylis Dr. Dimitra Dimitrellou Chair Introduction |
2:00 - 2:10 pm |
|
Dr. Antonio Bevilacqua Beverages as Carriers for Probiotics With Cognitive Effects: Evidence and Perspectives |
2:10 - 2:30 pm |
|
Dr. Ioanna Prapa Development of Functional Yogurt and Ayran Products Using a Novel Wild-Type Strain as an Adjunct Culture |
2:30 - 2:45 pm |
|
Dr. Olga Papagianni The Effects of the Habitual Consumption of a Biofunctional Miso-Type Sauce, Enhanced With Biocarotenoids on Oxidative Stress and Metabolic Markers: A Pilot Clinical Study–Nutritional Intervention |
2:45 - 3:05 pm |
|
Q&A |
3:05 - 3:20 pm |
|
Closing of Webinar Dr. Panagiotis Kandylis Dr. Dimitra Dimitrellou |
3:20 - 3:30 pm |
Relevant Special Issue
"Probiotics Empowering the Future of Beverages"
Edited by Dr. Panagiotis Kandylis and Dr. Dimitra Dimitrellou
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 October 2026
Sponsors and Partners
Organizers
