Foods Webinar | Microbiological Insights into Fermented Foods; the use of NAM to test their Functional Assessment
the chairs
12th Foods Webinar
Microbiological Insights into Fermented Foods: The Use of NAM to Test their Functional Assessment
Dear colleagues, distinguished speakers, and participants,
Welcome to the webinar “Microbiological Insights into Fermented Foods: the use of NAM to test their Functional Assessment” that will explore the cutting-edge developments of gut health and fermentation science applied to NAM. It will explore how advanced in vitro models are reshaping our understanding of the gut microbiota. First, we will look at the INFOGUT WG1 efforts to standardize procedures for in vitro colon models as a novel methodology approach (NAM). Then, we will trace fermented foods from digestion models to human health, highlighting their role as functional foods. We will also dive beyond probiotic viability to assess their true functionality. Finally, we will model the impact of fermentation and trace the fate of fermentative organisms.
Date: 19 November 2026
Time: 3:00 pm CET
Webinar ID:868 6517 0807
Webinar Secretariat: journal.webinar@mdpi.com
Meet Our Chairs
Department for the Promotion of Human Science and Quality of Life - San Raffaele University of Rome;Lorenzo Nissen is an Associate Professor of Human Nutrition Microbiology at the University of Bologna. Holding a PhD in Microbial Ecology alongside extensive international research experience, his work focuses on food microbiology, in vitro gut microbiota models, functional foods, and host–food interactions. He is the co-inventor of the MICODE® technological platform and serves as the WG1 Leader for the COST Action CA23110 (INFOGUT). An Author of over 50 scientific papers (H-index: 22), he actively contributes to national and international research projects and acts as an Associate Editor for prestigious international peer-review journals in Food Science and Microbiology.
DISTAL, Department of Agricultural and Food Sciences, Alma Mater Studiorum–Università di Bologna;CIRI-AGRO, Interdepartmental Centre of Agri-Food Industrial Research, Alma Mater Studiorum–Università di Bologna;Andrea Gianotti is an Associate Professor of Agricultural, Food, and Environmental Microbiology at the University of Bologna, where he also serves as the Coordinator of the Degree Program in Sciences and Culture of Gastronomy. Holding a PhD in Food Biotechnology, his research focuses on microbial physiology, the safety and quality of food production processes, and the development of functional foods from sustainable cereals. He is the Author of over 100 scientific publications with more than 4,600 citations (Google Scholar), and he has actively participated in major European research projects, including PATHWAY-27. He is a recognized expert in predictive microbiology, extension of food product shelf-life, and valorization of industrial by-products through microbial and enzymatic hydrolytic processes.
Meet Our Speakers
Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, Harokopio University;Alexandra Ntemiri is a Postdoctoral Researcher at Harokopio University of Athens (Greece), specialized in nutrition, dietetics, and anaerobic microbiology. Her scientific work investigates gut microbiota, probiotics, dietary fibers, and polyphenols using advanced in vitro colon models and sequencing techniques. With extensive research experience, including a postdoctoral position at APC Microbiome Ireland (University College Cork), she focuses on how functional foods and dietary interventions modulate the gut microbiome to improve human health. She is the Author of several peer-review scholarly works and actively contributes to international biotechnology innovations, including patented microbial compositions.
Department of Nutrition & Food Sciences School of Pharmacy University of Granada ;José Ángel Rufián is a Full Professor at the University of Granada (Spain). His research focuses on two main pillars: the effect of thermal processing on the nutritional value of foods and the impact of diet on gut microbiota composition and activity, with a particular emphasis on antioxidant extraction, phytochemical metabolism, and the development of in vitro digestion–fermentation models. He is ranked among the top 2% of global researchers in Food Sciences and Technology by Stanford University, with over 180 JCR-indexed publications in high-impact journals, including Nature Communications and Nature Protocols. Prof. Rufián coordinated several Horizon 2020 and Horizon Europe projects and has actively participated in international networks such as the COST actions INFOGEST, UNGAP and INFOGUT. Beyond his research, he serves as an Expert Evaluator for the European Commission and various international research ministries. He is an Honorary Member of the Spanish Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and a Corresponding Academician of the Royal Academy of Medicine and Surgery of Eastern Andalusia, having received prestigious national and international awards.
Biosciences PhD Program, Facultad de Ingeniería, Universidad de La Sabana;María is a Full Professor at Universidad de La Sabana (Colombia), where she directs the PhD Program in Biosciences. She is a Senior Researcher recognized by Minciencias. With 14 patents, she is the woman with the most patents in Colombia over the past decade. She has published more than 100 indexed papers on food science, functional foods, encapsulation, and microbiota modulation. She has also taken part in the European COST networks INFOGEST and INFOGUT. She is now leading the creation of INNfood, Colombia's first spin-off focused on designing functional foods using encapsulation technologies at different scales to modulate the microbiota.
Food Microbiome and Health, Quadram Institute;Fredrick Warren is a Research Leader and Group Leader at the Quadram Institute (UK), where he heads a research group focused on the interactions between food structure and human health. Holding a PhD in Nutritional Biochemistry from King's College London, he is an expert in carbohydrate biochemistry, biopolymer chemistry, and gut health. His scientific work investigates how starch structure controls digestion and modulates the gut microbiota to develop innovative functional foods for glycemic control. He has authored over 100 scientific publications (Google Scholar) and actively contributes to international programs on sustainable nutrition.
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