Horticulturae Webinar | Novel Approaches to Sustainable Food Systems: From Fungi to Functional Pigments
Round-Table Discussion
the chair
6th Horticulturae Webinar
Novel Approaches to Sustainable Food Systems: From Fungi to Functional Pigments
This webinar will explore innovative strategies for sustainable food production, focusing on the use of filamentous fungi to develop healthy and nutritious food alternatives. It will also highlight the potential of diatoms as photosynthetic bio-factories for generating high-value compounds, alongside the valorization of natural pigments recovered from agri-food waste to create functional foods. The discussion will address key challenges and opportunities in harnessing these biological resources for a more sustainable food system.
Date: 10 April 2026
Time: 7:00 pm CST Asia | 1:00 pm CEST
Webinar ID: 818 0861 6725
Webinar Secretariat: journal.webinar@mdpi.com
Meet the Event Chair
Meet Our Speakers
Dr. Minaxi Sharma
Research Centre for Life Science and Healthcare, Beacons of Excellence Research and Innovation Institute (CBI), University of Nottingham Ningbo China, China;
Dr. Minaxi Sharma is an Assistant Professor at the University of Nottingham Ningbo China. She holds a PhD in Dairy Chemistry from the ICAR-National Dairy Research Institute, India. Her research focuses on bioactive natural products, nanoencapsulation, functional foods, and food waste valorization. She has published 190 peer-reviewed papers, 28 book chapters, and 11 books (h-index 56, citations 10,400+). A Marie Curie Fellow (2021–2024), she has been twice listed among the world's top 2% scientists (Stanford/Elsevier 2023, 2025).
Prof. Dr. Archana Tiwari
Amity Institute of Biotechnology, Amity University, Noida, India;
Dr. Archana Tiwari is a Professor at the Amity Institute of Biotechnology, Amity University, Noida, India. She holds a Ph.D. from the University of Allahabad and an M.Sc. in Botany with a Gold Medal from Gauhati University. With 18 years of teaching and research experience, her research interests focus on microalgal biorefinery, biomass valorization, biofuels, and high-value products. She has published 118 international papers, authored 13 books, and filed 5 patents. Dr. Tiwari has supervised 14 Ph.D. scholars and received numerous accolades, including the Research Excellence Award from the International Bioprocessing Association and Visiting Professorships in Argentina and Brazil. She is currently leading projects on sustainable microalgal biorefinery and carbon dioxide mitigation.
Prof. Dr. Mohammad J. Taherzadeh Esfahani
Bioprocess Technology, Swedish Centre for Resource Recovery, University of Borås, Sweden;
Mohammad J. Taherzadeh, Full Professor in Bioprocess Technology at the University of Borås, Sweden. He holds a Ph.D. in Bioscience from Chalmers University of Technology (1999). His research focuses on resource recovery, biogas, and filamentous fungi. He chaired the Swedish Research Council panel (2013–2015) and served as Associate Editor of Bioresource Technology (2015–2023) and Editor-in-Chief of Bioengineered (2019–2022). He has led 80+ research projects and examined 60+ PhD theses. He is ranked among the top 5 researchers globally in biogas and filamentous fungi. h-index: 100, citations: 38,000+.
Sponsors and Partners
Organizer
Summary from the Chair
As chair of this webinar, I am pleased to provide a brief summary of our session. We brought together three distinguished experts to explore the sustainable transformation of agri-food waste into high-value functional products. Discussions covered microbial platform comparison (fungi vs. microalgae), biomass valorization, challenges of industrial process, and the future vision of distributed production. Participants also raised thoughtful questions during the session, which enriched our dialogue. I sincerely thank our speakers and everyone who joined us. Please enjoy the recording.
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