Photo: DTU Fødevareinstituttet / surface immobilization of functional microparticles on nanofibers

Invitation to Professor Ioannis S. Chronakis’ inaugural lecture

Food, fish and agriculture Food production

The National Food Institute, Technical University of Denmark, is hosting Professor Ioannis S. Chronakis’ inaugural lecture on Friday 5 May 2017. Ioannis S. Chronakis will give a lecture on background, status and prospects of his research in a lecture entitled 'The nano cosmos of ingredients: how bio-nano-structures can help conquer new frontiers for food and health'.

A nanometer (nm) is one-billionth of a meter. By comparison one nanometer is a million times smaller than the length of an ant and a sheet of paper is about 100,000 nanometers thick.

All foods, natural or processed, contain nanostructures. Milk for example contains casein, a form of milk protein present at the nanoscale with a diameter between 100 and 200nm. Meat is made up of protein filaments that are much less than 100nm thin. The organization of and any changes to these nanostructures affects the texture and properties of the milk or meat.

During normal food processing and digestion, all food ingredients (carbohydrates, proteins, and lipids) undergo structural changes at the nanometer level.

While the nanostructures of food ingredients are formed naturally, it is of great interest to understand both how they are assembled and how to create and control such nanostructures at the molecular level. Such knowledge makes it possible to develop highly functional, healthier, tastier and safer food ingredients and food products through the utilization of nanostructures.

Food nanotechnology holds the potential to e.g. make foods healthier by reducing the amount of less healthy ingredients (such as sugar, salt, fat) while maintaining the taste, or by adding ingredients that can protect and deliver beneficial bioactive compounds to specific sites in the body.

The inaugural lecture of Ioannis S. Chronakis entitled 'The nano cosmos of ingredients: how bio-nano-structures can help conquer new frontiers for food and health' will give examples of his research into natural and designed edible nanostructures of carbohydrates, proteins and lipids as well as future challenges for this field of research.

The lecture will give an insight into consumer perception of and the increased industrial market for edible nanostructures. It will also address briefly the rapid development of such nanostructured bio-ingredients for other life sciences applications.

Invitation

See the invitation (pdf) from the National Food Institute’s director, Christine Nellemann.

Time

Friday 5 May from 15.00 to 16.00 followed by a reception.

Place

DTU Lyngby Campus
Meeting room M1
Building 101A, first floor
Anker Engelundsvej 1
2800 Kgs. Lyngby

Registration

Due to a limit on the number of participants and for refreshment arrangements we ask that you register by Monday 1 May 2017. Please register for the lecture via the National Food Institute’s website.