University of Bologna,
Food Science Department (UNIBO) - Italy

Person in charge: M. Elisabetta Guerzoni (guerzoni@foodsci.unibo.it)
Main tasks in the project: Co-ordinator of the project and Leader of WP3, WP5, WP8, WP9

Description of Participant and Expertise:
The University of Bologna, Alma Mater Studiorum, was founded in 1088 and is considered to be the oldest university in Western Europe. Nine hundred years later, more than 400 Rectors and Chancellors met in Bologna to sign the Magna Charta Universitatum, which commits the signatories to advance teaching and research activities in an autonomous and independent manner that responds to broad and diverse social interests. Nowadays, it still remains one of the most important institutions of higher education across Europe with more than 100.000 enrolled students, 23 faculties, 69 departments, 3000 academics and 3000 administrative staff.
The university places special emphasis on the quality of education and research. Research activities are promoted and co-ordinated by departments autonomously.

The Department of Food Science was established in 2001 following the convergence of the former Institutes of Agricultural Industries, Animal Production and the addition of other professors and researchers from the food microbiology and chemistry areas
It hosts advanced 8 Full Professors, 8 Associated Professors, 15 Researchers, over 16 technical and administrative staff and several PhD students, post Docs, fellowships, contractors.
The research activities within the Department cover various topics related to the food production, technology, quality, safety and analysis.
The Department is involved in several national and international projects aimed at the improvement, differentiation, preservation, also through the use of innovative technologies, of animal and vegetal raw materials and their derivatives.
About 100 scientific papers were published by the researchers of the Department in 2004.
In particular the research activities of the Food Microbiology group are aimed at:

• Study of the effects of chemico-physical, compositional, processing and environmental factors on the growth and metabolic activity of pathogenic, spoilage microorganisms and starter species
• Use of innovative technologies for food stabilization and differentiation or enzyme activation/deactivation
• Use of molecular techniques for the identification and characterization of microorganisms
• Microbial physiology and response mechanisms to thermal, osmotic and oxidative stresses

Participating people

• M. Elisabetta Guerzoni - Full Professor (Scientist in charge), food microbiologist with specific expertise on stress response in pathogenic and spoilage microbial species
• Fausto Gardini – Associate Professor, food microbiologist with specific expertise in instrumental analytical techniques
• Rosalba Lanciotti – Senior Researcher, food microbiologist with specific expertise in high pressure homogenization
• Lucia Vannini – Senior Researcher, food microbiologist with specific expertise in food enzymes, spectroscopic techniques and microbial heat deactivation
• Perillo Luciana – Technician with expertise in traditional microbiological analysis of foods
• Federica Badiali – Post-doc, expertise in molecular techniques
• Maurice Ndagijimana – Post-doc, specific expertise on analytical techniques
• Andrea Gianotti – Post Doc student, food technologist with expertise on sensory properties of foods
• Luciana Iucci - Post-doc, chemist with expertise on food enzymes
• Letizia Di Biase – PhD student, biologist with expertise on Real Time PCR
• Diana Serrazanetti - PhD student, food technologist with expertise on chemico-physical properties of foods
• Elisabetta Tampieri – PhD student, biologist with expertse on enzyme analysis 
• Alessandra Bordoni – Senior Researcher with specific expertise in nutrition.

References relevant to the field of research:

• Vannini L., Lanciotti R., Baldi D. and Guerzoni M. E. (2004) Interactions between high pressure homogenization and antimicrobial activity of lysozyme and lactoperoxidase. International Journal of Food Microbiology 94, 123-135.
• Lanciotti R., Vannini L., Pittia P., Guerzoni M. E. (2004). Suitability of high-dynamic-pressure-treated milk for the production of yogurt. Food Microbiology 21, 753-760.
• Guerzoni M. E., Vannini L., Lanciotti R., Gardini F. (2002). Optimisation of the formulation and of the technological process of egg based products for the prevention of Salmonella enteritidis survival and growth. International Journal of Food Microbiology 73, 367-374
• Guerzoni M. E., Vannini L., Chaves Lopez C., Lanciotti R., Suzzi G., Gianotti A. (1999) Effect of high pressure homogenization on microbial and chemico-physical characteristics of goat cheeses. Journal of Dairy Science 82 (5), 851-862.
• Lanciotti R., Sinigaglia M., Angelini P., Guerzoni M. E. (1994) Effects of homogenization pressure on the survival and growth of some food spoilage and pathogenic micro-organisms. Letters in Applied Microbiology 18, 319-322.

Sub-contractors

• NIRO SOAVI S.p.A. (NSV) (I)

Person in charge: Silvia Grasselli (sg@niro-soavi.it)
Main tasks in the project: WP8 (task 8.3)

• Centro Universitario di Bertinoro Soc. Cons. a r.l. (Ce.U.B.) (I)

Person in charge: Omar Mazzotti (omazzotti@ceub.it)
Main tasks in the project: WP7 (task 7.2)