The Science of Alt Protein: Microbial astaxanthin production and extraction strategy considerations
Afroditi Chatzifragkou, PhD
University of Reading, UK
Event description
Valorisation of agri-food processing by-products and waste materials holds significant potential for microbially produced carotenoids. Join Professor Chatzifragkou for a webinar on January 8th, where she’ll discuss how she and her team have investigated the feasibility of rapeseed meal, a readily available by-product produced during rapeseed oil extraction, as a substrate for natural astaxanthin production by the yeast Xanthophyllomyces dendrorhous. Aspects such as optimisation of media hydrolysis and fermentation process will be presented, alongside strategies for the efficient extraction of astaxanthin from yeast biomass.
Meet the speaker
Afroditi Chatzifragkou, PhD
PROFESSOR OF SUSTAINABLE BIOPROCESSING
DEPARTMENT OF FOOD AND NUTRITIONAL SCIENCES
UNIVERSITY OF READING, UK
Afroditi Chatzifragkou is a Professor of Sustainable Bioprocessing in the Department of Food and Nutritional Sciences at the University of Reading. Afroditi’s expertise lies in food bioprocessing. Her research focuses on microbial fermentations and biorefineries, alternative proteins (plants, insects, seaweeds), as well as on optimisation of green extraction technologies (supercritical fluid extraction, ultrasonication, enzymes) for functional compounds and food applications.
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