Líneas de Investigación
- Biomass pretreatment and production of biofuels
A biorefinery is a facility that integrates biomass conversion processes and equipment to produce fuels, power, and chemicals from biomass. At present, we are participating in a ERA-IB-2 project that integrates the use of ligninolytic enzymes and novel cellulases in the pretreatment of lignocellulosic biomass with the aim of producing sugars that could be used in second-generation biorefineries.
- Production of added-value products by enzymatic transformation of natural extracts
Recent research has shown that Phenolic compounds are promising nutraceuticals for control of various disorders. Among polyphenols, flavonoids and their glycosides constitute one of the major classes of all plant secondary metabolites. They are widely distributed natural compounds that attracted researchers, food manufacturers and consumers due to their antioxidant properties as well as their role in the prevention of various diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular diseases, neurodegenerative diseases, diabetes or osteoporosis.
The use and effectiveness of flavonoids, however, sometimes are hampered by their physicochemical properties such as limited solubility, low hydrophobicity and poor compatibility with biological membranes. Therefore, chemical modification of flavonoid affecting these properties has long been a focus of scientific and industrial interest. Increasing molecular weight of the polyphenols may overcome their limitations. In this way, high molecular weight polyphenols have been reported to exhibit enhanced biological properties with longer circulation time in vivo. Therefore, different approaches have been followed to modify the chemical structure of flavonoids glycosides. The objective of this research line is the oxidative oligomerization of flavonoids by natural oxidative enzymes.
Proyectos vigentes
- Integral technology for the production of high added value oligomers from natural flavonoids (INTELCOL). 01/10/2015-30/09/2018. Spanish Government (CTQ2014-58879-JIN). IP: Gemma Eibes. 169.000 €.
- Enzymes for 2G Sugars (2GEnzymes). 01/11/2015-31/10/2018. Spanish Government (European Project) (PCIN-2015-031). IP: Gemma Eibes. 147.000 €.
Principales Indicadores (2005-2015)
- Publicaciones de investigación SCI: 40
- Índice H: 11
- Citación SCOPUS: 325
- Libros:
- Capítulos de libros: 3
- Publicaciones de investigación sin índice de impacto:
- Participación internacional (congresos, ponencias): 45
- Patentes: 3
Publicaciones más relevantes
Beatriz Gullón; Belén Goméz; Martina Martínez Sabajanes; Remedios Yáñez; José Luis Alonso; Juan Carlos Parajó. Pectic oligosaccharides: Manufacture and functional properties. Trends in Food Science & Technology, 2013, 30, pp: 153-161.
Beatriz Gullón; Patricia Gullón; Freni Tavaria; Manuela Pintado; Ana María Gomes; José Luis Alonso; Juan Carlos Parajó. Structural features and assessment of prebiotic activity of refined arabinoxylooligosaccharides from wheat bran. Journal of Functional Foods, 2014, 6, pp: 438-449.
Beatriz Gullón; Manuela Pintado; Xavier Barber; Juana Fernández-López; José A. Pérez-Álvarez; Manuel Viuda-Martos. Bioaccessibility, changes in the antioxidant potential and colonic fermentation of date pits and Apple bagasse flours obtained from co-products during simulated in vitro gastrointestinal digestion. Food Research International, 2015. 78, pp: 169-176.
Beatriz Gullón; María I. Montenegro; Ana I. Ruiz-Matute; Alejandra Cardelle-Cobas; Nieves Corzo. Synthesis, optimization and structural characterization of achitosan–glucose derivative obtained by the Maillard reaction. Carbohydrate Polymers, 2016, 137, pp: 382-389.
Belén Gómez; Beatriz Gullón; Remedios Yáñez; Henk Schols; José L. Alonso. Prebiotic potential of pectins and pectic oligosaccharides derived from lemon peel wastes and sugar beet pulp: A comparative evaluation. Journal of Functional Foods, 2016, 20, pp: 108-121.
