Description
OBJECTIVES
The general purpose of the GIR in Nutrition and Food Microbiology is research, teaching, and knowledge transfer on issues related to nutrition and dietetics, clinical nutrition, food handling, food safety, and food microbiology.
The general objective of the Group is to study the effect of diet or its constituents on health or disease, with special attention to certain bioactive components and the role of the intestinal microbiota.
PURPOSE
The general purpose of the GIR in Nutrition and Food Microbiology is research, teaching, and knowledge transfer on issues related to nutrition and dietetics, clinical nutrition, food handling, food safety, and food microbiology.
The group is made up of ordinary members of the Nutrition and Food Science Area of the Faculty of Medicine who will combine their knowledge and experience in the two fundamental parts of said area.
The associate members form a group of researchers from other academic centers outside the University of Valladolid. With some of them (Dr. Javier Mateo, Dr. Juan Miguel Marín, Dr. Donald W. Schaffner) there has been a direct collaboration for several years with excellent research results reflected in high-impact publications. An active collaboration is being established with Dr. Schnell and Dr. Ratering that originates from several visits by the GIR coordinator (Dr. Emiliano J. Quinto) to his laboratory thanks to the Erasmus Mobility program of the PDI of the University of Valladolid . Dr. Rosa López Mongil, geriatrician, current coordinator of the Nutrition group of the Spanish Society of Geriatrics and Gerontology (GIR), has collaborated for several years in the lines of research in nutrition, as has Dr. Alberto Miján de la Torre .
Also included among the associate members are associate professors of the Nutrition and Food Science Area of the University of Valladolid, regular collaborators in the lines of research related to nutrition, dietetics and clinical nutrition.
SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES:
The general objective of the Group is to study the effect of diet or its constituents on health or disease, with special attention to certain bioactive components and the role of the intestinal microbiota and / or that of food itself.
The specific objectives, present and future, of the Group are:
- Study the effect of different components of food (probiotics, biopeptides, antioxidants ...) on health and disease.
- To study the association between the microbiota and the development and course of different highly prevalent pathologies.
- Study the behavior of microorganisms in food, both pathogenic (Escherichia coli, Listeria monocytogenes, Enterobacter sakazakii, Salmonella spp, etc.) and spoilage (Pseudomonas fluorescens) and beneficial (probiotics). Use mathematical models to model behavior.
- Study the competition between microorganisms and possible communication mechanisms (quorum sensing).
- To study the presence and behavior of food-borne pathogenic bacteria, mainly in meat and milk and their derivatives (Escherichia coli O157: H7, Listeria monocytogenes) or in reconstituted formula for newborn feeding (Enterobacter sakazakii).
- Study the genomics of microbial populations: intestine, food, changes in its major constituents (Families or Genders), environmental effects on these populations (temperature, pH, salt, mixing with different types of food, simulation of digestions, etc.).
- Study of the genomics of populations in various foods such as breast milk, dairy preparations, microbial cultures and their impact on nutrition.
- Evaluate the nutritional status of populations and groups (children and adolescents, adults, the elderly, athletes).
- Analyze the body composition using bioelectric impedance (BIA) in its different modalities.
- Analyze intake and its association with health or disease. Diet quality.
- Develop collaborative strategies to integrate the results of the studies carried out by the different researchers of the Group.
