Fermentation for Nutritional Improvement and Valorization of Plant-Based Ingredients

I provide research, development, and process optimization services in liquid-state and solid-state fermentation, focusing on the improvement of the nutritional and functional properties of food and feed ingredients, the valorization of agro-industrial sidestreams, and the production of bioactive compounds and microbial metabolites. My expertise includes substrate selection and pretreatment, microbial culture selection, experimental design, evaluation of fermentation conditions, process kinetics, and physicochemical and biochemical characterization of fermented materials.

I have worked with food, agricultural, and biotechnology companies to transform grains, legumes, plant-based substrates, and agro-industrial by-products into higher-value ingredients through controlled microbial fermentation. My research experience includes lactic acid bacterial and yeast-based fermentation, including mixed-culture systems, and the evaluation of changes in substrate structure, phenolic compounds, antioxidant activity, and other quality attributes. Depending on project objectives, studies can investigate protein digestibility, antinutritional factors, nutrient accessibility, and the functional properties of fermented ingredients.

Services include laboratory-scale feasibility studies, fermentation protocol development, selection of microbial cultures, assessment of process parameters, statistical analysis, product characterization, and preliminary scale-up evaluation. Typical deliverables include experimental datasets, optimized or validated fermentation protocols, analytical results, technical reports, and recommendations for further process development. This service is particularly suited to organizations seeking to improve plant-based food and feed ingredients, develop fermentation-derived functional ingredients, valorize underutilized agricultural resources, and advance sustainable bioprocessing and circular-economy solutions.