From Undergraduate student to Doctor

Long time member of our Laboratory Ioannis Martakos, defended his thesis titled “Chemical Characterization and Identification of New Bioactive Compounds in Food and Food By-products by High-Resolution Mass Spectrometry and Advanced Chemometrics.”

This study employs advanced 4D lipidomics and chemometric techniques to profile bioactive lipids across various food matrices like pork, chicken, avocados, and marine by-products, by leveraging the technique of HRMS coupled with ion-mobility separation (TIMS-TOF). The research unveils nearly 600 unique lipid compounds, identifying biomarkers for food authenticity, quality, and traceability that could potentially be of use in fraud prevention and sustainability. From analyzing omega-rich marine oils to authenticating the origins of Spanish Hass avocados, this work highlights lipidomics’ transformative role in foodomics. With significant implications for consumer health and industry standards, this thesis is a leap forward in understanding food composition, nutritional profiling, and authenticity verification.