Food production contributes significantly to our global environmental footprint. A considerable proportion of food-grade biomass is lost during processing, leaving the food chain despite its substantial nutritional and economic potential. At the same time, the growing world population demands novel and sustainable solutions to produce healthy foods that meet our dietary needs, such as new protein sources and nutrient-rich ingredients. 

In the Technical Food Microbiology group, we explore and develop biotechnological strategies to make food production more sustainable while creating healthier foods and ingredients. Therefore, a special focus also lies on the fermentative valorization of agro-industrial side streams—turning by-products and waste materials into valuable compounds through microbial processes. 

We investigate microorganisms for their natural metabolic capacities and harness specific enzymatic traits for precision fermentation. To achieve this, we combine classical microbiological techniques with molecular biology tools, such as heterologous expression for studying enzymes of interest. Furthermore, we employ analytical approaches to study microbial metabolism and characterize fermentation products, including complex polysaccharides. We also assess nutrient bioavailability and bioaccessibility using in vitro digestion models. Complementary to these experimental methods, we apply computational biology tools such as comparative genomics to better understand and optimize microbial production processes.

Together, these approaches enable us to advance sustainable biotechnological innovations for the food sector.