Projects
Model-based characterization of the mechanical niche of mouse fetal liver hematopoietic stem cells. KU Leuven
Generation of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) from pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) would theoretically provide an inexhaustible pool of HSCs, suitable for transplantation or for the generation of blood cells for transfusion. Although immature HSCs can be generated from PSCs, they do not robustly engraft and cannot yet be used to generate large numbers of hematopoietic cells.
The behavior of somatic stem cells is regulated by their ...
Oxidative stability of long chain omega-3 poly-unsaturated fatty acids in fruit and vegetable based products enriched with microalgae. KU Leuven
Fruit and vegetables are important carriers of bio-active components whereof the daily intake by the major part of the population is often too low. The largest part of fruit and vegetables is consumed as low fat dispersed food like juices, sauces and soups. Microalgae on theirside have been identified as a source of omega-3 long chain poly-unsaturated fatty acid. The objective of this Ph.D. is to combine the potential of both products by ...
Advanced Computational Fluid Dynamics modelling for a more sustainable and energy efficient postharvest cold chain of pome fruit KU Leuven
The demand for fresh fruit is high and expected to increase significantly in the near future due to consumers targeting a healthy diet. This inherently leads to the need for high-quality fruit being available year-round for fresh consumption. However, freshly harvested fruit solely rely on their internal reserves to maintain their respiration metabolism. By lowering fruit temperature, the respiration rate can be reduced, thus retarding the ...
VALORFOOD KU Leuven
In the agro-food industry, there are large loss and residual flows (too small potatoes, green portion of leek, malformed cucumbers, malformed croissants, ..). Currently, the valorisation of such residual flows is relatively low in the cascade of value retention. This project aims to maximize the value of these residual flows in this cascade.
After inventory of the residual flows in the agro-food industry in West Flanders and ...
Dissecting sublethal injury and resuscitation phenomena inflicted by mild food processing in the low infectious dose foodborne pathogen Escherichia coli O157:H7 KU Leuven
A population of isogenic microorganisms residing in a homogeneous environment shows a significant amount of phenotypic heterogeneity resulting in cells with identical genetic predispositions displaying a variety of different phenotypes. A striking example of this phenotypic heterogeneity reveals itself in the typical observation that only a small isogenic subpopulation is able to survive exposure to stresses that kill the majority of their ...
Antimicrobial mechanism of trans-cinnamaldehyde and other essential oil compounds in Listeria monocytogenes KU Leuven
Natural antimicrobials enjoy an increasing interest in view of the trend towards healthy, minimally processed food that has a natural image and a conveniently long shelf life. They can be integrated in a hurdle concept of multiple mild food preservation strategies, which address the challenges of this trend in terms of microbiological stability and safety. Studies on natural food preservatives have so far been mainly descriptive, reporting ...
Insight into the germination mechanism of psychrotrophic group II Clostridium botulinum (type E) spores KU Leuven
Clostridium botulinum is a strictly anaerobic spore-forming bacterium, and produces the most deadly toxin known, the botulinum neurotoxin (BoNT). Therefore, food contaminated with (spores of) this pathogen constitutes an important threat to humans and animals. Bacterial spores are highly resistant dormant structures that are resilient against many hostile conditions like heat, dryness, lack of nutrients, UV, chemicals and oxygen. ...
Study of preharvest sprouting of wheat and assessment of postharvest technologies to reduce its impact on wheat and bread quality KU Leuven
Wheat is an important raw material for the production of staple food in the Western world. Therefore, uncontrolled variations in wheat yield and quality are of major concern for farmers and the wheat processing industry. Such variations are often caused by adverse climatological conditions like repeated and prolonged rainfall shortly before or during harvest. Preharvest sprouting (PHS) of wheat is the germination of the seed in the ear of the ...