Profile

Mahesha M. Poojary is a Food Chemist with a strong background in Chemistry and Analytical Chemistry. He obtained his MSc degree in Chemistry from the National Institute of Technology Karnataka, India (2011) and Ph.D. in Chemical Sciences from the University of Camerino, Italy (Eureka Fellowship, April 2017). He was appointed as Associate Professor in Food Protein Chemistry in January 2023. 

Previous Employment

• Tenure-track Assistant Professor, Department of Food Science, University of Copenhagen. Nov 2018-Dec 2022.
• Postdoctoral Researcher, Department of Food Science, University of Copenhagen. Feb 2018-Oct 2018.
• Postdoctoral Researcher, Department of Food Science, University of Copenhagen. Feb 2017-Jan 2018.
• Lecturer, Canara Engineering College, Mangalore, India. Jun 2011-May 2013.

Research mobility

• Visiting Researcher, Technische Universität Dresden, Germany (Apr–Jul 2019).
• Visiting Researcher, DTU, Denmark (Mar 2017–Jan 2018, part-time).
• The Australia Awards-Endeavour Research Fellow, RMIT University, Australia (Jun–Dec 2016).
• Visiting Researcher, University of Copenhagen, Denmark (Dec 2015–May 2016).
• Guest PhD Student, University of Copenhagen, Denmark (May–Nov 2015).
• Doctoral Research Fellow, University of Camerino, Italy (May 2013–Oct 2016).
• Visiting Research Fellow, Center for DNA Fingerprinting and Diagnostics (CDFD), India (May–Jul 2010).
• Visiting Student, Indian Institute of Spices Research (ICAR), India (May–Jun 2008).

Research interests

His research interests center around 1) Obtaining proteins and added-value compounds from microalgae and food processing byproducts, 2) Investigating protein oxidation, the Maillard reaction and protein-polyphenol interactions in foods by high-resolution LC-MS/MS.  3) Development and validation of gas and liquid chromatography-based methods for analyzing small molecules in foods (metabolomics).

His current work is focused on

1. Improvement of quality and stability of dairy and plant-based products by thermal and non-thermal food processing.

2. Cultivation of microalgae and extraction of added-value compounds (proteins, carotenoids, umami amino acids, and PUFAs) from algal biomass. 

3. Understanding the chemistry of protein modifications/protein oxidation during food processing.

4. Exploring the mechanism of protein-polyphenol interaction in foods. 

Ongoing projects

PI: ‘Two-in-one: Valorising dairy wastewater to produce food ingredients using microalgae’. Funded by: Independent Research Fund Denmark (DFF). The project involves collaboration among UCPH  FOOD, Arla Foods, and Teagasc, Ashtown Food Research Centre, Ireland. 2022-2025

PI: 'Uncovering the effects of cold plasma on oxidation of grain proteins (PROPLASMA)'.  Funded by: Independent Research Fund Denmark (DFF). 2022-2025

Co-PI: 'Understanding protein modifications in dairy foods (running title)'. Funded by: Arla Foods Ingredients, Denmark. 2022-2025

Key participant:  “SEEDFOOD: Functional and palatable plant seed storage proteins for sustainable foods”, Novo Nordisk Foundation. 2022-2027

Teaching

• BSc Food Chemistry (7.5 ECTS) 
• MSc Advanced Food Chemistry (course responsible, 7.5 ECTS)

Key words: Chromatography, Mass Spectrometry, Microalgal Biotechnology, Maillard Reaction, Protein Oxidation, Food Chemical Toxicology, Plant Polyphenols, Ultrasound Processing, microalgae, and seaweeds.