The laboratory of cereal chemistry & technology has been renamed to laboratory of chemistry & technology of the Institute of Plant Breeding & Genetic Resources after the merge of the Cereal Institute with other research institutes of Hellenic Agricultural Organization “Demeter”.
It started as a department of the Cereal Institute in 1926. It is now housed at “Andreas Baltadoros” building of 800 m2 named after the researcher whose efforts laid the foundation of modern cereal technology research.
Aim of the lab is the research and development of analytical methods for the chemical characterization and the evaluation of cereal quality and other plant origin products (vegetables, legumes, aromatic plants etc) as well as their processing products through genetic and agronomic approaches with emphasis on nutritional value and their functional properties for the development of high-added value products.
Other research activities include:
- Quality evaluation of cereal varieties and other genetic material developed by the department of genetics and breeding, as well as foreign varieties to be cultivated in Greece and therefore need to be tested or checked. As a result, breeders are aided in their efforts to appropriately select superior quality varieties promoted to cultivation.
- Identification and quantitative determination of phytochemical and bioactive compounds (polyphenols, carotenoids, vitamin E) in plant origin products – study of antioxidant activity.
- Fortification of bakery and pasta products with functional constituents in order to be developed as “functional foods”.
- Study of physicochemical and quality characteristics of ancient wheats.
- Development and validation of HPLC methods for the rapid and simultaneous determination of mycotoxins in cereals.
- Investigation of food industry by-products valorization as food additive for the development of novel foods.
- Specifically on plant biochemistry: photoprotective and antioxidant mechanisms on a variety of plant species. Osmotic regulatory mechanisms.
Other activities:
- Provide services with specialized analysis of cereals and other plant products in order to support farmers, commercial companies and food industry, providing quality of grains according to standard methods and protocols.
- Collaboration with universities and technological institutes for supporting degree, master and doctoral thesis.
- Host students for their practical training.
- Collaboration with international institutes and organizations, such as the International Association of Cereal Science and Technology (ICC) in order to be informed for the new trends concerning the cereal chemistry and technology.
Our lab is well-equipped with the appropriate analytical instruments in order to conduct its research activities (you can find a full list of our equipment here).
