Dr. Maria Irakli was born in Thessaloniki in 1973. She received her bachelor’s (1995), M.Sc. (2002) and Ph.D. (2012) degrees in Chemistry from the Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Sciences (A.U.Th.), specializing in Advanced Chemical Analysis. Her PhD thesis included the development and validation of high-pressure liquid chromatography methods for the determination of antioxidant compounds in cereals. She has worked as an assistant in the Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry (A.U.Th.) and as an external collaborator at the Department of Nutrition & Dietetics (International Hellenic University of Thessaloniki). In 1998, she started to work as a Chemist at the Cereal Institute of the National Agricultural Research Foundation (NAGREF), and since 2016 she belongs to the research staff of the Institute of Plant Breeding & Genetic Resources of ELGO – DIMITRA, specialized in Chemical Analysis & Technology of Plant Products. She has developed a wide range of research experience by participating in many competitive and non-competitive research projects either as a coordinator, as a scientific supervisor or as a work package leader, with the emphasis of analytical chemistry and food chemistry and technology. She has published 73 research papers in peer-reviewed international journals, 9 articles in conference proceedings and 70 contributions in national and international conferences, with more than 2184 citations (h-Index 26).

• Development and validation of analytical methods (HPLC-DAD, HPLC-MS, GC-MS, GC-FID) for the determination of nutrients and bioactive compounds in plant species
• Green extraction
• Valorization of food industry by-products to obtain functional ingredients
• Development of functional foods
• Study of volatile food ingredients (SPME-GC-MS)
• Study of antioxidant activity of foodstuffs
• Quality control of cereals and their products
• Safety of grains and cereal products - mycotoxin contamination
• Cannabinoids analysis

• Coordinator of the national program EPANEK in the frame of “Research-Development-Innovative”, entitled: «BY-VALUE: Sustainable production of functional ingredients from agro-food industry by-products for the development of high-added value bakery products» (https://byvalue.gr/).
• Rural Development Programme 2014-2020, Region of Central Macedonia, Measure 16, entitled AGRIELIA: "Demonstration of sustainability of wild olive ecosystems for the production of products of high nutritional value"
• Self-financed project for the provision of costed services to third parties, entitled "Quality control analyses of plant origin products - Cereals, Hemp, Aromatic Medicinal Plants - Essential Oils"

Irakli M., Skendi A., Bouloumpasi E., Chatzopoulou P., Biliaderis C.G. LC-MS identification and quantification of phenolic compounds in solid residues from the essential oil industry. Antioxidants 2021, 10, 2016-2035

Irakli M., Skendi A., Bouloumpasi E., Christaki S., Biliaderis C.G., Chatzopoulou P. Sustainable recovery of phenolic compounds from distilled rosemary by-product using green extraction methods: optimization, comparison, and antioxidant activity. Molecules 2023, 28, 6669

Skendi A., Bouloumpasi E., Chatzopoulou P., Biliaderis C.C., Irakli M. Comparison of drying methods for the retention of phenolic antioxidants in post-distillation solid residues of aromatic plants. LWT 2023, 189, 115463

Bouloumpasi E., Skendi A., Christaki S., Biliaderis C.G., Irakli M. Optimizing conditions for the recovery of lignans from sesame cake using three green extraction methods: Microwave-, ultrasound- and accelerated-assisted solvent extraction. Industrial Crops and Products 2024, 207, 117770

Nouska C., Irakli M., Palakas P., Lytou A.E., Bouloumpasi E., Biliaderis C.G., Lazaridou A. Influence of sesame cake on physicochemical, antioxidant and sensorial characteristics of fortified wheat breads. Food Research International 2024, 178, 113980