Spanish National Research Council

The research team is formed by Fidel Toldrá, Leticia Mora, Mónica Flores, Mª Concepción Aristoy, Cristina Moreno and Javier Calvo. It has a long and extensive experience in chemistry, biochemistry and instrumental analysis of protein foods, especially meat and meat products, and more recently, fish. The research is directed to the study of the biochemical mechanisms involved in food transformation processes with a view to improving sensory quality and nutritional value.

The team has developed an intense research work on the enzymatic hydrolysis of proteins and the generation of bioactive peptides responsible for flavor in meat and fish, as well as their identification and characterization. He also extensively investigates lipolysis and flavor chemistry of protein foods, especially the identification of aromatic compounds. In recent years, the team has expanded its field of activity towards the utilization of by-products from the meat and fish sectors to obtain high value-added compounds. The team has made numerous contracts with companies and maintains a good level of interdisciplinarity and internationalization demonstrated through joint projects with other research centers of international prestige.