Diploma thesis defense on ByProExtract project

The public thesis defense by student Maja Matić, entitled “Extraction of bioactive components from tobacco waste using eutectic solvents” was held on July 19, 2019 at the Faculty of Agriculture and Food Technology in Mostar. The thesis was written under the mentorship of Stela Jokić, PhD, full professor, principal investigator on ByProExtract project.
The experimental part of the graduate thesis was realized at the Sub-department of Chemistry and Ecology, Sub-department of Process Design and Construction Materials, and at Sub-department of Applied Chemistry and Instrumental Methods at the Faculty of Food Technology in Osijek, within the project “Application of innovative techniques of the extraction of bioactive components from by-products of plant origin “(HRZZ-UIP-2017-05-9909).

Experimental part of the thesis was made with technical assistance Marija Banožić, an associate at the ByProExtract project.
Student presented a good quality of her research, after which she answered the questions of the defense committee. On the basis of all this, the defense committee presented the decision that Maja Matić successfully defended her graduate thesis with an excellent grade and obtained master degree in food engineering.

Mentioned Master thesis is available at the following LINK.

Upgrading of laboratory spray dryer

Existing laboratory spray dryer Mini Spray Dryer B-290 has been upgraded with Inert Loop B-295 230V 50Hz and B-296 air humidifier and inlet and outlet filters. By upgrading the equipment, it can now also be used for production of dry extracts (powders) using organic solvents.

Advanced Statistics Training in London

From June 11 to June 14, 2019, at University College London, UK, member of our project team prof. Ines Banjari attended an intensive practical training in statistics. The training was organized in collaboration between UCL Research Support Centre and UCL Department fo Statistical Science under prof. Rumana Omar supervision. The training is a part of the planned project activities in the second year of implementation of the ByProExtract project. This is the first out of three trainings in advanced statistical methods prof. Banjari will attend during the project. The aim of these trainings is to apply advanced statistical methods and by developing prediction models to raise the quality of published data on the project results. Also, this enables members of the project team to compete for publication in some of the most prestigious journals in the world. Additionally, visibility of the holder institution, Faculty of Food Technology also improves.

Flour-Bread ’19 Congress

The 10th International Congress “Flour-Bread ’19” and the 12th Croatian Congress of Cereal Technologists “Brašno-Kruh ’19.” was held from 11 to 14 June in Hotel Osijek, Osijek, Croatia organized by the Faculty of Food Technology Osijek. This year the Congress celebrated its 10th international jubilee gathering a total of 250 of scientists and professionals from 15 different countries. The scientific programme of the Congress included plenary and invited lectures, oral and poster presentations with sponsors and exhibitors from companies and associations relevant for food industry and laboratory equipment.


The ByProExtract Principal Investigator Stela Jokić, Full Professor, was a member of the Scientific Committee, while the members of the ByProExtract team have also participated in scientific poster section with a poster entitled: “An Image Processing Approach for Color-Based Sorting and Counting of Selected Cereals“ (authors: Silvija Šafranko, Ana-Marija Cikoš, Marija Banožić, Anamarija Stanković, Stela Jokić), and the poster was awarded for the Best Poster Presentation during Closing Ceremony of the Congress. The honourable guests of the Congress (Hamit Köksel – International Accociation for Cereal Science and Technology“, professors from „Wrocław University of Economics“, „Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences“, University of Szeged, „Kharkiv State University of Food and Trade“, „Lithuanian University of Health Sciences “ and „Bastak instruments“) have visited our Faculty and had opportunity to learn more about our projects, as well how our Faculty is equipped. They have also visited laboratories with equipment provided from ByProExtract project funding (HRZZ – Croatian Science Foundation).

Second Regional meeting held in Vinkovci

Second Regional meeting “2. Regionalni skup o mogućnostima pripreme EU projekata od šireg interesa za prehrambeno – prerađivački sektor i razvoj Slavonije, Baranje i Srijema.” focusing on the agri-food sector and meeting the criteria for EU projects applications was held in Congress hall of Hotel Slavonia in Vinkovci. The main aim of the meeting was to inform public about the EU funds, strategic investments and projects, and finally to connect and strengthen the network between food economy with potential development of bioeconomy, especially in the regions of Slavonia, Baranja and Srijem.
Stela Jokić, associate professor and ByProExtract Principal Investigator, also contributed to the meeting with an oral presentation emphasizing the importance of connecting the science and industry.

Second Young Scientists Days in Osijek

ByProExtracts team members participated on 2nd „Young Scientist Days“ Conference in Osijek in the period from 23th to 24th May. The Meeting was held on Department of Biology and has been organized jointly by Department of Biology, Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Food Technology Osijek, Faculty of Agrobiotechnical Sciences Osijek, Faculty of Medicine Osijek and Department of Physics Osijek. The gathering was a chance to exchange and create new ideas and friendships, acquire knowledge, skills and competences for working on a science-research and teaching field, and linking them together as a basis for future joint collaboration.

Silvija Šafranko, ByProExtract team member was a member of Organizing Committee and created design and layout for Book of Abstracts.

Stela Jokić, principal investigator on ByProExtract participated with oral presentation entitled „Research projects- opportunities for new jobs, modern equipment, and scientific achievements“. Through her lecture she presented ByProExtract project as a platform where two young PhD students are employed and where they constantly work on development of new technologies.

 

Stela Jokić – associate member of Croatian Academy of Engineering

37th annual meeting of the Croatian Academy of Engineering (HATZ) was held on May 20, 2019, at University of Zagreb. Due to the proposal of the Academy Presidency a diploma was awarded to associate professor Stela Jokić, principal investigator of project ByProExtract.
Stela Jokić was elected as a associate member of the Academy at the Department of Bioprocess Engineering.

Marija Banožić held oral presentation on 2. ZORH Meeting

The second Meeting of scientists, experts and students in the field of environmental protection in Republic of Croatia (2nd ZORH) was held on Faculty of Chemistry and Technology Split, from 26 to 27 April 2019. The meeting was organized by the Faculty of Chemistry and Technology Split and Student section of Croatian Society of Chemical Engineers
Marija Banožić, ByProExtract team member participated with oral presentation entitled „Tobacco waste- a new potential source for extraction of bioactive compounds“.

26th Croatian Meeting of Chemists and Chemical Engineers

ByProExtracts team members participated on 26th meeting of Croatian Chemical and Chemical Engineers (26HSKIKI) in Sibenik in the period from 9th to 12th April. The meeting has traditionally been organized jointly by the Croatian Society of Chemical Engineers and the Croatian Chemical Society on a biannual basis (since 1969). Stela Jokić, PhD, principal investigator of the ByProExtract project, as a invited lecturer, give a lecture entitled “Supercritical CO2 extraction of bioactive compounds from plant material”.

Topic of the lecture was based on current research on extraction with supercritical CO2, transfer of results from laboratory to industrial scale and also the newest results of the ByProExtract project. Marija Banožić, ByProExtract team member and Stela Jokić, principal investigator, presented also research papers and results from project during poster sessions.

Student from University of Mostar as a guest researcher at ByProExtract project

Maja Matić, student of the final year of Food Engineering at the faculty of Agriculture and Food Technology, University of Mostar, has attended on student exchange during March and April at the Faculty of Food Technology where she worked on the extraction with deep eutectic solvents on tobacco waste as a part of the ByProExtract team. During her stay she worked on “screening” of various deep eutectic solvents, examining various process extraction parameters, determination of total phenols and antioxidant activity in extracts and identification and quantification of bioactive compounds. The researches they used were used to write graduate theses at their faculty.
This is another proof of the recognition of the scientific research work of the ByProExtract team and the Faculty of Food Technology outside the borders of Croatia.