PERLA GOMEZ DI MARCO

The Institute of Plant Biotechnology has 8 Research Units as follows: The current lines of research include: 1. Engineering and technology of biotechnological processes. - Biotechnological processes oriented to different products by use of microorganisms and enzymes. They are destined for food, pharmacy and cosmetics. - Optimization of the technology of the processes (conditions) and their engineering (equipment), to maximize efficiency and decrease costs, from lab and pilot plant scale to industrial scale. - Technology and engineering of the decrease in the enzymatic and microbial activities in food, with the development of new products and bioactive ingredients, and multiactive and ultraclean packing (with antimicrobial activity and enzyme inhibition). 2. Food quality and health. - Development of new food products (with prebiotics/probiotic/bioactive ingredients) based on sustainability and innovation through by-product valorization, contributing to the reduction of food loss and waste. ​ - Improvement of post-harvest strategies, processing and packaging through the implementation of green and emerging food technologies. - Identification of major QTLs by quality-oriented breeding strategies in melon fruit at harvest and during postharvest ripening to improve texture and storability. - Development of functional plant foods, beverages, pharmaceutical and cosmetics to enhance value and have a positive impact on human health and sustainability. 3. Soil ecology and biotechnology. - Linking soil biodiversity and ecosystem functions and services for sustainable production. - Identification of keystone soil organisms involved in key ecostem services. - Assessing soil health in terms of management in agriculture. - Agroecological alternatives to pesticides to enhance soil health and ecosystem services. - Phytomanagement of metal polluted soils. - Biogeochemistry, functionality and ecotoxicity of metal polluted soils in a global warming perspective. - Hydric systems and nature-based solutions to combat eutrophication and metal pollution. - Forest management in a global warming perspective. 4. Secondary metabolites. - Propagation of selected chemotypes of aromatic and medicinal plants (MAP): development of methods for in situ extraction of metabolites, development of MAP micropropagation methods using bioreactors, and use of microorganisms to enhance MAP growth and production in the field. - Reuse of by-products from MAP extraction processes, with recovery of metabolites of commercial interest from hydrolates and residual biomass. - Production of specialized metabolites of commercial interest from in vitro cultures of plant materials, with establishment of new cell and organ culture lines and development of physical elicitation techniques. - Induction of systemic plant resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses: priming with chemical, physical and biological agents, and production of specialized metabolites in primed plants. 5. Microbiology and food safety. - Resistance and inactivation of foodborne pathogen and spoilage microorganisms exposed to food preservation treatments, such as heat of natural antimicrobials. - Predictive food microbiology and quantitative microbiological risk assessment (QMRA). - Use of nanoemusified essential oils to decontaminate fresh vegetables, as alternative to clhorine, and to combat biofilms. 6. Integrated pest management. - Genetic improvement of biological control agents. - Impacts of Plant Protection Products (PPPs). - Biotechnological tools-DNA markers for identification of agricultural pests. - Fungal plant disease diagnosis and postharvest pathology. 7. Plant genetic resources and sustainable horticultural technologies. - Recovery and conservation of plant genetic resources (threatened flora species). - Optimisation of irrigation management using non-conventional water (saline water, treated wastewater, and desalinated water). - Hydroponic cultivation of baby leaf vegetables with use of LED lighting.  - Use of organic by-products from agri-food industry in vegetable production. - Influence of preharvest treatments in the field on postharvest shelf life of vegetables. - Plant physiology under abiotic stress. 8. Genetic engineering of development and metabolism. - Obtaining new varieties of cannabis with high cannabinoid content: genetic control of the synthesis of THC, CBD and terpenes, environmental effects on production and flower development. - Genetic improvement of cells for culture in bioreactors: callus quality (growth, friability), and growth in bioreactors (growth speed, culture density etc.). - Validation of genes that coordinate growth and emission of volatiles with biotechnological potential: gene knock down using Crispr/Cas9 technology in the model plant Petunia x hybrida, and genetics of heterosis in Arabidopsis.