habilitated doctor in the discipline of food and nutrition technology
priority research area: MoleculeTech
Scientific achievements
Dr Hab. Eng. Joanna Oracz, Professor at Lodz University of Technology, from the Faculty of Biotechnology and Food Sciences, is a specialist in food technology and nutrition, food chemistry, and research on plant-derived bioactive compounds. Her scientific output includes 77 publications listed in the JCR.
Research profile and research directions
Her scientific interests focus on the isolation, identification, characterization, and stabilization of natural bioactive compounds with antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, neuroprotective, and anticancer properties. A key area of her research includes phenolic compounds, ellagitannins, melanoidins, and other secondary metabolites found in plant materials such as cocoa beans, oak seeds, herbal raw materials, edible flowers, and by-products of the agri-food industry.
Among her most significant achievements is the comprehensive characterization of the phenolic compound profile of northern red oak (Quercus rubra L.) seeds using advanced analytical methods, including UHPLC-DAD-ESI-HRMS/MS and NMR, and demonstrating their potential as a source of bioactive ellagitannins. An important direction of her research is also the demonstration that melanoidins isolated from thermally processed plant materials are bioactive macromolecules with antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and cytotoxic properties. These findings provide a basis for designing innovative ingredients for functional foods, nutraceuticals, cosmetics, and biomedical preparations.
Honours and recognition from the scientific community
Dr Hab. Joanna Oracz actively cooperates with the food, nutraceutical, and cosmetic industries. She has carried out research and development projects, expert services, and technological consulting for companies including Pamapol, Grupa Buena, Millano Group, Olini, Nestlé, Biostar, Maspex, Barry Callebaut Manufacturing Polska, Colian, UNION CHOCOLATE, HMH HARDEK MĄKA HARDEK, Fabryka Lemoniad, and Oilmedica. The outcomes of this cooperation include technological implementations, product innovations, patents, and patent applications concerning bioactive plant preparations, functional products, and biodegradable materials for the food industry.
She is a member of the Polish Society of Food Technologists, the Section for the Development of Young Scientific Staff of the Committee on Food and Nutrition Sciences of the Polish Academy of Sciences, the PTTŻ Food Sensory Analysis Section, the European Sensory Science Society, and the international consortium Food and Industrial Use of Quercus Acorn. She has also been involved in editorial and reviewing activities for scientific journals, including Food Chemistry, Antioxidants, Molecules, and Journal of Functional Foods. She has received numerous awards for her scientific activity, including Rector’s Awards of Lodz University of Technology, a distinction for her doctoral dissertation, the Polmos Żyrardów Award, a distinction in the “Mam pomysł na startup” competition, second place in the EUREKA! DGP competition, and the Bronze Medal for Long Service.