professor in the discipline of food and nutrition technology
priority research area: MoleculeTech
Scientific schievements
Professor Grażyna Budryn from the Faculty of Biotechnology and Food Sciences at Lodz University of Technology is a specialist in food technology, biotechnology, and research on the bioavailability, metabolism, and biological activity of plant-derived bioactive compounds. Her scientific output includes 95 publications listed in the JCR. In her scientific work, she integrates food chemistry and technology, biochemistry, microbiology, molecular modelling, and in vitro and in vivo studies.
Research profile and research directions
Her scientific interests focus on the relationships between chemical structure and biological activity of bioactive compounds, especially polyphenols. Professor Budryn studies their interactions with enzymes and receptors, including AChE, BChE, MAO, and PPAR, as well as mechanisms involved in the regulation of inflammatory, metabolic, and neurodegenerative processes. An important area of her research is the influence of the food matrix and technological processes, such as fermentation, thermal treatment, and encapsulation, on the bioavailability and bioactivity of functional ingredients.
Among her most significant achievements is a conceptual shift from the analysis of individual bioactive compounds to the study of complex, dynamic systems formed in food during processing and digestion. She demonstrated that polyphenols may strongly and reversibly bind to proteins, while their complexes undergo controlled dissociation in the gastrointestinal tract, increasing the availability of biologically active forms. Her research has also helped describe the mechanisms regulating the bioavailability of nutraceuticals and the role of gut microbiota and indigestible food structures as sources of secondary, highly active metabolites.
Honours recognition from the scientific community
Professor Budryn actively cooperates with the agri-food industry, carrying out R&D projects and implementing technologies and products in companies such as FoodHub, Buena, Gastro-Food, BioCanabis, Megenzymes, Waldiben, Victus, JoyFood, and Astra. The results of this cooperation include technologies for functional and convenience foods, “ready-to-eat” and “zero waste” product lines, natural coffee flavouring technologies, fermented products, and solutions improving microbiological safety and food shelf life.
Her activity also includes broad expert and organizational work. Professor Budryn has reviewed more than 300 project applications for institutions such as PARP, NCBR, NCN, MNiSW, and KEN, participated in the evaluation of scientific units, and served as a reviewer in academic promotion procedures. She is also a co-organizer of the international BACIF conference series. For her scientific and implementation achievements, she has received awards, including third place in the EUREKA! DGP competition for the development of biodegradable film and a distinction in the “Młodzi w Łodzi – Mam pomysł na startup” competition.