João Baixinho, research fellow at Nutraceuticals & Bioactives Process Technology group (Food & Health Division, iBET), received the “Best Poster Award” at the I Bio.Natural – Bioactive Natural Products Research Meeting.
The awarded poster describes part of João’s work on developing an exploitation strategy to convert the current chicory (Cichorium intybus L.) waste into valuable products for use in human health-promoting applications.
By using environmentally friendly technologies, the researcher was able to obtain sesquiterpene-rich extracts characterized by their potential as antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory and anti-parasitic compounds.
This work represents a step forward in waste valorization research and it is part of European project “CHIC – Chicory as a multipurpose crop for dietary fibre and medicinal terpenes” already highlighted in national media.
The I Bio.Natural – Bioactive Natural Products Research Meeting was held in Lisbon, on September 27-28. It is a forum for researchers that are developing projects exploring the multiple applications offered by natural products, ranging from innovative compounds for drug discovery to bioactive agentes for the fields of cosmetic, medical devices or nutrition.