Theses can be developed within the following research areas:

Study of food microbiota using traditional methods and culture-independent molecular techniques;

Characterization and long-term preservation of indigenous microorganisms of ifood interest, aimed at developing microbial resources useful for applications in the agri-food and biomedical fields, in particular:

Study of the biodiversity and functional properties of technological and probiotic interest of indigenous microbial strains (lactic acid bacteria, yeasts) to be used as starters and/or supplements in the food industry;

Development of functional foods through the use of probiotic bacteria;

Study of the impact of microorganisms on the nutritional and metabolic profile of foods, and identification of biomarkers useful for the characterization, preservation, and definition of food product authenticity;

Analysis of the antimicrobial activity of new natural and/or synthetic compounds against bacterial and fungal strains of clinical and food-related interest.