1. Functionality of bacterial surface macromolecules
Functional and biological properties of exopolysaccharides (EPS):
• Anti-inflammatory capacity of EPS
• EPS ability to counteract the toxic effect and intestinal infections caused by foodborne pathogens
• Mechanisms of action of bacterial EPS
Technological properties of EPS:
• Influence of bacterial EPS in generating viscosity, structure and texture of dairy products
Functionality of extracellular proteins from food and intestinal bacteria
2. Probiotic foods
• Development of in vitro models to assess probiotic functionality in foods (mainly dairy products)
• Bioavailability of nutrients and bioactive compounds of probiotic foods
3. Mechanisms of antimicrobial resistance in lactic bacteria and bifidobacteria
4. Interactions of intestinal microorganisms (mainly bifidobacteria) with gastrointestinal and technological conditions
• Physiological and molecular mechanisms of adaptation and response to gastrointestinal and technological environments
• In vitro and in vivo models (mainly cellular and animal models) to study bacteria-host interactions
5. Collection, preservation and cultivation of fecal microbiota: culture of fastidious intestinal microorganisms using specific conditions adapted to their metabolic and physiological needs.
6. Metabolic and functional control of microorganisms in complex microbial populations
7. Dysbiosis associated with different physiological and pathological conditions (cancer, immune disorders, inflammatory bowel diseases and biliary diseases): microbial disease markers, strategies to modulate the microbiota and development of adapted functional foods.
8. Development of bioinformatic tools with application in omics techniques for the study of microbiota and probiotic functionality.
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