School of Packaging Almenar's Research Group

Bio:

Carola is a Ph.D. student at the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia (UniMORE), Italy, specializing in the field of Food Packaging under the guidance of Prof. Fabio Licciardello.

She graduated with honors with a bachelor's degree in July 2018 and earned a Master's Degree in Food Science and Technology in October 2020, both from UniMORE.

Before enrolling in the Ph.D. program, Carola worked as a research fellow, where she conducted analyses on the secondary shelf life of food products as a means to reduce household food waste.

Carola also presented her research at an international conference (SLIM 2022) held in Bogotà, Colombia, where she delivered an oral presentation and presented three posters. She is also a co-author of three peer-reviewed articles.

Research Focus

Carola's research project concerns the development of active food packaging aimed at extending the shelf life of food products and reducing food waste generation.

Throughout her Ph.D., she has been involved in various research projects related to shelf life testing, encompassing chemical-physical, microbiological, and sensory analyses. She has investigated the inhibitory activity of antimicrobial compounds, both in vitro and in food products.

Carola has also been actively engaged in formulating active packaging and studying their antimicrobial activity against spoilage microorganisms.

During her stay at the MSU School of Packaging under the guidance of Prof. Eva Almenar, Carola will focus on industrial developments of active packaging. During this period, she plans to study the migration of antimicrobial compounds from the polymer into food simulants to understand the factors influencing the kinetic release. The ultimate objective of this project is to apply the optimal formulation to a food product to extend its shelf life, consequently reducing food waste.