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​​​​​Plant-Based Proteins

Serap Vatansever
Postdoctoral Researcher
Plant Protein Innovation Center of Food Science & Nutrition, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities

Serap Vatansever, Ph.D., is a postdoctoral researcher at the Plant Protein Innovation Center of the Department of Food Science and Nutrition, at the University of Minnesota under the supervision of Dr. Baraem Pam Ismail. She received her B.Sc. (2009) and M.Sc. (2012) from the Department of Food Engineering at Pamukkale University in Turkey.

Her current research focuses on nutritional, structural, functional, and flavor characteristics of various plant proteins and their processing. Serap received her doctoral degree in the Cereal Science Program in 2020 as well as a graduate level certificate in the Statistics at North Dakota State University (NDSU), USA, and worked as a postdoctoral research associate at South Dakota State University (SDSU), USA, through August 2021. Her doctoral studies at NDSU focused on using supercritical carbon dioxide extraction for flavor modification to enhance the use of pulse ingredients in the food system, in addition to working for the annual pulse quality survey. During her postdoctoral study at SDSU, she investigated the effects of diverse storage conditions on the nutrient and functional characteristics of pulse flours. She has over five years of experience with pulse ingredient functionalities and their food applications, sensory evaluation of foods, food fermentation, food microbiology and biotechnology, other food processing technologies, and applied statistics.

Serap has published thirteen journal articles and one book chapter and presented various technical presentations globally. She is an active member of American Oil Chemists' Society (AOCS), Cereals & Grains Association, and Institute of Food Technologists (IFT). She is the recipients of “Elwood F. Caldwell Scholarship Award for Volunteer Service of MN IFT Section" in 2020 and “Outstanding Volunteer Award of IFT Protein Division" in 2021. Serap has been actively serving as a leadership team member for the Pulse Division of Cereals & Grains Association and the Protein Division of the IFT.

Fatma Boukid, Ph.D.
Researcher & Manager of "ProFuture" project, Institue of Agrifood Research and Technology (IRTA)

Fatma Boukid is a Researcher and Manager of "ProFuture" project at the Institute of Agrifood Research and Technology IRTA in Monells, Spain. She holds Ph.D., M.Sc. and engineering degrees in food science and technologies. During her master’s and doctoral programs in the National Agronomic Institute (Tunisia), University of Sfax (Tunisia) and University of Parma (Italy), she researched the impact of breeding programs on wheat allergenicity and technological qualities. She has worked with wheat allergens, designing fat-reduced and sugar-reduced bakery products, as well as functional foods based on cereals, pulses, and food (protein and starch) in vitro-digestibility.

Her current research is primarily focused on plant proteins derived from both conventional (cereals and pulses) and innovative (microalgae) sources. She is involved in reformulating foods through the incorporation of microalgae under the umbrella of the European project ProFuture2.

She has published 55 publications among them 52 peer-reviewed papers in international journals, 3 book chapters and has more than 10 communications in national and international congresses. She also edited a book titled "Cereal-Based Foodstuffs: The Backbone of Mediterranean Cuisine." She has been involved with Cereals & Grains Association since 2016, holding different roles such as the Student Representative of Cereals & Europe, the Vice Chair of the Pulses Division, and the Communication Officer of the Pulses Division.

Dilek Uzunaliogul, Ph.D.
Director, Food Applications Motif Food Works Inc.

Dilek Uzunalioglu is an R&D leader with experience in managing R&D programs, projects, and technical teams to develop and commercialize innovative food ingredients. Dilek is currently the Director of Food Applications at Motif FoodWorks Inc., where she leads the food application development for Motif’s ingredient portfolio, designed to improve the taste, texture, and nutrition of plant-based foods. Prior to joining Motif, Dilek led Ingredion Global Bakery & Snack Application Team as well as the Global Plant Protein Application Team, with responsibilities to develop application capabilities and lead the development of new ingredients such as starches, gluten-free flour systems, fibers, pulse flours, and proteins.

Dilek is an expert in developing food ingredients/solutions and food formulations, ingredient processing and scale-up. Dilek holds a Ph.D. in Food Science from Rutgers University, and a B.Sc. and M.Sc. in Food Engineering from the Middle East Technical University. She served as a Chair of Cereals & Grain Association Carbohydrate Division and Engineering & Processing Division. Currently, she is chair for the Book Acquisition committee. She has published several journal articles, conference papers and two book chapters. She lives with her son Onat and her husband Huseyin in Winchester, MA, where she loves to bake sourdough bread and hiking and biking with her family.