Areas of expertise
- Applied Informatics
- Bioinformatics
- Food Quality
Background
Dr Maria Anastasiadi graduated from the University of Crete with a degree in Chemistry. She then studied for an MSc in Food Science and Technology at the Agricultural University of Athens and later obtained a PhD in Plant Science and Analytical Chemistry from the same institute.
She has also completed a PGCert in Statistics at the University of Sheffield and a sponsored MSc in Applied Bioinformatics at Â鶹´«Ã½AV.
Current activities
Dr Maria Anastasiadi is Lecturer in Bioinformatics with an extensive background in Plant and Food Science and Metabolomics. Maria's skill set includes both wet and dry lab techniques such as Mass Spectrometry, Spectroscopy, NGS, Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence. Maria's research is focused on promoting sustainability across the food supply chain and enhance health promoting properties of food products. She is applying multi-omics to study how factors such as climate change, pre-harvest and post-harvest practices affect horticultural crop quality and nutritional value, and she has explored innovative postharvest solutions to extend storage life of UK crops. She is also seeking to optimise nutrient bioavailability, by acquiring experimental data and developing prediction models for different food matrices.
Maria is combining sensor technology and Machine Learning to create rapid non-invasive methods for monitoring food safety, quality and integrity at all stages of the supply chain to ensure traceability and minimise food waste and risks to human and animal health. She has developed spectroscopic methods for honey authentication and adulteration detection using Fluorescence and Spatially Offset Raman Spectroscopy. She is also developing methods for the use of electrochemical sensors and Enhanced Surface Raman Spectroscopy for the detection of contaminants pesticides and heavy metals in African honey.
Furthermore, she is looking to develop more sustainable agricultural practices by developing novel biostimulants and bioprotectants and developing automated solutions for insect pollinator monitoring to inform future environmental policies.
Projects Maria is currently working on include:
"Establishing a rapid testing system for contaminant detection in African honey as means of quality control and environmental monitoring". (co-I). The aim of this project is to establish sensor-based methods employable in field for the detection and quantification of contaminants in African honey, such as pesticides and heavy metals.
Sponsors: STFC Food Network+ (SFN), AAKTP
"Monitoring tropical pollinators in conventional and organic fruit orchards in central Thailand". (co-I). This project is seeking to investigate the effect of pesticide use on native pollinators in South East Asia by combining analytical laboratory techniques and deep learning.
Sponsors: STFC Food Network+ (SFN)
"Honey authentication using intrinsic DNA markers and metabolic fingerprint". (PI). The aim of this project is to develop a machine learning application for the authentication of premium monofloral honeys based on unique chemical and DNA biomarkers.
Sponsors: UKRI-BBSRC FoodBioSystems Doctoral Training Partnership.
"A decision-support system for optimising nutrients bioavailability from food matrices using Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML)". (PI). The aim of this project is the development of an application for the prediction of the bioavailability of (micro)nutrients such as Vitamin E, Vitamin D, lipids and starch in different food matrices.
Sponsors: Â鶹´«Ã½AV and Université de Technologie de Compiègne (UTC).
"Agricultural Bioproducts from Medicinal and Aromatic Plants". (PI). The aim of this project is the discovery of novel biostimulants and bioprotectants from African medicinal and aromatic plants as alternatives to chemical pesticides and fertilisers. PI
Sponsors: OCP Group.
"Evaluating epigenetic and transcriptomic adaptations to climate change in Brasicca napus (oilseed rape)". (co-I). The aim of this project is to provide a systems-level molecular and metabolic understanding of the impact of heat stress on yield and seed development of B.napus for UK-specific varieties.
Sponsors: UKRI-BBSRC FoodBioSystems Doctoral Training Partnership.
Clients
FSA
AAKTP
Unilever
Cobrey Farms
BBSRC
UK Innovate
Avalon Produce Ltd,
Richard Hochfeld Ltd,
Greenyard Fresh UK Ltd
