From left to right: Nicolò Denna, Veronica Rosi, Luisa Pellegrino, Marta Sindaco, Hooriyeh Mohammadpour, Paolo D’Incecco, Sreedevi Nallithodi
Scientific lab coordinators: prof.ssa Luisa Pellegrino and prof. Paolo D’Incecco
The Dairy Chemistry and Technology LAB is a research laboratory within the Department of Food, Environmental and Nutritional Sciences (DeFENS) at the University of Milan, dedicated to the study of chemical and technological aspects of milk and dairy products. The research activity investigates how raw materials, processing conditions and storage influence the composition, structure, quality and functionality of dairy foods with the aim of supporting scientific advancement and technological innovation, contributing to process optimization, quality improvement, and sustainability in the dairy sector.
Main Area of Research
Research spans the entire dairy chain, from raw milk to cheeses, drinking milk, dairy ingredients, and fermented products. The lab’s main areas of research are milk and dairy product chemistry and technology, with a strong focus on the processing–structure–quality relationship in dairy systems.
Research Topics
Dairy proteomics and molecular markers
Proteomic approaches to quality control and authenticity, including PDO cheese protection and molecular profiling of dairy products.
Milk processing, storage and oxidative changes
Mechanisms and markers of proteolysis and protein oxidation during shelf-life and their impact on quality.
Cheese chemistry and microstructure
How formulation and processing affect chemical, and microstructural properties, with applications to fresh cheeses and ripened cheeses.
Quality indices for milk and dairy products
Development/validation of chemical indices and markers for assessing processing conditions and final product quality (milk, butter, cheeses including PDO).
Valorisation and circular approaches in dairy
Upcycling dairy by-products linking dairy chemistry with sustainable innovation producing high-value ingredients and functional materials.
Competences
The Dairy Chemistry and Technology LAB has consolidated expertise in:
- Advanced analytical techniques for milk and dairy products
- Protein, peptide and amino-acids analysis, and applied proteomics
- Evaluation of process–structure–function relationships
- Microstructural, and textural characterization
- Development of quality control tools and analytical markers
- Experimental design and data analysis applied to dairy systems
Instrumentation and Facilities
- Instrumentation for sample pre-treatment and composition analysis
- Chromatographic equipment for different separation and detection techniques
- Protein isolation/purification support and ultrafiltration device
- Capillary Electrophoresis
- Amino acid analyser
- Optical, confocal and electron microscopy for microstructure analysis (full access)
- Controlled storage and ripening chambers for shelf-life studies
- Image analysis software including fluorescence/bioluminescence data acquisition