Full-time study

4 years

prof. RNDr. Ivana Márová, CSc.

Chairman :
prof. RNDr. Ivana Márová, CSc.
Councillor internal :
prof. Mgr. Václav Brázda, Ph.D.
doc. Ing. Eva Vítová, Ph.D.
prof. Ing. Stanislav Obruča, Ph.D.
prof. Ing. Adriána Kovalčík, Ph.D.
doc. Ing. Pavel Diviš, Ph.D.
Councillor external :
prof. RNDr. Jiří Doškař, CSc.
prof. Ing. Jana Hajšlová, CSc.
Ing. Martin Polovka, Ph.D.
prof. Ing. Milan Čertík, Ph.D.
prof. Ing. František Buňka, Ph.D.

1. Biotechnological potential of some carotenogenic yeasts

   The aim of this PhD thesis is a complex study of biotechnological potential of selected strains of carotenogenic yeasts to produce particular metabolites for food, feed and food supplements. Enriched biomass and some high value metabolites (e.g. PUFA, proitamins, glucans antifungal substances etc.) will be the target products. Metabolism and production of these metabolites will be studied during the growth, particularly in the lag phase. Safety a,d biological activity of the products will be tested on multiple types of cells.

   Tutor: Márová Ivana, prof. RNDr., CSc.

2. Biotechnological potential of some carotenogenic yeasts

   The aim of this PhD thesis is a complex study of biotechnological potential of selected strains of carotenogenic yeasts to produce particular metabolites for food, feed and food supplements. Enriched biomass and some high value metabolites (e.g. PUFA, proitamins, glucans antifungal substances etc.) will be the target products. Metabolism and production of these metabolites will be studied during the growth, particularly in the lag phase. Safety a,d biological activity of the products will be tested on multiple types of cells.

   Tutor: Márová Ivana, prof. RNDr., CSc.

3. Influence of natural and synthetic substances in food on proteins, epigenetic modifications and local structures of nucleic acids

   Environmental epigenetics describes how environmental factors affect cellular epigenetics and human health. Epigenetic markers and local structures alter the spatial conformation of chromatin and regulate gene expression. Environmental factors with epigenetic effects include behavior, nutrition, chemicals, and industrial pollutants. Bioactive food ingredients can trigger protective epigenetic modifications throughout life. This topic will use molecular biological methods to investigate how foods and dietary supplements affect the epigenome in health and disease. Understanding the molecular effects of behaviors, nutrients and pollutants may be relevant to the development of prevention strategies and individualized health programs. By restoring cell differentiation, foods and supplements with positive epigenetic effects could be a potential strategy for the prevention and treatment of many diseases.

   Tutor: Brázda Václav, prof. Mgr., Ph.D.

4. Molecular biological approaches in the analysis of nucleic acids and proteins in foods and food supplements

   Nucleic acids and proteins are among the biopolymers that are the basic structural and functional molecules of all living organisms. While nucleic acids store genetic information, proteins have structural, transport, catalytic, regulatory, protective functions in the body. Proteins and nucleic acids are also found in most foods from plant and animal production. Contamination of food by various pathogenic organisms causes a great danger in food, on the other hand a number of microorganisms are used in the food industry in a targeted manner and probiotic bacteria have a positive effect on the microflora of the large intestine. Within this topic, molecular biology methods will be used to characterize the authenticity, composition of food, pathogenic viruses and microorganisms with emphasis on pathogens that may be primarily or secondarily introduced into the food matrix. The used methodological procedures have a wide range of uses in the analysis of raw materials, food and medical applications. Cooperation with a foreign workplace is expected.

   Tutor: Brázda Václav, prof. Mgr., Ph.D.

5. Preparation and characterisation of enzymatically modified lignin

   With cellulose and hemicellulose, lignin belongs among the three most essential components of lignocellulosic materials. Due to its phenylpropane structure, lignin has considerable potential for utilisation in products such as carbon fibres, activated carbon, nanoparticles and polymer composites. Lignin present in plants has antioxidant and antibacterial properties. The application of lignin depends on its chemical structure and physical properties. The dissertation focuses on isolating and modifying lignin from various waste sources, e.g., from the pulp and paper industry and the food industry. The enzymatic modification makes it possible to influence its molecular weight, polydispersity, purity, the introduction of new functional groups, and thus the use as an aromatic biopolymer with unique properties. The enzymatic modification selectively allows direct lignin degradation, thereby minimising the formation of undesirable complex products. The development of isolation and structural-analytical methods in the past two decades supported the identification of new lignin structures and therefore enlarged possibilities of their valorisation. This work aims to design suitable enzymatic modification procedures for lignin use in cosmetics, biomedicine and functional polymer systems.

   Tutor: Kovalčík Adriána, prof. Ing., Ph.D.

6. Production of industrially significant metabolites by some microalgae

   The aim of this PhD thesis will be the study of potential production of industrially significant metabolites by some autotrophic and heterotrophic microalgae. Using economically and ecologically effective approach, production of the whole enriched biomass, as well as metabolites to feed, food supplements and cosmetics will be studied as well. Biomass will be characterised as a whole and some fractions containing specific groups of metabolites will be separated. Single cell analysis (FTIR, Raman microscopy) will be used for characterization of fractions and their components. Safety and biological activity will be tested by using some cell cultures.

   Tutor: Márová Ivana, prof. RNDr., CSc.

7. Study of bioactive compounds in barley and malt

   Barley and other cereals are among the staples of the human diet and are used as raw materials for the production of various foods and beverages. Barley is a source not only of health-promoting phenolic substances, but also of allergens, gluten and precursors of sensory active substances. Phenolic substances are strong antioxidants and have anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory and gastroprotective properties. Sensory active substances formed from precursors during malting process can adversely affect the taste and aroma of the final product. The aim of this thesis will be to monitor the content of phenolic acids, flavonoids, tocols, folates, gluten and precursors of sensory active substances in various barley varieties and malts made from by LC/PDA, LC/MS, GC/MS and ELISA. Barley varieties with higher levels of bioactive phenolic substances and lower gluten content can be used for the production of food and beverages with health benefits.

   Tutor: Mikulíková Renata, doc. RNDr., Ph.D.

8. Study of lipids as precursors of sensory active substances in cereal-based beverages

   Plant raw materials (cereals) for the production of beverages contain storage and functional lipids which can be degraded and oxidised under certain conditions to form sensory active substances - aldehydes (e.g. tran-2-noneanal) and alcohols (e.g. cis-hex-3-en-1-ol). These sensory active substances can be formed during the technological process of beverage production and can affect the taste of the final product. The aim of this work will be to monitor the lipid content and fatty acid profile of the basic material by GC/FID and GC/MS, their changes during the technological processing in relation to the enzymatic activity of lipase and lipoxygenase. In addition, the content of sensory active substances formed from lipids during the technological production of cereal and malt-based beverages will be monitored by HS-SPME/GC/MS.

   Tutor: Mikulíková Renata, doc. RNDr., Ph.D.

9. Study of the influence of roasting and treatment of coffee beans on the sensory profile of beans and coffee

   The work deals with a detailed study of the coffee roasting process and a study of the transformation of substances contained in the coffee bean during the roasting of the coffee bean. The transition of substances from coffee beans to coffee prepared in different baristic ways will also be monitored, inter alia using different degrees of grinding of coffee beans. GC-MS, HPLC-DAD and LC-MS techniques will be used for the analysis of chemical substances.

   Tutor: Diviš Pavel, doc. Ing., Ph.D.

10. The influence of vegetable oils on sensory quality of fresh cheese analogues

    Cheese analogues are defined as products in which milk protein and / or fat are partially or completely replaced by a non-dairy raw material, especially of vegetable origin. Depending on the raw materials used, they can offer a number of positive nutritional aspects: higher proportion of unsaturated fatty acids, lower or no cholesterol content, reduced protein, sodium content, etc.; on the other hand, non-dairy raw materials can negatively influence the sensory properties of the product. A relatively wide range of different products is currently available on the market, the problem is still insufficient legislation. As part of the dissertation, the technology of fresh cheese production on a laboratory scale will be optimized, followed by production of model samples of analogues with the addition of selected nut oils (almond, hazelnut, walnut). Gas and liquid chromatography techniques (determination of taste and aroma compounds) and descriptive sensory analysis will be used to characterize the produced samples. At the same time, oils as the main raw material will be analyzed. The main goal will be to assess the effect of added oils on the sensory quality / acceptability of the produced analogues.

    Tutor: Vítová Eva, doc. Ing., Ph.D.

11. Utilization of prokaryotes for biotechnological production of polyhydroxyalkanoates and other high-value metabolites

    Thermophilic prokaryotes reveal numerous unique features which make them extremely interesting for microbial biotechnology. This dissertation work will be focused on the in-depth study of two very interesting thermophilic bacteria – gram-negative bacterium Schlegelella thermodepolymerans and also gram-positive bacterium Aneurinibacillus sp. H1. Both bacterial strains were recently described as very promising producers of polyhydroxyalkanoates – microbial polymers with the potential to replace petrochemical polymers in numerous applications. In this work, production polyhydroxyalkanoates will be studied employing numerous cultivation as well as molecular-biology approaches. Furthermore, tools of metabolic engineering will be used to improve the production of polyhydroxyalkanoates and other high-value metabolites.

    Tutor: Obruča Stanislav, prof. Ing., Ph.D.