Marianna Ciccone

October 2021: Master's degree in Food Science and Technology (LM-70) obtained on 26/10/2021 with a final grade of 110/110 at Alma Mater Studiorum – University of Bologna (Cesena Campus). The experimental thesis, in Food Quality and Formulation – Physical and Rheological Analysis of Food, was titled Microencapsulation by Spray-Drying of Phycocyanin Extracted from Spirulina. The research aimed to enhance the value of phycocyanin extracted from Spirulina platensis for the development of innovative food ingredients and products. The project involved gaining analytical skills in evaluating water activity (Aqualab), soluble solids (°Brix), and using a pH meter, colorimeter, UV-Visible spectrophotometer, gas chromatograph, spray-dryer, differential scanning calorimeter (DSC), and dynamic vapor sorption (DVS) analyzer.

September 2019: Bachelor's degree in Food Technology (L-26) obtained on 30/09/2019 with a final grade of 107/110 at the Department of Agriculture, University of Naples Federico II (Portici). The thesis in Hygiene was titled Health Risks Related to the Presence of Cyanogenic Glycosides in Apricot Kernels.

Scientific Activities

March 2025 - July 2025

Guest PhD Student at Aarhus University – Department of Food Science (Denmark) as part of the PhD program in Agricultural, Environmental and Food Science and Technology. The research project focuses on sustainability in the agri-food sector (Water-Food-Energy-Sustainable Agriculture Nexus), with a specific emphasis on advanced methodologies for the characterization and application of microbial biopolymers in food packaging. The research involves collaboration with international research groups to develop innovative and sustainable solutions.

Guest scientist at the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), after being awarded the Giordana Masetti Prize, granted based on academic achievements and the PhD research project.

Unit and Department:

• Food Contact Materials (FCM) Group
• Food Ingredients & Packaging (FIP) Unit
• Risk Assessment Production (ASSESS) Department

Main topics of the Guest Program:

• Verifying the requirements for the safety assessment of microbial biopolymers for innovative packaging
• Identifying substances of potential concern (intentionally and non-intentionally added) from natural raw materials and/or migrating into food to determine their relevance in risk assessment

Activities performed:

• Presentation of the PhD research project during the event “Research for the New Challenges of the European Farm to Fork Strategy” at the University of Parma Campus, for the Giordana Masetti Prize awarded by the universities of the Emilia-Romagna region as part of the 2023 Europass program in collaboration with EFSA
• Presentation of the PhD project and research activities at the 43rd, 44th, and 46th Working Group meetings on Food Contact Materials (WG-FCMs)
• Progress presentation of the PhD project at the FIP Unit (Food Ingredients & Packaging)
• Seminar on PhD project advancements at the Department of Food Science and Technology (Cesena) – Alma Mater Studiorum – University of Bologna

Active participation as a Guest PhD Student in the project Latin America Food Loss & Waste Prevention and Valorization Lab - LatinLAB, coordinated by the Department of Agricultural and Food Sciences (DISTAL), University of Bologna. The research activities were mainly conducted during the TrainingLAB Week (February 13-17, 2023) in Santiago de los Caballeros (Dominican Republic).

Awarded a PhD scholarship in Agricultural, Environmental and Food Science and Technology at the Department of Agricultural and Food Sciences (DISTAL), University of Bologna, within the Water-Food-Energy-Sustainable Agriculture Nexus framework. The goal of this PhD project is to develop biopolymers for food packaging formulations derived from yeast cells or their metabolites, including those with antimicrobial properties, to extend the shelf-life of various food matrices.

Awarded a 12-month research grant for the project Biotechnological Approaches for Obtaining High-Value Ingredients from Fish Waste and By-products, funded by Horizon 2020 NewTechAqua - New Technologies, Tools, and Strategies for a Sustainable, Resilient, and Innovative European Aquaculture (Grant Agreement No. 862658), at the Department of Agricultural and Food Sciences (DISTAL), Alma Mater Studiorum - University of Bologna.

The aim of this research was to study safe microbial strains, recognized as Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS), for use in fish industry waste and by-products to obtain high-value ingredients for novel food applications. The study focused on yeast strains (Yarrowia lipolytica and Debaryomyces hansenii) and lactic acid bacteria strains from the DISTAL collection.

Main activities performed:

• Evaluation of the proteolytic and lipolytic capabilities of selected microbial strains
• Microbiological sampling of fish industry waste and by-products to determine the presence/absence of pathogenic microorganisms and conduct shelf-life studies
• Assessment of antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of protein and lipid fractions of food interest
• Characterization of the volatile compound profile for aroma analysis