The scientific interests of this group are: (1) to study the technological processes for elaboration of vegetables, mainly fermented vegetables, including chemical analyses of compounds related to fermentation and monitoring of microorganisms grown during fermentation or inoculated as starter cultures, and (2) to study all aspects related to quality and safety of final product, including the sensory and nutritional characteristics as well as the chemical changes induced by thermal treatments or by the use of additives.

The activity of our group is organized around the fermentation of table olives and other vegetable products. The setup of starters to improve the quality and security of this lactic acid fermentation has been the objective of our research in the past, including the isolation and characterization of microbial strains producing bacteriocins, being resistant to phenolic compounds, able to grow under alkaline and high salt concentrations conditions, among other characteristics.

The main activity of this group is the development, optimization and proposition to regulation agencies, of analytical methods to guarantee the quality and purity of olive oils.

Our research activities are focused on Human Nutrition in order to understand the role of nutrients on health and how to prevent disease. Our know-how and expertise are mainly devoted to the feeding acute phase (postprandial metabolism). It joins different points of view, from metabolism to genomic. Fatty food and feed ingredients bioactivity evaluation in postprandial human models, including healthy subjects and patients with any metabolic-related pathology.

This group is dedicated to the study of the carbonyl-amine and carbonyl-phenol reactions that take place during food processing and storage, with special attention to those produced because of lipid oxidation. These studies are carried out both at a basic level, with the characterization of the chemistry behind these reactions, and at a more applied level because of the implications of these reactions on food quality and safety. Our group is also dedicated to the control of these reactions by studying both inhibition of lipid oxidation and scavenging of the produced reactive carbonyls.

The group of Lipid Modifications in Foods studies changes in lipid composition and chemical transformations of lipids during the processing and storage of oils, fats and foods. Our research lines deal with technological, chemical and analytical aspects of lipids and tackle three principal subjects: "Oil Procesing: Extraction and Refining of Oils", "Lipid Oxidation and Antioxidants" and "Frying of Foods".

Our group is interested in studying how cell signalling (e.g. MAPK, AKT) can affect the malignant transformation process. To this end, we have developed several lines of research including chemical and genetic approaches applied to in vitro models of cancer cell lines and in vivo mouse models. We are currently focusing on the study of the role of MAPK-dependent signalling in human sarcoma, a pathology with a high incidence in childhood. Using an experimental mouse model based on chemical carcinogenesis, we hope to clarify the role of MAPKs in the development of soft tissue sarcomas.

Study of the role of thyroid hormones in the organism, specially in the brain, and the physiopathological conditions arising from disturbances in their availability and mechanisms of action.

The Group use the Chemical-Physic of surfaces and colloids to achieve the synthesis and processing of ceramic and metallic materials, as well as composites with ceramic dispersed phases. By the control of the surface reactions of particles in a liquid there are developed forces and interactions between particles themselves and with the dispersion media. The surface additives and synthesis modifiers are studied to control the nanoparticles dispersion into the reaction media (one-pot processes).