María Pérez Jiménez
Food Science & Technology, Integrated in MED
Food Science & Technology
Integrated in MED
About
I am postdoctoral researcher at the Laboratory of Oral Biology and Salivary Proteomics, MED – University of Évora, Portugal.
I hold a PhD in Food Science (2022, UAM-CSIC, Madrid). My doctoral thesis focused on the impact of oral physiology and wine composition on aroma release and perception during consumption. It received four prestigious awards: Best European PhD Project - 1st Year (Giract, 2017), Best European Thesis in Flavour Research (Giract, 2023), Most Relevant PhD Thesis from CSIC (2024) and Margarita Salas Award in Applied Technology (2024, Municipality of Madrid).
My research focuses on flavour perception and oral physiology, with emphasis on the role of saliva, particularly the salivary proteome, and its modulation by biological and dietary factors.
Currently, I hold two postdoctoral grants: a MSCA-ERA-Fellowship (Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions), call HORIZON-WIDERA-2023-TALENTS-02, and a CEEC Junior contract, funded by FCT (6th Edition).
Research Interests
- Saliva Biochemistry
- Retronasal Aroma
- Oral Flavour Perception
- Saliva-Flavour interactions
- Saliva Biomarkers
- Oral Determinants of Food Preferences
Personal Information
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Thematic lines to which I contribute:
Projects
| Project | Funding | Lead Institution | Role | Start | End | Scope |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HealthyW8 - Empowering healthy lifestyle behaviour through personalised intervention portfolios to prevent and control obesity during vulnerable stages of life | European Union (HORIZON-RIA) | LUXEMBOURG INSTITUTE OF HEALTH | Participant | 2023-05-01 | 2028-04-30 | Internacional |
| Future of plant-based food: Bridging the gap of new proteins and FLAVOURsome (FLAVOURsome) | COST action | Universidade do Porto | Participant | 2023-10-24 | 2027-10-23 | Internacional |
| MACAOs - Modulation sAlivary Composition VisuAl and Odorant stimuli | Acordo entre Portugal e França - Programa Pessoa 2023-2024 | University of Evora | Participant | 2023-05-02 | 2024-12-31 | Internacional |
| FLAVOUR2HEALTHYCHILD - Changes in salivary proteome and flavour perception induced by a physical activity program in overweight and obese children | European Research Executive Agency (REA) | MED | MED Representative | 2024-07-15 | 2026-07-14 | Internacional |