Staff Profile:Dr Dimitris Charalampopoulos

Name:

Dr Dimitris Charalampopoulos

Job Title:

Programme Director, Postgraduate Admissions Tutor

Responsibilities:

Lecturer in Fermentation & Bioprocessing

Senior tutor

PhD admissions tutor

Areas of Interest:

My research investigates the development of fermentation processes for the production of probiotic lactic acid bacteria and various metabolites from microbial cell factories.

In the area of probiotics, the aim is to understand the effect of the growth conditions on their technological and functional attributes, including their viability during drying and low pH, as well as their surface and adhesion properties. Work is also carried out to understand the effect of the food matrix on probiotic survival during storage, and prolong storage stability by microencapsulation. In the area of bioproduct synthesis, the aim is to understand the interaction between fermentation conditions, microbial cell response, and production yield, for both natural and recombinant strains.

Current interests:

• Surface and adhesion properties of probiotics
• Effect of fermentation on the physiology of probiotics
• Stability of probiotics in food matrices during storage
• Microencapsulation of probiotics 
• Production of microbial enzymes

Research groups / Centres:

Food and Bioprocessing Sciences

Publications:

Osman, A., Tzortzis, G., Rastall, R.A., Charalampopoulos, D. (2010). A comprehensive investigation of the synthesis of prebiotic galactooligosaccharides by whole cells of Bifidobacterium bifidum NCIMB 41171. Journal of Biotechnology, 150, 140-148.

Ampatzoglou, A., Schurr, B., Deepika, G., Baipong, S., Charalampopoulos, D., (2010). Influence of fermentation on the acid tolerance and freeze drying survival of Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG. Biochemical Engineering Journal, 52, 65-70.

Deepika, G., Charalampopoulos, D., (2010). Surface and adhesion properties of lactobacilli. Advances in Applied Microbiology, 70, 127-152.

Charalampopoulos D., Pandiella, S., (2010). Survival of human derived Lactobacillus plantarum in fermented cereal extracts during refrigerated storage. LWT-Food Science and Technology, 43, 431-435.

Deepika, G., Green, R.J., Frazier, R.A., Charalampopoulos, D., (2009). Effect of growth time on the surface and adhesion properties of Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG. Journal of Applied Microbiology, 107, 1230 - 1240.

Siaterlis, A., Deepika, G., Charalampopoulos D., (2009). Effect of culture medium and cryoprotectants on the growth and survival of probiotic lactobacilli during freeze drying. Letters in Applied Microbiology, 48, 251-301.

Charalampopoulos, D., Vasquez, J., Pandiella, S., (2009). Modeling and validation of Lactobacillus plantarum fermentations in cereal-based media with different sugar concentrations and buffering capacities. Biochemical Engineering Journal, 44, 96-105.

Kedia, G., Vázquez J.A., Charalampopoulos D., Pandiella S., (2009). In vitro fermentation of oat bran obtained by debranning with a mixed culture of human fecal bacteria. Current Microbiology, 58, 338 - 342.

Rozada, R., Vazquez, J.A., Sattur, A.P., Charalampopoulos, D., Pandiella, S., (2009). Effect of storage temperature and media composition on the survivability of Bifidobacterium breve NCIMB 702257 in a malt hydrolysate. International Journal of Food Microbiology, 133, 14 - 21.

Salmeron, I., Fucinos, P., Charalampopoulos, D., Pandiella, S., (2009). Volatile compounds produced by the probiotic strain Lactobacillus plantarum NCIMB 8826 in cereal-based substrates. Food Chemistry, 117, 265 - 271.

Books:

• Prebiotics and Probiotics Science and Technology. Edited by Charalampopoulos D., Rastall, R., Springer, 2009, 1265 pages http://www.springer.com/life+sci/food+science/book/978-0-387-79057-2

• Charalampopoulos, D., Pandiella, S., Webb, C., (2009). Development of cereal based functional foods. In: Innovation in Food Engineering: New techniques and products. Edited by Robeiro, C., Passos M.., CRC Press, pp 635-656

 Professional experience:

• Lecturer in Fermentation & Bioprocessing (2005 - )
  Department of Food and Nutritional Sciences, University of Reading

• Senior fermentation scientist (2002 - 2005)
  Cobra Biomanufacturing Plc, Stoke-on-Trent, UK

Qualifications:

• PhD in Fermentation, University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology (UMIST), UK, (2002)

• MSc in Food Biotechnology, University of Ulster, and University of Patras, Greece, (1999)

• BSc in Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, University of Crete, Greece (1996)

Research funding:
EPSRC, Society for General Microbiology, University of Reading, Industry

External activities:

• Horonary secretary of the Bioechemical Engineering Subject Group (BESG) committee of the Institute of Chemical Engineers (IChemE) 
• Editorial board member for Biotechnology Letters