MyMedHub
MyMedHub Research Team
Dr Chrysoula Tassou
Dr Chrysoula Tassou is Research Director in Food Microbiology & Safety at the Institute of Technology of Agricultural Products (ITAP) of the Hellenic Agricultural Organization – DIMITRA (ELGO-DIMITRA). She also serves as Deputy Director of ITAP, member of its Scientific Council, and Deputy Member of the Scientific Council of ELGO-DIMITRA.
She holds a BSc in Biology from the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, a PhD in Food Microbiology from the University of Bath, UK, and completed postdoctoral research at Colorado State University, USA. She has been President of the Hellenic Scientific Society MIKROBIOKOSMOS. She has authored more than 100 scientific publications in peer-reviewed journals, 17 book chapters, and over 300 conference papers, with more than 7,000 citations and an h-index of 42. She has successfully coordinated or led over 50 competitive national and European research projects, securing significant funding for ITAP.
Her research focuses on food microbiology and safety (including toxigenic fungi & mycotoxins), microbial diversity, fermented and functional foods, probiotics, biopreservation, and natural antimicrobials, as well as emerging technologies in food processing and rapid methods for spoilage assessment.
She is an active reviewer, editor, and guest editor for numerous international scientific journals, and serves as expert evaluator for national and EU research programs (NRSF, FP7, ERC, H2020, BBI). She is a member of the working groups “Food Safety,” “Food Processing and Packaging,” and “Nutrition-Health-Consumers” of the Greek Technology Platform Food for Life, and of the corresponding European Platform. She is co-inventor of the patent “Probiotic Olives” and has received national awards for her research on probiotic traditional fermented foods, as well as ECOTROPHELIA innovation prizes (2012, 2016, 2017).
She has teaching experience in undergraduate and postgraduate level at the Universities of Patras (UP) and West Attica (UniWA) and supervises PhD and MSc students in Greek and international universities.
Dr George Katsaros
Dr George Katsaros is a Chemical Engineer (National Technical University of Athens, 2003) with a PhD in Food Engineering (2009) and postdoctoral research at NTUA (2009–2015). Since 2017 he has been a Researcher at the Institute of Technology of Agricultural Products (ITAP) of the Hellenic Agricultural Organization – DIMITRA, currently serving as Senior Researcher.
He has extensive experience in research management, having coordinated or contributed to more than 30 national and European projects, attracting significant competitive funding. His career includes leadership roles in the food industry, advisory work in R&D, and teaching at NTUA and the University of Athens. He has authored over 70 peer-reviewed publications, contributed to book chapters, and delivered more than 300 conference presentations, earning multiple awards for scientific excellence and innovation.
His research expertise focuses on novel food processing technologies (high pressure, pulsed electric fields, cold plasma, osmotic processes) and their effects on food safety, quality, nutritional value, and shelf life. Within this context, he also investigates enzymatic systems relevant to food processing and applies kinetic modeling to evaluate microbial and fungal spoilage mechanisms. By integrating innovative processing methods with the study of fungal hazards and spoilage factors, his work supports the development of safer, high-quality food products.
Dr Pantelis Natskoulis
Dr Pantelis Natskoulis graduated with an Integrated Master’s degree from the Dept. of Food Science & Technology of Agricultural School of Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, received his M.Sc. in Predictive Food Microbiology from Agricultural University of Athens, and his Ph.D. entitled “Mycotoxigenic fungi and Ochratoxin contamination in Greek grapes and wine” from Cranfield University, U.K.
His research interests include the analysis and study of flavour and aroma, as well as the detection and quantification of heavy metals and other dangerous compounds, in wines and distillates, the discrimination of conventional and organic wines by using novel analytical methods, the determination of antioxidant activity and phenolic compounds, the detection and quantification of mycotoxins and the study of the factors affecting their production from fungi, the implementation of mathematical models to predict microorganisms growth, microbiological and physicochemical analyses of foods, etc.
He has earned 2 distinction scholarships, the first from State Scholarships Foundation for postgraduate studies and the second from E.U. through Leonardo da Vinci programme for vocational training in novel analytical techniques. He has over 20 years of research experience with focus on Food Safety and specifically on toxigenic fungi and mycotoxins, with 27 published research papers in international scientific journals of the S.C.I. catalogue and an h-factor of 14. He has participated in several competitive national and international funded research projects, of which lead one national and one European Horizon as Principal Investigator and Coordinator.
Dr Anthoula Argyri
Dr Anthoula Argyri, Senior Researcher of ITAP, has received her Integrated Master’s degree from the Department of Food Science & Technology of Agricultural University of Athens, Greece (2007) and her Ph.D. Degree from Cranfield Health, Cranfield University, UK (2011). In 2017 she joined the Institute of Technology of Agricultural Products of ELGO-DIMITRA as a Researcher. She has published 44 original research papers in peer-reviewed scientific journals of the SCI (2.177 citations by 1,866 documents, h-index: 22), 4 book chapters and more than 160 papers in scientific conferences. Since 2006, she has been involved in 55 research projects funded by the EU and national authorities (8 as Principal Investigator and/or Coordinator). Her research interests focus on (a) the application of new technologies for the food safety and quality enhancement using natural antimicrobials/preservatives (also against mycotoxigenic fungi), mild treatments and new packaging systems, (b) the fermentation and production of high added value food products (e.g. application of probiotic/starter cultures, bioactive compounds etc.) and (c) the application of modern and rapid techniques for food analysis combined with chemometrics and bioinformatics.
Dr Anastasia Kapetanakou
Dr Anastasia Kapetanakou graduated from the Department of Food Science & Human Nutrition of the Agricultural University of Athens (AUA) in 2005. She holds an MSc in Quality Management Systems and Food Hygiene Assurance (AUA, 2007) and a Ph.D. in Food Mycology (AUA, 2012), with a dissertation on the physiology of Aspergillus and Penicillium species and factors influencing ochratoxin A production in foods. She has extensive research experience, having worked for a decade as a postdoctoral researcher at AUA, and later as Project Manager at the Federation of Hellenic Food Industries (SEVT), where she coordinated and managed European and national research projects. Since 2024, she has been serving as Assistant Researcher at the Institute of Agricultural Products Technology of the Hellenic Agricultural Organization – DIMITRA, focusing on food safety and hygiene. She has authored 27 scientific papers, contributed to book chapters, and presented her work at more than 80 conferences. Her expertise lies in food mycology, particularly in the ecophysiology of fungi and their ability to produce mycotoxins under varying environmental conditions. She applies advanced analytical and molecular methods to study fungal hazards in food and feed, with emphasis on ochratoxin A and related toxins. Through her research, she contributes to risk assessment, food safety assurance, and the development of effective control strategies against mycotoxin contamination.
Dr Olga Papadopoulou
Dr Olga Papadopoulou holds an Integrated Master’s degree in Agriculture from Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (2005), an MSc in Food Science and Nutrition from the University of Ioannina (2008), and a PhD in Food Microbiology from the Agricultural University of Athens (2013). She is currently Principal Researcher in Food Microbiology at the Institute of Technology of Agricultural Products of the Hellenic Agricultural Organization (ELGO) – DIMITRA. Her academic and research activity includes participation in numerous national and European research projects, coordination of research programs, postdoctoral research funded by the State Scholarships Foundation, as well as extensive teaching and supervisory experience in Food Science and Technology at Greek universities. She has authored 27 peer-reviewed publications (h-index 14, >960 citations) and delivered more than 90 conference presentations. Her research expertise in mycology focuses on fungal ecophysiology, with emphasis on the impact of environmental parameters on growth and secondary metabolism, particularly mycotoxin production. She applies advanced analytical methods for mycotoxin quantification, combined with molecular approaches for fungal species identification, contributing to the assessment and control of fungal hazards in food and feed.
Dr Aspasia Nisiotou
Dr Aspasia Nisiotou is Research Director in Microbiology and Wine Technology at the Institute of Technology of Agricultural Products of the Hellenic Agricultural Organization (ELGO) – DIMITRA. She holds a BSc degree in Oenology, an MSc in Food Biotechnology from the University of Reading, and a PhD in Food Microbiology. She has received a State Scholarship for postgraduate studies, has led six national and European research projects, and serves as reviewer and editorial board member in several SCI journals, as well as expert evaluator for national and international research programs. She has extensive academic experience, having taught in undergraduate and postgraduate programs, and has supervised postdoctoral researchers, PhD candidates, MSc, and undergraduate students. Her work includes 38 publications in peer-reviewed journals, collective volumes, and conference proceedings (>80), with over 1,800 citations (h-index 23, i10-index 32). She is also an active member of national committees in the viticulture and wine sector. Her research expertise in mycology focuses on the study of fungi relevant to wine fermentation and spoilage, with emphasis on the influence of environmental and technological parameters on fungal activity and the potential risks associated with mycotoxins. She applies advanced analytical and molecular methods for fungal detection and characterization, contributing to the safety and quality control of food and beverages.
Dr Maria Metafa
Dr Maria Metafa is a Chemist – Associate Researcher at the Institute of Technology of Agricultural Products (ELGO – DIMITRA), with over 30 years of experience in analytical chemistry and agri-food product research. She specializes in the development and application of analytical methods for the determination of primary and secondary metabolites, as well as other bioactive compounds, in wines, grapes, and other vine-derived products. Her expertise includes advanced chromatographic techniques (GC-MS, HPLC, AAS), chemometric data analysis, and sensory evaluation. She has actively contributed to numerous national and EU-funded research projects. As part of her ongoing scientific training, she completed specialized education at Cranfield University (UK), where she became familiar with LC-MS/MS technique for mycotoxin determination, as well as with fundamental principles of Risk Assessment and on Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) in a laboratory environment. Her experience includes the detection of mycotoxins and assessment of related risks in agricultural products and foodstuffs.
Dr Patra Sourri
Dr Patra Sourri is a Food Agriculturist, she obtained her M.Sc. degree in Food Science and Technology from the Agricultural University of Athens in 2002 and her PhD degree from Lab. of Food Microbiology and Biotechnology, Dept. of Food Science and Human Nutrition, Agricultural University of Athens (Greece) in 2022. She belongs to the scientific personnel of the Institute of Technology of Agricultural Products (ITAP) of the Hellenic Agricultural Organization – DIMITRA, working for 23 years in the accredited food microbiology laboratory (ISO/IEC 17025).She has worked as a Food Scientist at National and European Research Projects, has great expertise in microbiological and molecular analyses of foodstuffs using conventional and rapid methods (VIDAS,PCR) and in particular in the detection of Salmonella spp. (over 2.800 analyses per year) Listeria spp./L. monocytogenes according to ISO/IEC 17025 and spore forming bacteria. She has authored 8 scientific papers and participated in national and international conferences. During her professional career, she has also been involved in the study of fungi related to food spoilage and safety. As part of the FunShield4Med program, she attended training seminars and woekshops on the detection of mycotoxins and spectroscopy (ΝΙR/MIR) (CU) and in ELISA methods for rapid mycotoxins detection (NKUA). She was trained in the processing of results from molecular analyses of the various fungal isolates at CU.
Mrs Paraskevi Merkouri
Mrs Paraskevi Merkouri is Technical Manager of the ISO 17025-accredited Laboratory of Food Chemistry at the Institute of Technology of Agricultural Products (ITAP) of the Hellenic Agricultural Organization – DIMITRA, where she has worked since 1992. She graduated from the Department of Food Science & Technology of the Agricultural University of Athens in 1991 and has over 30 years of experience in analytical food chemistry. In her current role, she is responsible for ensuring the technical operation and compliance of the laboratory with ISO/IEC 17025 standards. She has developed long-standing expertise in food analysis, with specialization in HPLC chromatography and UV/Visible spectroscopy and also serves as a member of the national olive panel testing. Her research expertise focuses on the development and application of accredited analytical methods for the determination of mycotoxins in food and feed, with significant experience in patulin (PAT) and ochratoxin A (OTA), as well as aflatoxins. Through her work, she contributes to food safety and quality assurance, emphasizing in analytical control of fungal hazards, contaminants, and compliance with food legislation and international accreditation standards.
Mrs Polyxeni Chryssanthou
Mrs Polyxeni Chryssanthou, Chemist (MSc), has been Quality Manager of the ISO 17025-accredited Laboratory of Food Chemistry and Microbiology since 2007 and Deputy Technical Manager since 2023. She graduated from the School of Chemistry at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (1999) and obtained her MSc in Food Technology and Quality Assurance from the University of Reading, UK (2001). Since 2002 she has been working as an Analyst at the Chemical Laboratory of the Institute of Technology of Agricultural Products (ITAP) of the Hellenic Agricultural Organization – DIMITRA, with long-standing experience in analytical chemistry and food analysis using chromatographic (GC, HPLC) and spectroscopic (AAS, UV/Visible) methods. She also serves as a member of the Scientific Council of ITAP. Her research expertise includes the development, validation, and application of analytical methods for the detection of mycotoxins in food and feed, with particular experience in accredited methods for patulin (PAT) and ochratoxin A (OTA), as well as aflatoxins (AFs). Through her work, she contributes to food safety and quality assurance, focusing on analytical control of fungal hazards and compliance with food legislation and ISO 17025 accreditation standards.
Mrs Ioanna Panagopoulou
Mrs Ioanna Panagopoulou graduated from the Department of Food Science & Technology of the Agricultural University of Athens in 1991 and has been working at the Chemical Laboratory of the Institute of Technology of Agricultural Products (ITAP) of the Hellenic Agricultural Organization – DIMITRA since 1992. With more than 30 years of experience in analytical food chemistry, she has specialized expertise in chromatographic techniques, particularly gas chromatography (GC). She is also a member of the national olive panel testing and has contributed to scientific research, including co-authorship of publications on sustainable applications in food biotechnology. Her expertise includes the development and application of analytical methods for the determination of mycotoxins in food and feed, with extensive experience in the detection and quantification of fungal hazards. Through her work, she contributes to ensuring food safety and quality, with an emphasis on analytical control and compliance with international standards.
Mrs Georgia Charvourou
Mrs Georgia Charvourou is a Food Technologist and a member of the scientific staff at the Institute of Technology of Agricultural Products (ITAP) of the Hellenic Agricultural Organization – DIMITRA. For more than 23 years, she has worked at the accredited Food Microbiology Laboratory, focusing on microbiological analyses of food for both research purposes and external services. She also serves as Deputy Quality Management System Officer (ISO/IEC 17025) and has extensive expertise in conventional and rapid microbiological methods (VIDAS), with a specialization in the detection of Salmonella spp. (over 2,800 analyses annually) and Listeria spp./L. monocytogenes in compliance with ISO/IEC 17025 standards. Her work in mycology focuses on food spoilage and safety. As a scientific collaborator in the FunShield4Med project, she was trained in the detection and identification of mycotoxin hazards using a variety of analytical techniques, including infrared spectroscopy (NIR/MIR), ELISA, UHPLC-MS/MS, and GC-MS, as well as in the processing and interpretation of analytical results.