About the programme

The Department of Biotechnology and Food Science is responsible for the major research area biotechnology. Research is performed in cooperation between departmental and external research groups. Both basic and applied research topics are addressed.

The Department of Biotechnology and Food Science offers 13 courses on the PhD level.

Research areas

• Biopolymer chemistry and bio-nanotechnology
• Genetics
• Determination of polysaccharide primary structure
• Enzymatic, chemical and physical modification of polysaccharides
• Determination of conformation in solution and gel phase
• Interactions between polysaccharides and ions, enzymes, antigens, DNA and RNA
• Non-viral gene delivery using chitosans
• Nanostructure, phase behaviour and rheology in biopolymer gels, films, emulsions and suspensions
• Alginate based capsule technology for treatment of diabetes
• New experimental methods for characterization of polysaccharides
• New biomedical and pharmaceutical applications of alginates, chitosans, gelatine, sphagnan, beta glucans, glycoproteins and proteoglycans
• Capsule- and gel technology applied in food

Marine biochemistry/mariculture

• Production of fatty acids (DHA) in marine microorganisms
• Marine biopolymers – from raw material to biological applications
• Fish gelatins: Properties and modifications
• New antibiotics from marine bacteria
• Capsule- and gel technology in feed technology

Molecular genetics/Microbiology

• Studies of the mechanism for plasmid replication, construction of cloning vectors and analysis of recombinant protein expression
• Genetic analysis of the production of antibiotics in bacteria
• Studies of molecular mechanisms for cellular osmoregulation
• The genetics of alginate biosynthesis and function studies of the enzyme structures
• Oil microbiology
• Development of new plasmid tools for use in bioprospecting
• Microbial producers of bioactive agents from the marine environment

Biochemical engineering

• Production of secondary metabolites in bacteria
• Microbiological aspects in food science
• Microbial production of lysine from methanol

Food chemistry

• Superchilling
• Utilization of Calanus
• Using NMR to study water and salt during salting of fish and meat
• Application of NMR for determination of food authenticity
• Lipid oxidation
• Ethical slaughtering of white fish
• Production of stable marine oils

Environmental biotechnology/Microbial ecology

• Biofilm formation and biofouling
• Gel-immobilized microbial ecosystems
• Anaerobic fermentation of organic material
• Directing microbial environment in marine aquaculture
• Mechanisms for bacterial colonization and directing microbial environment in marine aquaculture
• Structure and stability in natural pelagic ecosystems

Research divisions at the Department of Biotechnology and Food Science

Analysis and Control of Microbial Systems

Contact Person: Olav Vadstein

• Environmental Biotechnology
• Microbial Ecology

Principal Investigators: Ingrid Bakke, Olav Vadstein

Biopolymers and Biomaterials

Contact Person: Bjørn E. Christensen

• Biopolymer-based biomaterials
• Structure–function relationships of polysaccharides
• Chemoenzymatic tailoring of biopolymers
• Properties of biopolymers in dilute, semi-dilute and concentrated solutions
• Polysaccharide-based drug and nucleic acid delivery
• Structures and functions of carbohydrate-active enzymes

Principal Investigators: Berit Løkensgard Strand, Bjørn E. Christensen, Catherine Taylor Nordgård, Finn L. Aachman, Gaston Courtade, Kurt Draget

Food Science

Division Leader: Jørgen Lerfall

• Quality of raw materials and products, including quality changes through processing
• Marine lipids, proteins and peptides, biopolymers, metabolites and pigments
• Shelf life and food chain knowledge
• Stability of marine lipids
• Food safety, food microbiology, biofilms, hygienic design and development of hygienic processing equipment
• Rest raw materials, new raw materials (seaweed) and sustainable production

Principal Investigators:  Turid Rustad, Anita Nordeng Jakobsen, Alexander Dikiy, Jørgen Lerfall, Eva Falch, Lisbeth Mehli, Eirin Marie Skjøndal Bar, Ida-Johanne Jensen, Marcin Kurek

Microbial Biotechnology

Division Leader: Trygve Brautaset

• Alginate Biosynthesis
• Bioenergy
• Controlled Expression of Genes and Pathways
• Metabolomics, Fluxomics
• Synthetic Biology
• Systems - Network Biology

Principal Investigators: Eivind Almaas, Martin F. Hohmann-Marriott, Helga Ertesvåg, Per Bruheim, Rahmi Lale, Trygve Brautaset, Johannes Kabisch, Daniel Machado

National research centre

Centre for Digital Life Norway

Centre for Digital Life Norway is a unique transdisciplinary research centre creating the biotechnology for tomorrow. The aim is to evolve new knowledge and methods to create value and address societal challenges.

Strategic initiative on food

NTNU Food Forum

The overall goal of the NTNU Food Forum is to ensure that the food we eat in the future is good for our health, is prepared and consumed in a safe and sustainable way, and protects animal welfare as well. The NTNU Food Forum will also contribute to securing and building knowledge jobs in Norway.

NTNU Food Forum one of the largest multidisciplinary collaborative projects undertaken at NTNU. Technologists, chemists, biologists, sociologists and obesity researchers are just some of the many contributing professionals.

More information about research at the Department of Biotechnology and Food Science