Parthena Kotzekidou

Professor in Food Microbiology 

Prof. Dr. Parthena Kotzekidou is Professor of Food Microbiology at the Department of Food Science and Technology, Faculty of Agriculture, Aristotle University of  Thessaloniki, Greece. She received a B.S. from the Faculty of Agriculture of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece, in 1976 and a Ph.D. degree in Food Microbiology from the Technical University of Munich, Germany in 1980. During her graduate studies she received a scholarship of the German Academic Exchange Service – DAAD (1/10/1978-30/6/1980). She returned to Greece and she was appointed Lecturer in 1981 and Professor of Food Microbiology at the Department of Food Science and Technology, Faculty of Agriculture, Aristotle University of  Thessaloniki, Greece in 1998. She was visiting research scientist at the Department of Bioscience and Biotechnology, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, UK (05.1986-10.1986); the Institute of Bacteriology, Technical University of Munich, Weihenstephan, Germany (09.1988-12.1988 & 02.1992-05.1992); and the Institute for Food Science and Technology, University of Washington, Seattle, USA (05.1997-09.1997). Her research interests include taxonomy of bacteria, yeasts and moulds; detection of foodborne pathogens by Real-Time PCR; microbiology of fermented foods; starter cultures in food fermentations; and microbial production of organic acids, enzymes and carotenes. She has published over 51 papers in peer-reviewed scientific journals and has more than 2600 citations. She is the author or co-author of several chapters in international books, as well as the editor of a book entitled “Food Hygiene and Toxicology in Ready-to-Eat Foods” published by Academic Press (2016). She holds two patents in the fields of carotenes production by microorganisms of the Greek Patent Office. She is a member of the editorial board of the scientific journals “Food Biotechnology” and “Italian Journal of Food Safety”. She has participated in several externally-funded research projects and has two patents of the Greek Patent Office. Her teaching activities include teaching of Food Microbiology to the students of the Department of Food Science and Technology, Faculty of Agriculture, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece; Advanced Food Microbiology in Postgraduate Studies Programm in Food Science & Technology and Wine Microbiology in Postgraduate Studies Programm in Oenology & Viticulture, Faculty of Agriculture, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece.

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