Editor-in-Chief
Božidar Šantek | UNIVERSITY OF ZAGREB | 
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9583-534X |
Božidar Šantek, PhD, graduated in 1990 from the Faculty of Food Technology and Biotechnology, University of Zagreb in the area of biotechnology. He won MSc degree in 1994 and PhD in 1996 at the Faculty of Food Technology and Biotechnology, University of Zagreb, where he has been promoted from Assistant to Full Professor. His scientific work covers different fields of bioprocess enginering and biotechnology, with special interest in the construction of bioreactors and scale-up, mahtematical modelling of bioprocesses as well as malting and brewing technology. He was guest researcher at the Faculty of Technology, University of Bielefeld, Germany, during 2001 and 2002. He leads research group that works on the integrated hybrid bioprocesses and sustainability of organic solvent production. He acts in the capacity of reviewer for Food Technology and Biotechnology.
Deputy Editors
Ivona Elez Garofulić | UNIVERSITY OF ZAGREB | https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5817-161X |
Ivona Elez Garofulić, PhD (MSc in Food Technology 2009; Ph.D. in Biotechnical Sciences 2015), Associate Professor at the Faculty of Food Technology and Biotechnology University of Zagreb, Croatia. Her research area includes processing and preservation of fruits, vegetables, aromatic herbs and spices, application of advanced extraction techniques for isolation of plant bioactives (microwave-assisted, ultrasound-assisted, pressurized liquid extraction), encapsulation technologies (spray drying, freeze drying, electrostatic extrusion) and chromatographic techniques for characterization of plant bioactives (HPLC-DAD, LC-MS/MS, GC-MS). She has been involved as collaborator or leader of work packages in several international and national scientific projects in her research area as well as in several cooperation projects for knowledge and technology transfer with industry. She is author and co-author of more than 50 publications indexed in the Web of Science (1419 citations, h-index 20 by November 2024) and has participated in more than 60 international scientific conferences. She was awarded with Golden medal at 8th international fair of innovations in agriculture, food industry and agricultural mechanization (Agro ARCA) for successful implementation of the project “Marasca Sour Cherry (Prunus cerasus var. Marasca) as an Ingredient for Functional Food” (2015).
Draženka Komes | UNIVERSITY OF ZAGREB | https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9062-1673 |
Draženka Komes was born on September 28, 1974 in Varaždin. She graduated from the Faculty of Food Technology and Biotechnology, University of Zagreb, with BSc in 1998, and earned her PhD degree in 2003, in the field of Food Technology, also from the same Faculty. She was employed in 1998 as a scientific assistant at the Faculty of Food Technology and Biotechnology, where she became full professor in 2013. Draženka is the head of the Laboratory for chemistry and technology of carbohydrates and confectionery products. Her research interests include the extraction and characterization of properties and biological activity of bioactive compounds (polyphenols, methylxanthines, vitamins) and carbohydrates derived from different plant and food products as well as immobilization and implementation of bioactive compounds in the production of functional food products (confectionery products, coffee, tea). She has published over 90 scientific papers and 50 of them are cited in CC database. The great number of published papers is the result of intensive scientific research and involvement in three European (FP7, COST, LdV), four national scientific, three bilateral projects and one developmental project in collaboration with the Croatian Ministry of Defense. Draženka Komes is the lead organizer and initiator of the national professional meeting Functional Food in Croatia and the national student competition Ecotrophelia. She was awarded the Vice-chancellor’s award of University of Zagreb, Annual award of the Society of the university teachers, scholars and other scientist of Zagreb, Annual award of Croatian Academy of Technical Sciences and National award for scientific achievements in the Biotechnical field.
Blaženka Kos | UNIVERSITY OF ZAGREB | https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1711-316X |
Prof. Blaženka Kos, PhD, graduated in 1992, obtained her MSc in 1996, and her PhD in 2001 at the University of Zagreb, Faculty of Food Technology and Biotechnology (UNIZG FFTB). In 1992, she began working as a Junior Researcher and currently holds the position of Full Professor with tenure at the Faculty of Food Technology and Biotechnology, University of Zagreb. She is involved in the education of undergraduate, graduate and doctoral students at UNIZG FFTB, as well as in the international undergraduate programme ‘Blue Economy and Growth’ (EU-CONEXUS Minor programmes) and the graduate programme ‘Molecular and Industrial Biotechnology’ at the University of Insubria. She has attended several seminars on research into lactic acid bacteria organised by the Federation of European Microbiological Societies (FEMS) and the Netherlands Society for Microbiology, a workshop on biomass production and utilisation organised by the International Centre for Theoretical Physics in Trieste, Italy, and the Bioprocess Engineering Course organised by the European Federation of Biotechnology and the Croatian Biotechnological Society. She was a guest researcher (FEMS fellowship) in the laboratory of Prof. Francesco Canganella, Department of Agrobiology and Agrochemistry, University of Tuscia, Viterbo, Italy. As a researcher or project leader, she has actively participated in projects funded by various national and international agencies and industries, including projects of the Centre of Excellence for Marine Bioprospecting. The scientific merit of her publications is supported by more than 2500 citations, with a current WoS-measured h-index of 25. She is a member of the Croatian Academy of Engineering and head of the Department of Bioprocess Engineering. She has received several awards for her achievements in research on the mode of action and modulation of the host intestinal microbiota, biotechnological production and application of probiotics, postbiotics, and their potential as pharmabiotics.
Ivana Rumbak | UNIVERSITY OF ZAGREB | https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6419-0427 |
Ivana Rumbak is a Full Professor at the University of Zagreb, Faculty of Food Technology and Biotechnology, with more than two decades of experience in research and teaching in nutrition science. She earned her PhD in Nutrition from the same faculty in 2010, with a dissertation examining the influence of homocysteine levels and selected B-group vitamins on bone mineral density and biochemical markers of bone remodelling in women. Her research interests include dietary assessment methodology, the evaluation of dietary habits and food choices across different population groups, and the development and implementation of interventions aimed at improving diet quality. More recently, her research has also focused on the role of ultra-processed foods in shaping overall diet quality. Ivana Rumbak has co-authored more than 60 peer-reviewed scientific publications and presented her research at over 50 national and international scientific conferences. Her extensive mentoring experience includes the supervision of numerous undergraduate and graduate theses, including three doctoral dissertations. Among several recognitions received from the Faculty of Food Technology and Biotechnology, University of Zagreb, are the Award for Scientific Publication in Top-Ranked Journals (2023 and 2025) and the Award for Excellence in Teaching (2023). She is a member of the Governing Council of the Croatian Society of Food Technologists, Biotechnologists and Nutritionists and an alumna of the European Nutrition Leadership Platform (ENLP).
Advisory Board | »»