MÓnica Flores Llovera

Biography

Dr. Flores received her MS (1992) in Food Science and PhD (1994) in Pharmacy from the Valencia University, Spain. She was a Postdoctoral fellow at Southern Regional Research Center for two years (1995-1996, USDA, ARS, USA) and in 1997 she became a researcher at IATA to participate in an European Project. She was also associate professor at Valencia University and actually teaches at the Master on Food quality and Safety. She has been the Chairwoman of the Nutrition and Health working group of Clitravi (Liason Center for the Meat Processing Industry in the E.U.) (2013-2016). She has published more than 90 articles in international journals and 28 book chapters. Her research is focused on the quality and sensory characteristics of meat and meat products. Especially, she conducts research in aroma generation and stability in meat products including the development of new strategies and ingredients to enhance dry-cured flavor

Research Interest

Her research activities have been focused on the study of the mechanisms (chemical, enzymatic and microbiological) of generation and perception of colour, aroma and flavour in meat products. Her initial studies were related to the biochemical components responsible for flavor in dry cured ham and the activity of proteases. After her postdoctoral research stay at SRRC-USDA (USA) where she specialized in aroma characterization she went back to IATA-CSIC to participate in a European project focused on biochemical markers of meat quality. She has worked in the development of high quality sensory and nutritive meat products and in the development of rapid methodologies for monitoring and improving manufacturing processes. Actually, her main interest is the study of the generation of aroma compounds and their stability in meat and meat products including the development of new ingredients for flavor enhancement. She is specialist in the characterization of aroma compounds by the use of different aroma techniques including olfactometry analysis.