Chiara Cordero

After receiving her Master’s Degree in Pharmaceutical Chemistry and Technology with “summa cum laude” from the University of Turin in 1998, Chiara immediately began working with Professor Carlo Bicchi. The research was a joint-project with a private company on food safety aiming to develop advanced fully automated analytical methods for determining residues in baby foods. It was the first step toward a fruitful and exciting interaction that still today inspires her research activity. “In academic research we are free to decide what, why, when, and how. However, if we lose contact with real life and the needs of society, our findings are useless,” says Chiara. It is no coincidence that she changed her interest from food safety to advanced food quality concepts, after experiencing the excitement of sensomics at the Technical University of Munich with Professor Peter Schieberle, and more recently working in the food metabolomics domain. “Sensory pleasure drives food choice, which is fundamental for industry competitiveness and production chain sustainability. At the same time, quality food improves our health and wellness, which is crucial for our society”, says Chiara.