Anne-Maria Pajari

Dr. Anne-Maria Pajari is the director and principal investigator of the research group at the Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry, University of Helsinki. Her group studies the molecular mechanisms by which diets, foods, and diet-derived compounds mediate their effects on health and prevention of non-communicable diseases. The focus is on gut microbiome and metabolites, local and systemic inflammation, glucose, insulin and bone metabolism, and targeted and untargeted metabolomics on blood, urine and stool metabolites. Additionally, the group studies sustainability shift towards more plant-based diets including changes in critical nutrient intakes, associations with health effects, new sustainable food raw materials and their nutritional quality & safety, food design and development with optimised nutritional properties, and consumer acceptance and behaviour. Dr. Pajari is an expert in molecular nutrition, having a long-standing experience in conduction trials in humans and animals on the physiological mechanisms whereby diet and dietary compounds, including fibres, contribute to the development of non-communicable diseases such as colorectal cancer and type 2 diabetes. She has served as a scientific nutrition expert for governmental and other bodies, the latest contribution involving two background papers (fibre and protein) to the Nordic Nutrition Recommendation 2023 project. Research methodology in Pajari laboratory ranges from cell cultures and animal models to human clinical trials. 

Dr. Ndegwa Maina is an Associate Professor specializing in Food Chemistry at the Department of Food and Nutrition, within the Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry at the University of Helsinki. His research focuses on the structural analysis of oligosaccharides and polysaccharides using advanced techniques such as Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy and mass spectrometry. Additionally, he studies the macromolecular and rheological properties of polysaccharides, aiming to elucidate the structure-function relationships that govern their behavior and applications in food.

He has studied exopolysaccharides (EPS) produced by microbes, which hold promising potential for applications in sourdough technology. Furthermore, he has conducted research on cereal beta-glucan, focusing on understanding its rheological and solution properties and it potential implications for both food science and health. He has also explored the interaction of bran components with mycotoxins in relation to improving food safety. In the Fibrematch project, he will focus on the comprehensive characterization of dietary fibers. His work aims to evaluate their structural properties and investigate their impact on gut fermentation outcomes, contributing to the development of dietary interventions that promote gut health and overall well-being.