Barbara Laddomada | Agricultural and Biological Sciences | Best Research Article Award

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Barbara Laddomada | Agricultural and Biological Sciences | Best Research Article Award

CNR ISPA | Italy

Dr. Barbara Laddomada, PhD, is a senior researcher at CNR-ISPA whose career since 1999 has centered on advancing the nutritional and technological quality of Mediterranean foods through integrated approaches in food science, plant genetics, and bioactive compound research. Her work focuses on understanding and improving the genetic basis of health-promoting components in crops, with particular emphasis on wheat, pulses, and other staples of the Mediterranean diet. She has developed extensive expertise in food science and technology, the traceability of Mediterranean food supply chains—including extra-virgin olive oil, wheat, and pulses—and the characterization of bioactive compounds with antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-cancer properties. Her research also contributes to the valorisation of plant biodiversity and the sustainable use of food by-products. Laddomada plays an active international role as a member of the Wheat Initiative’s Expert Working Groups on improving wheat quality for processing and health, as well as on durum wheat genomics and breeding. With an academic foundation in agricultural sciences and a doctoral degree in plant genetics, she has conducted influential research experiences, including dissecting the genetic basis of yield and quality traits in durum wheat under FAO sponsorship and serving as a visiting scientist at Kansas State University, where she contributed to projects on protein content and plant health. She currently leads major national and international research projects, including the PRIMA MEDWHEALTH initiative aimed at enhancing the functional and health value of wheat-based foods, and additional collaborative projects funded by European and national agencies targeting grain loss reduction, sustainable wheat cultivation, and agro-food chain innovation. In addition to her scientific leadership, she contributes to research evaluation as a reviewer for national funding bodies and supports scholarly communication as an editor for the journal Foods and a reviewer for numerous peer-reviewed journals in food science, food chemistry, and food technology.

Profile: Scopus | Orcid | Google Scholar

Featured Publications

Sgaramella, N., Nigro, D., Pasqualone, A., … Blanco, E., Simeone, R., & Blanco, A. (2023). Genetic mapping of flavonoid grain pigments in durum wheat. Plants, 12(8), 1674.

Scarano, A., Laddomada, B., Blando, F., … Verna, G., Chieppa, M., & Santino, A. (2023). The chelating ability of plant polyphenols can affect iron homeostasis and gut microbiota. Antioxidants, 12(3), 630.

Romano, G., Del Coco, L., Milano, F., … Jilal, A., Fanizzi, F. P., & Laddomada, B. (2022). Phytochemical profiling and untargeted metabolite fingerprinting of the MEDWHEALTH wheat, barley and lentil wholemeal flours. Foods, 11(24), 4070.

Del Coco, M., Laddomada, B., Romano, G., Carcagnì, P., Kumar, S., & Leo, M. (2022). Characterization of a collection of colored lentil genetic resources using a novel computer vision approach. Foods, 11(24), 3964.

Calabriso, N., Scoditti, E., Massaro, M., … Chieppa, M., Laddomada, B., & Carluccio, M. A. (2022). Non-celiac gluten sensitivity and protective role of dietary polyphenols. Nutrients, 14(13), 2679.

Laddomada, B., & Wang, W. (2022). Multiple approaches to improve the quality of cereal-based foods. Foods, 11(13), 1849.

Jean-Christophe AVICE | Agricultural and Biological Sciences | Academic Citation Impact Award

Published on by Citation Awards

Jean-Christophe AVICE | Agricultural and Biological Sciences | Academic Citation Impact Award

UMR INRAe/Unicaen Plant Ecophysiology and Agronomy | France

Jean-Christophe Avice is a distinguished Professor of Plant Physiology at the University of Caen Normandie, where he also directs the Centre of Microscopy Applied to Biology (CMABio), the Master program in Biology and Agrosciences, and co-directs the regional Federation of Plant Science (Normandie Végétale). His scientific career spans advanced research in plant ecophysiology, with a focus on nutrient dynamics and metabolic interactions influencing crop performance and sustainability. Avice’s work has significantly contributed to understanding nitrogen (N) and sulfur (S) reserves in key species such as alfalfa, white clover, and oilseed rape, examining fluxes through isotopic tracing and characterizing vegetative storage proteins to elucidate their functions and regulatory mechanisms. He has also led research integrating diagnostic tool development, fluxomics using 15N and 34S tracers, proteomics, and molecular physiology to uncover the processes governing nutrient remobilization—particularly autophagy, transport mechanisms, and leaf senescence pathways that shape yield and seed quality. His studies extend to improving nutrient use efficiency and examining N–S–P interactions in major crops including oilseed rape, wheat, and soybean, offering insights into how nutrient balance influences oil content, protein accumulation, and micronutrient profiles. Through more than two decades of academic and research leadership, Avice has advanced scientific understanding of plant nutrition, stress physiology, and grain quality in oleoproteaginous and arable crops. His interdisciplinary approach bridges ecophysiology, agronomy, and molecular biology, supporting innovations in sustainable agriculture, crop management, and the development of biostimulants and diagnostic tools. As an educator and research director, he continues to contribute to scientific capacity-building and the advancement of plant science in the Normandie region and beyond.

Profile: Orcid | Google scholar | Scopus

Featured Publications

  • Aranjuelo, I., Molero, G., Erice, G., Avice, J. C., & Nogués, S. (2011). Plant physiology and proteomics reveals the leaf response to drought in alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.). Journal of Experimental Botany, 62(1), 111–123.

  • Lee, B. R., Kim, K. Y., Jung, W. J., Avice, J. C., Ourry, A., & Kim, T. H. (2007). Peroxidases and lignification in relation to the intensity of water-deficit stress in white clover (Trifolium repens L.). Journal of Experimental Botany, 58(6), 1271–1279.

  • Guiboileau, A., Yoshimoto, K., Soulay, F., Bataillé, M. P., Avice, J. C., & Masclaux-Daubresse, C. (2012). Autophagy machinery controls nitrogen remobilization at the whole-plant level under both limiting and ample nitrate conditions in Arabidopsis. New Phytologist, 194(3), 732–740.

  • Abdallah, M., Dubousset, L., Meuriot, F., Etienne, P., Avice, J. C., & Ourry, A. (2010). Effect of mineral sulphur availability on nitrogen and sulphur uptake and remobilization during the vegetative growth of Brassica napus L. Journal of Experimental Botany, 61(10), 2635–2646.

  • Erice, G., Louahlia, S., Irigoyen, J. J., Sánchez-Díaz, M., & Avice, J. C. (2010). Biomass partitioning, morphology and water status of four alfalfa genotypes submitted to progressive drought and subsequent recovery. Journal of Plant Physiology, 167(2), 114–120.

  • Guiboileau, A., Yoshimoto, K., Soulay, F., Bataillé, M. P., Avice, J. C., & Masclaux-Daubresse, C. (2012). Autophagy machinery controls nitrogen remobilization at the whole-plant level under both limiting and ample nitrate conditions in Arabidopsis. New Phytologist, 194(3), 732–740.

  • Abdallah, M., Dubousset, L., Meuriot, F., Etienne, P., Avice, J. C., & Ourry, A. (2010). Effect of mineral sulphur availability on nitrogen and sulphur uptake and remobilization during the vegetative growth of Brassica napus L. Journal of Experimental Botany, 61(10), 2635–2646.

  • Erice, G., Irigoyen, J. J., Sánchez-Díaz, M., & Avice, J. C. (2007). Nitrogen and carbon flows estimated by ¹⁵N and ¹³C pulse-chase labeling during regrowth of alfalfa. Plant Physiology, 112(1), 281–290.