In the area of creative activities, the Institute of Food Chemistry and Biotechnology responds to the need for interdisciplinary technical education and research activities of students in accordance with the objectives formulated in the BUT 2021 strategy. Creative activities related to the field of Chemistry and Food Science education are very well provided for both in terms of equipment and personnel thanks to several successfully implemented infrastructure projects (2x OP R&D&I, 2x NPU, 2x OP R&D).

The intensive development of natural sciences in general and food sciences in particular is currently characterised by the expansion of exact knowledge resulting from the gradual inclusion of sophisticated instrumental methods, molecular methods and nanotechnologies. The interdisciplinary approach is also growing considerably. Since 2009, the scientific activities of the Institute of Food Chemistry and Biotechnology have been closely linked to the Centre for Materials Research (CMV), representing the key research infrastructure of the Faculty.

The research work of the ICHPBT is carried out in several main areas, which partly overlap and may share some methods and procedures. Research is oriented towards the chemistry, analysis and technology of food and natural substances, the use of biotechnology and nanotechnology in the production of modern foods and raw materials, and the application of molecular biotechnology to the identification and characterisation of selected foods and supplements. Emphasis is placed in particular on a comprehensive approach to problem solving, combining appropriate progressive techniques to assess problems overall and to propose adequate solutions. The development of modern food sciences is dependent on the development and application of advanced methods for the preparation, characterization and processing of foods and raw materials and the analysis of all types of contents, including the assessment of effects on the body. Modern and sophisticated procedures are being developed for use in the production and optimisation of individual steps in the chemistry and technology of natural substances and foods, as well as in the control of the quality, sensory profile and safety of foods and their ingredients, food raw materials and final products.

Specialist areas studied within the ICHPBT are mainly focused on the analysis of the content, effect and stability of beneficial substances, but also on the identification and quantification of contaminants, toxic substances and allergens in selected raw materials and food products. Considerable attention is also paid to the treatment of waste raw materials from the agro-food complex and their evaluation in the biotechnological production of industrially important metabolites such as bioethanol, bioplastics, enzymes and other specific metabolites.

Currently, interdisciplinary cooperation is intensively increasing with the overlap of chemical sciences into the field of life sciences, where the ICHPBT has its irreplaceable place within the FCH. The quality of research at the ICHPBT is simultaneously developed and ensured, especially thanks to the involvement of the Institute in the activities of the Materials Research Centre. The Laboratory of Biotechnology and Biomaterials operates within the CMV, whose issues are directly intertwined and interconnected with the research activities of the Institute.

The creative activities of the ICHPBT are carried out in the following main areas:

• Development of procedures for complex characterization of natural substances and their components in terms of chemical, biochemical, including the possibilities of technological processing and influence on the human organism,
• Development of new food products and supplements with higher nutritional value, introduction and optimization of modern progressive methods for determination of content and physiological effect of tested substances, formulations and foods,
• development of methods for the identification and quantification of sensory active flavouring, toxic and allergenic substances in foods and natural products,
• development of biotechnological processes and biochemical technologies applicable to the food industry,
• valorisation of wastes from food and agricultural production and their use for the production of industrially relevant substances with high added value,
• development of molecular biotechnologies for the identification and quantification of micro-organisms in food,
• the development of cosmetology, cosmetic technologies and methods to assess the interaction of natural substances with the human body,
• applications of nanotechnology in food and natural substance chemistry.