Arnau Vilas Franquesa

Arnau Vilas Franquesa is an External employee researcher in the Food Quality and Design group at Wageningen University & Research, specializing in bioprocessing of food by-products to develop sustainable food ingredients through microbial fermentation.

His research centers on Solid-State Fermentation, Functional Ingredients development, and Food Waste Upcycling, utilizing microorganisms like Aspergillus oryzae and lactic acid bacteria to enhance nutritional properties of agro-industrial residues including avocado seeds, mango kernels, and spent coffee grounds. Key focus areas include antioxidant capacity improvement and valorization of underutilized biomass.

Recent publications (2024-2025) demonstrate consistent innovation in circular economy applications, with fungal fermentation of diverse waste streams yielding functional food ingredients. His work bridges food science, microbiology, and sustainable processing technologies to address food waste challenges.

Within Wageningen's Food Quality and Design group, Vilas Franquesa collaborates internationally on projects transforming agricultural residues into value-added products, contributing to sustainable food system development through biotechnological solutions.