Ditte Baun Hermund

Ditte Baun Hermund serves as an Associate Professor at the National Food Institute, Technical University of Denmark (DTU), leading the Research Group for Bioactives – Analysis and Application. Her work directly contributes to UN Sustainable Development Goals through innovative food science research focused on sustainable resource utilization and health.

Her research centers on marine bioresources, particularly seaweed-derived bioactives, with expertise spanning antioxidant chemistry, lipid oxidation control, and functional food development. She pioneers extraction techniques for natural antioxidants using supercritical fluids and investigates processing impacts on bioactive stability in products like cocoa, fish oil-enriched mayonnaise, and seaweed-based ingredients. Her fingerprint reveals dominance in antioxidant research (100%), seaweed applications (47%), and oxidative stability (28%), with strong connections to food preservation and sensory science.

Recent publications demonstrate a clear trajectory toward sustainable marine resource valorization, with emphasis on transforming seaweed into functional food ingredients while addressing practical challenges like product failures in commercial applications. This work bridges fundamental chemistry with real-world food system innovation.

Hermund's scientific recognition includes four major awards reflecting her growing impact:

• Student travel grant (2014)
• Young Scientist Award (2015)
• Direktør, Dr. Techn. A.N. Neergaards og hustrus legat (2017)
• Otte Mønsted travel grant (2018)

As an active supervisor and collaborator, she leads significant research initiatives including the AlgaeVita project on vitamin D3-fortified algae ingredients and SEATAN for seaweed extract development. Her grant portfolio demonstrates strong industry-academic partnerships focused on translating marine bioresources into market-ready solutions for food and cosmetics.

Hermund directs the Bioactives Research Group at DTU Food, where her team operates cutting-edge facilities for lipid oxidation analysis, supercritical fluid extraction, and sensory evaluation. Current efforts focus on zero-waste approaches to microalgae biorefining for sustainable aviation fuels and nutraceutical production, positioning her group at the forefront of marine bioeconomy research.