Jesper Holck

Jesper Holck is a Senior Researcher at the Department of Biotechnology and Biomedicine, Technical University of Denmark, specializing in enzyme technology and carbohydrate chemistry. His work focuses on carbohydrate-active enzymes, glycosylation, and microbiome interactions, with applications in prebiotics, marine biotechnology, and industrial waste valorization.

• Current affiliation: Department of Biotechnology and Biomedicine, DTU
• Academic role: Researcher (Senior Researcher title)

Research interests include:

• Enzymatic degradation of complex carbohydrates (fucoidan, pectin, arabinoxylan)
• Engineering enzymes for human milk oligosaccharide synthesis
• Microbiota-immune interplay with bioactive sugar beet components
• Marine enzyme applications for sustainable bioprocessing
• Structural characterization of glycoside hydrolases
• Development of enzymatic methods for lignocellulosic biomass utilization

Recent publications highlight his expertise in:

• Enzyme-catalyzed production of immunologically active oligosaccharides
• Functional diversity in CAZy families (GH20, GH29, GH119)
• Microbial degradation pathways for pectin and mucin
• Enzyme-assisted extraction from citrus and sugar beet byproducts
• Protein engineering for improved transglycosylation
• Structural studies of novel biocatalysts

Scientific supervision includes:

• Main supervisor for PhD projects on legume innovation (N2CROP) and citrus pectin valorization
• Co-supervisor for research on carbohydrate processing enzymes and gut microbiota interactions