Banu Özen

Prof. Dr. Banu Özen is a full Professor in the Department of Food Engineering at Izmir Institute of Technology, where she has established herself as a leading researcher in spectroscopic food analysis. Her work bridges analytical chemistry and food science with practical applications in quality control and fraud prevention.

Her research centers on advanced spectroscopic techniques—particularly FTIR, UV-Visible, and fluorescence spectroscopy—combined with chemometric modeling to solve critical food industry challenges. Key focus areas include authenticating high-value products like olive oils and vinegars, detecting adulteration in diverse matrices (dairy, oils, alcoholic beverages), and predicting chemical/physical properties non-destructively. This approach has revolutionized quality assessment methods across multiple food categories.

Analysis of her 15 most recent publications reveals a consistent emphasis on spectroscopic adulteration detection, with 60% targeting olive oil integrity and 30% focused on vinegar analysis. Her work increasingly integrates multi-spectral approaches (e.g., combining fluorescence with mid-IR) and expands into novel matrices like pomegranate seed oils and buffalo milk, demonstrating methodological versatility.

No scientific awards or fellowships were specified in the source materials.

Prof. Özen has mentored 8 graduate students through thesis research on food authentication, with notable contributions to olive oil and vinegar analysis. Her sustained research leadership is evidenced by continuous funding since 2005 from prestigious sources including:

• PRIMA (Coordinator for LOCALNUTLEG project, 2021-2024)
• TÜBİTAK (7 Principal Investigator roles including TOVAG-119O066 on vinegar analysis, 2019-2020)
• Marie Curie (Principal Investigator for olive oil authentication project, 2006-2008)

As a core faculty member, she operates within Izmir Institute of Technology's Department of Food Engineering research ecosystem, collaborating extensively with interdisciplinary teams including chemists (Tokatli, Uncu), lipid specialists (Aktas), and microbiologists (Canal) across projects spanning food chemistry, packaging, and preservation systems.