Oscar van Mastrigt

Oscar van Mastrigt is an Assistant Professor in Food Microbiology at Wageningen University & Research. His research focuses on microbial physiology, fermentation processes, and probiotic development. Key areas include understanding stress resistance mechanisms in bacteria, aroma formation in fermented foods, and the role of traditional fermented foods in gut microbiota modulation. He collaborates on projects involving microbial communities in plant-based foods and optimizing starter cultures for industrial applications.

Research interests span topics like Lactococcus lactis metabolism, extracellular vesicle functions, and pathogen adaptation. He co-supervises multiple PhD projects, including studies on fermented food safety, microbial community design, and plant protein upgrading. His work integrates experimental and computational approaches, such as dynamic flux balance analysis and proteomics.

Notable contributions include characterizing probiotic immune modulation, developing novel fermentation techniques, and analyzing traditional food processes like chepa shutki production. He actively participates in conferences and contributes to public discussions on food science innovation.