Sandra Voća

Prof. Sandra Voća serves as Full Professor in the Department of Sustainable Technologies and Renewable Energy Sources at the Faculty of Agriculture, University of Zagreb. Appointed to this rank in 2022 after progressive promotions from Assistant (1998) through Associate Professor (2012-2017), she teaches 12 specialized courses including non-invasive food processing methods, nutritional evaluation of horticultural products, and sustainable agricultural-energy systems management.

Education:

• PhD (2007): Faculty of Agriculture, University of Zagreb. Thesis: Nitrification and denitrification ammonical nitrogen in waste water from coke produce of with mix bacteriological cultures
• MSc (2003): Faculty of Agriculture, University of Zagreb. Thesis: Fruit quality of strawberry (Fragaria x ananassa duch.) in different harvest time
• BSc (1991-1996): Faculty of Food Technology and Biotechnology, University of Zagreb

Her research pioneers technological innovations in fruit/vegetable processing with emphases on nutritional preservation, bioactive compound analysis, and sustainable waste valorization. Current work integrates hydroponic cultivation, hybrid drying techniques, and non-destructive quality assessment to enhance Mediterranean crop value chains while reducing post-harvest losses. Key methodologies include ultrasound-assisted extraction and phytochemical profiling of wild edible species.

Publication analysis (2009-2016) reveals consistent focus on bioactive compounds across strawberry, cherry, and Rubus species, with methodological evolution toward ultrasound extraction and waste-stream utilization. Research spans food chemistry, horticultural science, and sustainable engineering, demonstrating increasing interdisciplinary collaboration in later works.

Research Leadership:

• Principal investigator for Croatian Science Foundation projects: Nutritive value of nettle (2020-2024), Hybrid drying of plant waste (2020-2023)
• Coordinator of Ministry of Agriculture initiatives: Ecological medicinal plant production (2019-2020), Modern plum drying technologies (2012-2014)
• Erasmus+ partner for sustainable agrofood systems development (2019-2021)
• University of Zagreb projects on garlic bioactives (2017), aronia antioxidants (2015), and food waste valorization (2014)

Prof. Voća directs the Agricultural Engineering undergraduate program and contributes to national agricultural policy through Ministry of Agriculture committees. She serves on the editorial board of ACS journal and the Croatian Academy of Sciences' Agricultural Scientific Council, focusing on post-harvest technology standardization and knowledge transfer systems.