معرفی
Saša Prđun serves as Assistant Professor at the Department of Fisheries, Apiculture, Wildlife Management and Special Zoology within the Faculty of Agriculture, University of Zagreb. Based at the Apiary of the Archbishop Haulik, he teaches specialized courses including Honey Bee Genetics, Apiculture, and Invertebrate Breeding while maintaining active research in honey analysis and bee biology.
Education:
- PhD (2017), University of Zagreb Faculty of Agriculture: 'Honey bee colony foraging activity in the pasture and composition of Satsuma mandarin (Citrus unshiu Marc.) nectar and honey'
- MSc (2010), University of Zagreb Faculty of Agriculture: 'Meaning of winter forage in feeding for game in hunting ground III/29 Prolom'
Dr. Prđun's research centers on honey analytics, nectar flow plants, and honey bee biology, employing advanced techniques like FTIR-ATR, NMR, and GC-MS to investigate honey composition, traceability, and adulteration. His work bridges analytical chemistry and apiculture to ensure honey authenticity and quality control, with particular focus on Satsuma mandarin honey pathways and beeswax contamination mechanisms.
His publication record (2014-2019) reveals concentrated expertise in honey/bee products analysis, demonstrating consistent application of spectroscopic and chromatographic methods to solve practical apiculture problems. Key themes include botanical traceability, adulteration detection, and environmental impacts on honey quality.
Dr. Prđun has secured significant research funding as principal investigator:
- EU-funded project on botanical/geographical origin of bee pollen (2018-2019, coordinator)
- Beeswax contamination characterization study (2018, coordinator)
- Gas chromatography application in honey quality analysis (2016, partner)
- Test apiary establishment in Croatia (2013, coordinator)
Based at the Archbishop Haulik Apiary, Dr. Prđun integrates field research with laboratory analysis in his Division for Animal Sciences facility, contributing directly to Croatia's honey quality standards through both academic research and practical sensory evaluation work.
