Giorgio Giraffa

Dirigente CREA - Centro di Ricerca Zootecnia e Acquacoltura, Lodi

Graduated in Food Science and Technology, University of Milan, Italy. Post-doctoral, three-year specialization on Biotechnology, University of Milan, Italy. Qualified as a food technologist since 1998. Postgraduated fellowships at INRA, Jouy-en-Josas (France) and NIZO, Ede (The Netherlands) for overall 12 months. Training stages at INRA (Institut National Recherche Agronomique, Jouy-en-Josas, France), NIZO (Ede, The Netherlands), Institut Pasteur (Paris, France) on technical and scientific aspects of dairy bacteriophages, molecular biology of LAB and pathogenic clostridia (Clostridium botulinum).

Research positions:

Scientist from 1987 at CRA-FLC Centre (former Istituto Sperimentale Lattiero Caseario) of Lodi; Senior scientist from 1997; Director of Research from 2007, Director of the Centre from 2010 to 2014. Director of the Maize Research Unit (CRA-MAC) of Bergamo from October 2012 to March 2013.

Expertise:

Dairy microbiology, food biotechnology. At the Centre he introduced the routine use of molecular methods (such as probe hybridization, RAPD-PCR, species-specific PCR, RFLP techniques and DNA sequencing) for identification and characterization of LAB isolates.

Main research topics:

Lactic acid bacteria: Genetic and phenotypic identification and typing at species and strain level; Lactic acid bacteria probiotics: source and characterization; Lactic acid bacteria bacteriophages: isolation, molecular detection and characterization; Microbial characterization of traditional Italian cheeses: starter and non-starter microflora; Microbial ecology of dairy bacteria: microbial interactions and dynamics in dairy products.