Marta Prado: «During the pandemic, we saw how rapid on-site analysis could make our lives easier»

Food safety and health play a critical role in developing a just global community that responds to overpopulation and climate change challenges. Exploring decentralized food analysis is a powerful tool that can democratize access to information as crucial as water potability or the state of food anytime, anywhere.

Marta Prado Rodríguez, a graduate and PhD in Food Science and Technology from the University of Santiago de Compostela, is a distinguished researcher at Campus Terra who studies nanotechnology's applications in food quality and safety.

And hers is a story of departure and return. Before returning to where it all began, Marta Prado forged her distinguished research career at the European Commission's Joint Research Center (JRC) in Belgium and at the International Iberian Nanotechnology Laboratory (INL) in Portugal.

At the latter, she founded her research group in food quality and safety, which allowed her to explore the synergies between molecular biology and nanofabrication of miniaturized devices to boost the development of decentralized food analysis.

Today, we talked to her about her international experience, the importance of scientific collaboration, and the impact of her research lines on the present and future.

-After 18 years of building an extensive professional career abroad, you have recently returned to where it all began: Campus Terra. What were the reasons why you decided to come back after so long?

-Well, I hadn't thought about it since I had my group at INL after much effort and a permanent position. Besides, it meant moving with my whole family (my partner and my two daughters), but I saw the Beatriz Galindo program with beautiful conditions for me to return. I decided to try my luck, and here I am.

I am thrilled with the decision since Campus Terra has a focus that is very much aligned with my research areas, and having been away this time allows me to see the progress made in recent years in terms of facilities and development.

In addition, there is a pool of young and not-so-young researchers, researchers who, like me, have been away, and students eager to do things. Collaborating in the development of the campus and promoting its international projection excites me, as it can also contribute to the development of Lugo and its province. In addition, there are personal motivations: to return to Lugo and to be close to a large part of my family and friends.

-You spent several years working in Belgium and then continued your career in Portugal. How would you evaluate these two stages of your life?

-In both cases, it was a tremendously enriching experience. Besides the scientific part, the experience of living in a different environment and meeting people from other countries, since they were international centers, was tremendously positive in both cases. It was a challenge at many points, but the balance is positive.

-Did you perceive palpable differences between the work cultures of the two countries from a scientific perspective?

-It is challenging to judge the work cultures in both countries since they are international institutions, but there are some essential differences between them.

The JRC in Belgium is a research center that belongs to the European Commission, so I had the opportunity to see how the Commission works from the inside. It is a mature organization with well-defined lines of work, and it was an incredible experience. Both the working conditions and the facilities were very interesting. At the same time, I was given a lot of freedom to propose things, and what I proposed was highly valued.

INL in Portugal was different, as it was a new organization. I was the first postdoctoral researcher to join the center. When I arrived, there were no laboratories, and the lines of research were not defined, so I had to do a bit of everything, from designing laboratories and choosing the type of furniture and equipment needed by the areas in which I worked to proposing lines of research to create the center's strategic research agenda.

It was difficult because it is very complicated for a researcher to spend a period without publishing or producing results. In addition, being a new organization, many things were defined on the fly since there was no previous experience or much to compare ourselves to within our environment. At the same time, I have the satisfaction of fine-tuning several lines of research, contributing to the construction of a research organization from scratch, obtaining funding, and creating my group despite the difficulties.

-During your stay in Portugal, you founded and directed the Food & Quality Research Group, a research group focused on food analysis that connects molecular biology with nanotechnology manufacturing. How do these two branches of study combine?

-I think that nowadays it is very important to work in a multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary environment, in collaboration with other areas of knowledge, as this allows us to learn a lot and make developments that are not possible if we work exclusively in our small niche.

When I arrived at INL, I brought a lot of experience in molecular biology and its applications to food analysis. The facilities, the equipment available, and the internal collaborations made it easier for me to work on this interface between molecular biology and micro- and nanofabrication, which allowed us to move towards developing miniaturized devices and rapid methods to carry out decentralized analysis. In other words, it will enable us to perform food analysis at different points in the value chain without taking samples to the laboratory or in locations with few resources.

This will allow us greater control of food from the point of view of its safety, helping to prevent and minimize any risk that may appear in less time, but also of its quality and authenticity, to protect quality products such as those we have in our environment against others of lower quality.

-Nutrient absorption, texture alteration, color and flavor enhancers, elimination of chemicals and pathogens... The association between nanotechnology and the food industry has raised many expectations. Are they exaggerated, or do they have a solid scientific basis?

-Nanotechnology has great potential for exciting applications in the food industry, including nanotechnology and other scientific advances.

By 2050, there are expected to be around 10 billion people on the planet; feeding them is the biggest challenge that global agriculture and food production will face. At the same time, food losses and waste are a huge problem, as a large percentage of the food produced is wasted and does not reach the consumer.

It's necessary to use all scientific advances to serve society, produce and preserve food in a sustainable way to feed the growing world population and protect biodiversity and the environment, and nanotechnology can play a very important role here.

Some examples are the development of nanopesticides and nanofertilizers. Thanks to nanoencapsulation, we can modulate the controlled release of these substances and thus achieve the same effect with much lower quantities of these products.

Another example is the development of innovative materials for food packaging, which allow us to reduce the consumption of plastics, maintain or even increase the shelf life of the food in question, and thus help to reduce food waste.

-But I'm sure it's not all good. Are there any associated risks?

-As far as food is concerned, which is my area, particularly in Europe, we have one of the best food authorization and control systems. New product approvals are highly regulated, and any new product that will be in contact with food or new ingredients undergoes rigorous evaluations, so it is tough for something dangerous to escape these evaluations and make it to the market.

The products used for these types of applications, particularly in food, are generally made from already known ingredients that we know are safe, but at a much smaller size scale. However, there are already naturally occurring materials at the nanoscale that we have lived with for millions of years.

One problem that may exist is that conventional toxicity assessment techniques are only sometimes adequate for new materials as they appear. There is, therefore, a growing area of research in eco-nanotoxicology to develop new methods to assess any possible interaction of these materials with health and the environment, both in the short and long term.

-The manufacture of components at such small levels requires a very specific infrastructure. Are the resources and means required for this type of research easily available?

-The truth is that the equipment needed to manufacture and characterize nanomaterials is usually costly.

Fortunately, it also receives a lot of funding because it offers many possibilities and an infinite number of applications.

-You have been focusing your studies on the decentralization of food analysis for several years. Why is it so important to be able to perform these analyses in situ? What advantages can these methods provide over traditional laboratory analysis?

-The main advantage is that it allows us to take the laboratory to the field, the industry or wherever it is needed without sending the samples to the traditional laboratory.

During the pandemic, we saw firsthand how rapid on-site testing could make our lives easier. The miniaturized devices are designed to be quick and easy to use so that we can have the result on the spot and, therefore, take the necessary measures, whether it is stopping the production of a product, starting a specific treatment or informing the authorities.

Some developments in this regard are already on the market, such as rapid tests like COVID, pregnancy tests or on-site blood sugar analysis for people with diabetes. Still, many other tests have yet to be available because they are more complicated but essential.

In my case, I focus on DNA analysis in a rapid and miniaturized format, something like PCR, that can be performed outside a specialized laboratory but with the same sensitivity and specificity.

Another advantage is that these devices can be connected and send data. We are already working on a European project with two use cases.

In one, we are collaborating with partners in Germany and the Netherlands to connect our miniaturized devices with blockchain to contribute to the traceability and authenticity of olive oil.

In collaboration with a Spanish company and another from Germany, our devices will contribute information for an AI-based model that will allow us to predict the possible presence of cross-contamination with allergens in food within a food production plant. Still, the possibilities regarding the potential applications and usefulness of the data generated are enormous.

-The cost reduction that this type of analysis allows could be revolutionary in those parts of the world where there are insufficient means to ensure absolute food safety. How do you see the future of applying your research from a humanitarian perspective?

-Yes, this motivates me a lot, as these devices could help perform advanced analysis in resource-poor environments. Knowing if water is drinkable or if food is in good condition is fundamental and not always possible in certain locations where no laboratories are nearby or are not sufficiently equipped.

In addition, there are a multitude of applications in other fields. Human health is the most precise and direct, but animal health, plant health, and environmental control are also essential to improve people's lives and help take measures to alleviate possible problems.