William Baidoo

Postgraduate Student

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Optimising nutrient release from plant-based foods

My research interests lie in using food innovation to improve nutrition and sustainable food production.

In my PhD at Quadram Institute, I am investigating how the properties of grains affect the glycaemic response of sweet bakery products.

In line with the research focus of the Edwards group, we are using digestion models and human studies, in tandem with other analytical methods to understand how the physical and chemical characteristics of grains can modulate blood sugar. The research findings will help develop food products that can contribute to the scientific efforts toward curbing/controlling non-communicable diseases such as diabetes mellitus and obesity. My research is being conducted in close-knit with Mondelez International, which presents the opportunity of translating my research into tangible products that can positively impact consumers.

I obtained a Joint master’s degree in Food Innovation and Product Design from Université Paris-Saclay – AgroParisTech (France) and Technological University Dublin (Ireland). My research was part of an EU-funded project that focused on understanding the relationship between the physiochemical properties of reformulated cookies and glycaemic index. I also have a bachelor’s degree in Nutrition and Food Science from the University of Ghana. My undergraduate research was on developing an effective sanitation operating procedure that ensured hygienic production of an indigenously produced fermented beverage consumed in most parts of west Africa.

Before starting my PhD, I obtained several work experiences. I worked for some time as a research and teaching assistant at the Department of Nutrition Food Science (University of Ghana). I then served as a product development scientist in a company that was into dairy processing and food production consultancy. After my master’s, I was a product developer in the R&D team of a French company whose activities centred on developing innovative plant-based products from algae.