Kaisa Poutanen nominated as Academy Professor

Wednesday, 17 June 2009 10:30

The Academy of Finland has on 9th of June nominated eleven new Academy Professors for the years 2010-2014. Persons appointed to the position of Academy Professor shall have demonstrated their skills as high-calibre researchers, and they are expected to promote the advancement of science within their field.

Kaisa Poutanen has worked in the fields of food technology and nutritional science, first as a research scientist and as a senior scientist at VTT from 1980 to 1989, and as a research professor since 1989. Since 2001, she has acted both as a research professor at VTT and as director of the Food and Health Research Centre (ETTK) of the University of Kuopio. The new position continues the collaboration between VTT and University of Kuopio.

Poutanen aims to develop foods with beneficial effects on metabolic health. Her goals are to identify structural factors of food products with importance in the prevention of insulin resistance and in the regulation of satiety. Her specific research aim is to investigate the effects of certain types of bioprocessing on structural food factors, especially those of cereal-based dietary fibre, in relation to their significance for the release, conversions and absorption of nutrients and polyphenols in the gastrointestinal tract. In addition, the hormonal responses of the gut and the functions of the human body related to insulin sensitivity are areas of interest for professor Poutanen.