Myrsini is a postdoctoral researcher at CMET. She obtained a Diploma and a Master’s in Chemical Engineering in Greece, as well as a PhD in Bioscience Engineering at CMET, in 2022. Her expertise lies in the intersection of applied microbiology and chemical engineering, targeting the creation of more sustainable alternatives in the food and chemical industries. She strives to develop processes that transform recovered resources into more sustainable alternatives for existing products, with a particular emphasis on the production of microbial protein for food applications. Her main expertise revolves around cats, although her feline housemates firmly disagree, citing her poor performance in opening cans on demand.
Selected key publications
- L. Van Peteghem, S. Matassa, M. Sakarika, “Fueling the protein transition: Can waste-derived ethanol enable efficient and high-quality microbial protein production?”, Bioresour. Technol., 418, 131990, 2025.
- M. Sakarika, F.M. Kerckhof, L. Van Peteghem, A. Pereira, T. Van Den Bossche, R. Bouwmeester, R. Gabriels, D. Van Haver, B. Ulčar, L. Martens, F. Impens, N. Boon, R. Ganigué, K. Rabaey, “The nutritional composition and cell size of microbial biomass for food applications are defined by the growth conditions”, Microb. Cell Fact., 22, 254, 2023.
- L. Van Peteghem, S. Matassa, K. Rabaey, M. Sakarika, “Microbial protein from recovered nitrogen: nutritional quality, safety, and feasibility assessment”, Sci. Total Environ., vol. 892, 164525, 2023.
- Sakarika, M.., Regueira, A., Rabaey, K., Ganigué, R., “Thermophilic caproic acid production from grass juice by sugar-based chain elongation”, Sci. Total Environ., vol. 860, 160501, 2023.
- Sakarika, M., Ganigué, R., Rabaey, K. “Methylotrophs: from C1 compounds to food”, Curr. Opin. Biotechnol., vol. 75, p. 102685, 2022.