Dr. Jovana Glusac | Plant Proteins | Excellence in Applied Sciences Award
BioSense Institute- Research and Development Institute for Information Technologies in Biosystems, University of Novi Sad, Serbia.
Dr. Jovana Glusac is a dedicated scientist specializing in food proteins, alternative proteins, and functional food materials. With a strong background in biochemistry, food engineering, and protein functionalization, she has contributed significantly to cultivated meat technology, plant-based fat substitutes, and seafood analogues. Dr. Glusac has held leadership roles in food R&D and has a passion for bridging scientific research with industrial applications
Profile
🎓 Education
Dr. Jovana Glusac holds a strong academic background in biology and food engineering, with extensive research experience in alternative proteins and cultivated meat technology. She completed her Postdoctoral Fellowship (2019-2022) at the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, where she focused on developing plant-based fat substitutes and advancing cultivated meat technology. Prior to this, she earned her Ph.D. in Biology (2015-2019) from the University of Banja Luka, Bosnia & Herzegovina, with part of her research conducted at Technion, Israel. Her doctoral dissertation centered on the biochemical characterization of plant peroxidase and protein crosslinking, exploring innovative methods to enhance protein functionality for food applications. Dr. Glusac also holds a Master of Science in Biology (2008-2011) and a Bachelor of Science in Biology (2000-2007), both from the University of Banja Luka, laying the foundation for her expertise in protein chemistry, functional food materials, and biochemistry.
💼 Experience
Dr. Jovana Glusac has extensive experience in food research and development, specializing in plant-based alternatives and functional food materials. She served as the Head of Food R&D at Oshi Ltd., Israel (April 2023 – Feb 2024), where she led innovative research and development efforts focused on plant-based seafood alternatives, driving advancements in alternative protein formulations. Before this role, she worked as a Senior Material Scientist (Nov 2022 – March 2023) at Oshi Ltd., where she played a key role in developing plant-based salmon formulations and optimizing texture modifications for seafood analogues.
Earlier in her career, Dr. Glusac gained valuable academic and laboratory experience as a Research Associate and Teaching Assistant (2008-2015) at the College of Applied Medical Science, Bosnia & Herzegovina. In this role, she specialized in food chemistry, texture analysis, and dairy research, contributing to scientific studies on food structure, sensory properties, and microbiological stability. Her diverse experience in academia, research, and industry highlights her expertise in alternative proteins, food engineering, and product innovation.
🔬 Research Interests
🌱 Food Proteins – Plant-based and yeast-derived protein modifications.
🍣 Alternative Proteins – Cultivated meat, seafood analogues, and plant-based substitutes.
🥑 Oleogelation & Fat Substitutes – Developing sustainable plant-based fats.
🧪 Functional Food Structures – Protein-based emulsions, gels, and foams.
🏆 Awards & Fellowships
Hershel Rich Technion Innovation Award (2022) – Recognized for cultivated meat technology research.
Lady Davis Fellowship (2020-2022) – Prestigious postdoctoral research fellowship at Technion.
Ministry of Science and Technology B&H Scholarships (2009-2017) – Awarded for academic excellence during MSc and PhD studies.
📚 Selected Publications
📖 Plant-based bigel based on chickpea-potato protein hydrogel and glycerol monostearate oleogel (2024) – Food Structure
📖 Cultured meat prototypes using edible microcarrier-derived microtissues and oleogel-based fat substitute (2023) – Nature Communications
📖 Yeast-derived potato patatins: Biochemical and biophysical characterization (2021) – Food Chemistry
📖 Enzymatic and chemical modification of zein for food application (2021) – Trends in Food Science and Technology