My research is focused on the characterization and use of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) and their bacteriophages to improve the quality and security of foods. I study LAB that produce biogenic amines (BA): genomic and transcriptomic of BA biosynthetic pathways and analysis of the BA citotoxicity and genotoxicity towards intestinal cell cultures. I also study the molecular biology of dairy bacteriophages and develop real-time PCR-based methods for their detection and identification at all stages of milk product manufacture. Furthermore, I use phages as source of pharmaceutical-grade genetic tools for the manipulation of LAB. This technology allows us to express genes encoding therapeutic molecules (antigens, antibodies and bioactive-molecules) in LAB, for oral vaccination and treatment of infectious and food-related diseases.