Vera Lavelli, PhD, is a full professor of Food Technology at the University of Milan, Italy. She received her PhD degree in Food Biotechnology in 1999. She worked as a biotechnology lab supervisor at private companies, and then joined the university in 2001. Her research interests are related to the recovery of plant food byproducts to develop food ingredients with selected functionalities, such as the inhibition of key reactions related to diabetes and cardiovascular diseases; modelling of food processes, pilot plants, and scaling-up studies aimed at the development of new sustainable foods; and planning and implementation of quality and traceability systems for the food industry.