Within the framework of the UniCorn project, another scientific paper has been published in the Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture. The paper is entitled “Enhancing functional properties of fruit juices with highly active xylanase from Aspergillus tubingensis FAT35." LINK: Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture 106 (2025) 831
This study presents the identification and optimized production of a highly active xylanase from Aspergillus tubingensis FAT35, as well as its application in fruit juice processing. The enzyme demonstrated a strong potential to improve key technological parameters of fruit juices, including increased juice yield, reducing sugar content, and clarity.
In addition to technological improvements, enzymatic treatment significantly enhanced the functional properties of the juices, such as increased antioxidant and antimicrobial activity, and enabled the in situ formation of prebiotic xylooligosaccharides during fruit processing. These findings highlight the potential of xylanase for the development of functional beverages with added health benefits.
This publication represents an important milestone for the UniCorn project and contributes to the advancement of innovative enzyme-based solutions in food biotechnology. We thank all collaborators for their contributions.
Proud to share our participation at the EIT Innovation Awards 2025, a landmark event that brought together innovators, startups, and experts from across Europe to highlight how the EIT Community supports the journey from local ideas to global impact. The conference showcased inspiring pitches, keynotes, and collaboration opportunities, reinforcing EIT’s mission to make innovation accessible in every region of Europe.
As part of the programme, we presented the service developed by our ZymPro ICTM team within the InfraBooster Practitioner programme, organized by the EIT Community Strategic Regional Innovation Cluster with the support of EIT Climate-KIC, EIT Food, EIT Health, and EIT Manufacturing, and featuring lecturers from the Centre for Socially Responsible Innovations, Faculty of Management, University of Warsaw.
A great experience, valuable connections, and an important step forward for strengthening innovation capacity in our region.
The 4th Young Scientist Forum (YSF) within the UniCorn project was successfully held on October 24, 2025! Early-career researchers and PhD holders shared their latest findings and engaged in dynamic discussions, exchanging ideas for future research directions.
Marija Stefanović: Recombinant Expression of Subtilisin BPN’ Marija Pavlović, PhD, and Nenad Drulović: Biopeptides: A review Marina Ristović: GH11 & GH12 hydrolases: A review Sanja Stojanović, PhD: Extraction of Polyphenols Using NADES: A Green Alternative to Conventional Methods Višnja Kosić: Pullulanase mutant variants - rtPCR: Challenges in practice.
A big thank you to all participants for their insightful presentations!
Our third YSLT session was dedicated to open science and the importance of “science social media” platforms such as Scopus, ORCID, and others.
Dr. Matija Zlatar, Principal Research Fellow at IHTM, spoke about what open science is, why it is important, and how it is implemented in modern research.
Dr. Aleksandra Margetić, together with Dr. Zlatar, presented the ICTM CER repository to young colleagues, demonstrated a practical approach to data entry, and explained how scientific networking platforms can be used to connect with researchers worldwide.
Thank you to all participants for the great energy and discussion!
Poster presentation: "Characterization of bioactive peptides obtained by enzymatic valorization of corn waste" during the XXII European Conference on Analytical Chemistry, held in Barcelona, Spain on 31 August-4 September, 2025
In our lab, we use real-time PCR (rtPCR) with the Protein Thermal Shift™ Kit by Thermo Fisher to study protein stability and thermal unfolding, unlocking crucial insights into enzyme functionality.
A fluorescent dye binds to hydrophobic regions exposed as the protein denatures, and fluorescence increases with temperature, allowing precise determination of melting temperatures (Tm). This enables us to assess how mutations, ligands, or buffer conditions impact stability.
By applying this technique to glycoside hydrolase enzymes like xylanase and pullulanase, we can predict their real-world performance, ensuring they remain stable and active under industrial conditions. The data we obtain helps optimize enzyme properties for applications like prebiotic (XOS) production, making this a fast, cost-effective tool for advancing biocatalysis and beyond!
Protease – a hydrolytic enzyme from Bacillus velezensis catalyzes the cleavage of peptide bonds in proteins. This serine protease has broad applications in biotechnology, including industrial protein degradation, bioactive peptide production, and enhanced biodegradation of organic materials.
Its activity depends on pH and temperature, and optimizing the stability of such enzymes is crucial for industrial processes and biomedical applications.
Did you know that bacterial proteases play a key role in environmentally friendly biomass processing and the development of enzyme-based therapies?
The UniCorn team had the honor of welcoming representatives from the Science Fund and World Bank experts in sustainable development and environmental protection as part of the regular project progress review.
The project was presented by the project leader, Dr. Biljana Dojnov, alongside the UniCorn team, while members of the IHTM Office for International Cooperation and Projects and UBHF also participated in the meeting.
This inspiring visit strengthens our commitment to achieving the project’s goals, emphasizing environmental protection and sustainable development.
At the recent Food Tech 2024 congress, members of the UniCorn project team presented significant results highlighting their innovative research and technological advances. They presented results that highlight the importance of selecting and purifying enzymes for the production of by-product-free, high-yield functional food ingredients, emphasizing the impact of the project on food quality and safety. Interacting with a diverse audience, the team discussed opportunities for collaboration and future applications of their work in the food industry. Their contribution not only demonstrated the achievements of the project, but also encouraged dialogue on solving global food challenges.
On Friday, September 27, 2024, a YSLT training was held, at which Višnja Kosić shared her experiences and knowledge acquired during her stay at "Loschmidt Laboratories" at Masaryk University and the International Center for Clinical Research, St. Anne's University Hospital in Brno, Czech Republic. Višnja presented the topic "Improving (thermo)stability of Pullulanase Enzyme", along with the tools she used in her research. The interactive training was adapted to the interests of the participants, young researchers of the project UniCorn.
Notable participation of UniCorn project researchers at the XIII conference of the Serbian Biochemical Society entitled "Amplifying Biochemistry Concepts", held on 19-20 September 2024 in Kragujevac, Republic of Serbia and presenting part of his ongoing research within this project.
We are excited to announce that our researchers from the UniCorn project participated in the 5th Enzyme and Bioprocess Days conference, held from August 27th to 29th in Izmir, Turkey. During the event, they had the opportunity to present part of their research, as well as the UniCorn project, which is funded by the Science Fund of the Republic of Serbia through the PRIZMA program. We are proud to be part of this innovative journey!
The entire Nauka Privredi TV show about our UniCorn project. Science Fund of the Republic of Serbia, Institute of Chemistry, Technology & Metallurgy, University of Belgrade
We are pleased to announce that as part of the UniCorn project, our first scientific paper has been published in the Journal of Food Composition and Analysis. The paper is titled "A Simple and Fast HPLC Method for Determining the Composition of Fructooligosaccharides and Xylooligosaccharides Obtained by Fungal Enzymes". This paper presents a tailored HPLC-RID method for the detection of two classes of prebiotics: fructooligosaccharides and xylooligosaccharides. The method is validated according to international standards and demonstrates high precision, accuracy, and specificity. The analysis was successfully applied to food samples, even those with complex matrices. This is a significant advancement for our project and research in the field of prebiotics. We thank all collaborators for their contributions.
LINK: Journal of Food Composition and Analysis 133 (2024) 106459
The UniCorn project, the Prizma program, financed by the Science Fund of the Republic of Serbia, got its new web presentation - a website...
The UniCorn project, from the Prizma program, acquired new equipment necessary for the realization of this project. At IHTM - Institute of Chemistry, Technology and Metallurgy, a QuantStudio 1 real-time PCR system from Thermo Fisher Scientific was installed. The first trial experiment was successfully completed!
The first Young Scinetist Forum (YSF) was held in the organization of the UniCorn Prizma project. Young researchers and PhDs at the beginning of their careers presented the topics of parts of their research within the framework of the project, after which a longer discussion was held regarding the presented topics and potential problems and doubts.
The manager and researchers of the UniCorn Prizma project attended a meeting with representatives of the Science Fund of the Republic of Serbia during their visit to IHTM - Institute of Chemistry, Technology and Metallurgy.