“Student-inventor” for the third time in the UPWr Department of Chemistry

Flavonoids are compounds found in the natural world, produced by plants and possessing numerous pro-health properties, such as antioxidant, anti-fungal, anti-bacterial, anti-viral and anti-tumor ones. We consume on average up to 1 gram of flavonoids per day and this amount is important for preventing civilization diseases such as diabetes, heart disease and even depression. Mateusz Łużny and his team have developed methods for obtaining flavonoid compounds, which are characterized by high efficiency and significantly lower costs than those connected with plant extraction or chemical synthesis.

- In order to obtain these compounds, I used yeast and entomopathogenic filamentous fungi (that is, the ones attacking and developing in insects) as catalysts. They produce enzymes so active that they transform substrates into required compounds within one to several hours. It is much faster than if we wanted to obtain them, for example, directly from plants – explains the PhD student of UPWr. Other scientists working to create the awarded inventions include: Ewa Kozłowska PhD (last year's laureate of the same competition), Monika Dymarska PhD and Martyna Krzywda, an MSc student at the Department of Chemistry.

The obtained flavonoids could be used as active substances in medicines, dietary supplements or functional foods, as well as for the production of low-calorie sweeteners. Some of the compounds obtained by Mateusz have a sweet taste, similar to sucrose, but such a sweetener would also have pro-health properties.

This is the third year in a row in which the representatives of the Department of Chemistry have won the nationwide “Student-inventor” competition organized by the Kielce University of Technology. This year, 144 solutions from 26 universities entered the competition. The prize for the winners is representing Poland at the 48th International Exhibition of Inventions in Geneva, where UPWr’s achievements have also, so far, been appreciated: in 2018 Joanna Kozłowska won a gold medal and special prize of the Malaysian Scientific Research Association and in 2019 Ewa Kozłowska came back with the bronze medal and a special prize awarded by King Abdulaziz University of Saudi Arabia.