J.L. Torres’s research in the Biotransformation group focuses on the preparation and in vivo evaluation of natural products of plant origin for use as disease-preventing agents. In particular, nutraceuticals (e.g., antioxidant polyphenols and iminosugars) are obtained from agricultural by-products or through sustainable biotechnological methods. Prof. Torres’s current interest is the development of microalgae as new sources of high-quality protein and functional ingredients for human nutrition. The biological activities studied in nutraceuticals are related to the control of inflammation and oxidative stress, harmful processes present in many high-incidence pathologies, especially metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular diseases, and type 2 diabetes.

J.L. Torres is the Scientific Director of the Calorimetry Core Facility at IQAC-CSIC and a member of the Consolidated Group of Adaptive Physiology of the Catalan Research System, integrated into the Institute of Research in Nutrition and Food Safety of the University of Barcelona, with the “Maria de Maeztu” Seal of Excellence from the Spanish government.