Meet the DCs

About Elena and Her Academic Background

Elena Hernández Fernández comes from Spain, where she earned a Bachelor of Science in Food Science and Technology at the University of Zaragoza. She then completed a Master’s degree in Food Technology within the European Master in Food Studies, an international programme that allowed her to study at Wageningen University (Netherlands), Cork Business School (Ireland), AgroParisTech (France), and Lund University (Sweden).
This academic mobility provided her with a strong multicultural scientific foundation and experience in different research and industrial environments. She also completed a nine‑month internship at JDE Peet’s, where she worked in the beverage sector and gained practical insight into industrial processing.

About her Research 

Elena’s PhD research addresses the growing challenge of microbial spoilage in fermented beverages, a problem intensified by climate change and evolving production practices. Rising pH levels and changes in raw materials are affecting the natural stability of drinks such as wine, cider, beer, kombucha, and kefir. Although innovative antimicrobial technologies are well established in other food sectors, their application in fermented beverages is still limited. Elena’s work aims to adapt and optimise these physical, non‑thermal treatments to offer sustainable and scalable solutions for spoilage control while maintaining product quality.

Within the SpoilControl project, Elena is responsible for developing physical, non‑thermal technologies as sustainable alternatives to conventional stabilization. While other doctoral candidates focus on biological strategies, essential oils, microbial ecology, or consumer and economic aspects, her work provides the technological solutions that complement and integrate with these approaches.

Her research concentrates on the development and optimisation of Pulsed Light, UV‑C, and Cold Plasma treatments for controlling spoilage microorganisms in beverages such as wine, cider, beer, kombucha, spirits, and kefir. The project aims to deliver efficient, environmentally friendly, and scalable solutions that help producers reduce spoilage-related losses while preserving product quality.

Elena’s thesis specifically focuses on:

• Evaluating the antimicrobial efficiency of physical treatments on a wide range of spoilage microorganisms and biofilms.
• Determining optimal treatment doses according to beverage composition and matrix characteristics.
• Assessing impacts on chemical, sensory, and quality attributes to ensure treatments remain safe and acceptable for consumers.
• Identifying processing conditions suitable for industrial implementation and integration into existing production lines.

Her work connects directly with other SpoilControl work packages, particularly those concerned with microbial monitoring, the development of tailored solutions, and the evaluation of spoilage impacts throughout the fermented beverage sector.

Motivation for the Project

Elena was drawn to this PhD topic because it combines two areas she is particularly interested in: microbiology and food processing technologies. She had already explored process‑oriented research during her master’s degree and wanted to continue working on innovative methods such as Pulsed Light. The project’s multidisciplinary nature and direct industrial relevance were strong motivations for joining SpoilControl.