Researcher biography

Understanding in vitro bioaccessibility (matrix release and availability for intestinal absorption) as well as the much more complex in vivo bioavailability and metabolism (including microbial degradation in the gut) of dietary phytochemicals are crucial in understanding and predicting their bioactivity and potential health benefits in humans.

Dr Michael Netzel is a graduate of the Justus-Liebig University Giessen, Germany (Master and PhD). Before joining QAAFI as a Senior Research Fellow in August 2013, he was a Research Scientist at CSIRO. Other previous academic and professional positions held by Dr Netzel include, Feodor Lynen Research Fellow (Alexander von Humboldt-Foundation) at Food Science Australia (2005 and 2006-2007), Visiting Research Scientist at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (2005) and Research Team Leader at the Friedrich-Schiller University Jena, Germany (1999-2006). He is an Editor of the ‘Journal of Food Composition and Analysis’ (Elsevier), a Review-Editor of ‘Frontiers in Nutrition’ (Scientific Direct) and a Member of the Editorial Board of ‘Food Research International’ (Elsevier). Dr Netzel was also a Co-Editor of ‘Acta Horticulturae (1106) 2015’ (Proceeding of the 6th International Symposium on Fruits & Vegetables for Human Health – FAVHealth2014) and ‘Technology for Food Quality’ (The Queensland Government, 2012). He has strong collaborative links to the Technical University of Munich, Germany (Prof. Michael Rychlik, Chair – Analytical Food Chemistry), which is one of UQ’s strategic partners in Europe.