dr.ir. MA (Mirjam) Kabel

Mirjam Kabel (ORCID ID: 0000-0002-2787-7852) is in 2011 appointed at Wageningen University & Research (WUR), as assistant professor, and since 2017 as associate professor, leading the theme 'Biomass upcycling: carbohydrates, lignin and fungal enzymology' at the Laboratory of Food Chemistry.

Her scientific career is dedicated to unravelling the complex, recalcitrant structure of plant cell walls, and later also of fungal and seaweed cell walls, and discovering efficient (fungal) enzymatic pathways to break them down. Herewith, she wants to contribute to a world without fossil resources, where in a circular economy we can make full use of preferably local resources, for healthy, functional, and sustainable food and feed (ingredients), and green chemicals. Her core areas of expertise are:

1)  Advanced Carbohydrate and Lignin Analysis: Utilizing high-resolution chromatographic and mass spectrometric techniques, and NMR spectroscopy to profile and quantify complex carbohydrates and lignin (-like) molecules.

2)  Applied Enzymology: Discovery and understanding of mostly fungal, oxidative and hydrolytic enzyme mechanisms targeting carbohydrates and lignin. For example of interest are hydrolytic and oxidative copper-dependent carbohydrate and lignin active enzymes. Prenyltransferases have been recently added to our portfolio, as these biocatalysts can assist in improving anti-microbial properties of aromatic compounds.

3)  Bioprocesses and Biotechnological Applications: With our research we contribute to various areas, from biological (i.e. fungal and/or enzyme-driven) upgrading of agricultural and food industrial side streams, to production of (novel) food ingredients, prebiotics and biochemicals, and to optimize processes or product properties in the food industry.

Kabel strives to bridge academic research with real-world applications, and to use fundamental insights on understanding structures and reactions for optimization of (bio-)processes for a sustainable and healthy future.

Mirjam A. Kabel completed in 1998 her MSc degree in food technology at Wageningen University & Research (WUR). Subsequently, she conducted a PhD study (1998-2002; Thesis: Prebiotic xylo-oligosaccharides from agro-industrial side-streams), and Postdoc research (2002-2006; Enzymology & carbohydrate biochemistry of lignin-rich agricultural side-streams) at the Laboratory of Food Chemistry of Wageningen University & Research. She became in 2006 a senior scientist Enzyme Technology at Royal Nedalco, later DSM R&D, in The Netherlands for five years, after which she continued her academic career at the Laboratory of Food Chemistry at WUR.