University of Helsinki
On November 25th, FoMSci group member Mamata Bhattarai defended her doctoral dissertation entitled “Associative behavior of spruce galactoglucomannans in aqueous solutions and emulsions” in the Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry, University of Helsinki. Wood galactoglucomannans or spruce gum are hemicelluloses that are available as side-streams of forest industries. Mamata studied their solubility in water and their performance as emulsion stabilisers, to potentially be used in industries including food, pharmaceutical, and cosmetics. Her work provides essential information to improve sustainability within the forestry industry by adding value to treasured wood resources that are otherwise wasted.
We enjoyed a lively discussion between Mamata and her opponent Professor Francisco M. Goycoolea from School of Food Science and Nutrition, University of Leeds. After the defense, we celebrated Mamata’s excellent work with a toast and lighting up our Spruce of the Future.
The whole FoMSci group congratulates Mamata for her great work and excellent defense! You can find her research work here. Her work was also featured by Helsinki University press, link here.