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Maria Hayes

Research Officer - Natural Products Chemistry

Research Interests

  • Bioactives including peptides, phenolics, small molecules and their potential impact on health.
  • Novel proteins from marine, meat and cereal sources – PI of BioAlgae project, WP leader NutricerealsIreland and NutraMara.
  • Natural seaweed bioactives for reduction of methane in food production – PI of the EU ERA-NET funded SeaSolutions project.
  • Isolation and characterization of techno-functional and health ingredients for human and animal applications.
  • Bioassay/New product development – Heart health, renin, PAF-AH, ACE-I inhibitory, diabetes type 2, anti-inflammatory, mental health, antimicrobial PEP inhibitory, anti-oxidative, opioid.
  • Allergenicity – member of EU COST Action ImPARAS EU FA1402.
  • Seaweed and microalgae – member of EU COST Action EU ALGAE EU 1408.
  • Book editor – Springer publications & Wiley & Sons ltd.

Current Projects

  1. IDEA - Implementation and development of economic, viable and algae-based value chains in North Western Europe; Funded by Interreg NWE (2016-2021).
  2. SEASOLUTIONS - Seaweeds and seaweed-ingredients to reduce enteric methane emissions from pasture-based sheep, cattle and dairy cows (Coordinator & PI); Funded by EU ERA-NET & DAFM (2020-2023).
  3. SA & PCA - Extraction of Protocathecuic Acid and Sinapinic Acid from oilseed rape and assessment of their potential as functional food ingredients for improved health benefit in the Irish populace; Funded by Teagasc (2017-2020).
  4. MEESO - Ecologically and economically sustainable mesopelagic fisheries; Funded by EU H2020 (2019-2023).
  5. PAW - Pet aging and wellness: Utilisation of fish processing by-products for the development of dog nutritive and health ingredients with a focus on pet aging and heart health. Funded by EMFF/BIM (2018-2020).
  6. MUSSELS - Mussel products: Identification of potential commercial extracts/products from mussels contaminated with naturally occurring biotoxins (DSP and AZA); Funded by EMFF/BIM (2018-2020).
  7. BRAVO 2 - Development of scalable processes for the recovery of blood-water derived ingredients from pelagic processing operations; Funded by EMFF/BIM (2018-2020).
  8. FISHBOWL - Development of working prototypes and SOPs for optimal production of clean-label gelatine and collagen proteins and hydrolysate ingredients from the underutilised fish species Boarfish and Blue whiting. Funded by EMFF/BIM (2017-2020).
  9. BIOALGAE - Bio-refinery of marine macro and microalgae: Exploiting dairy process platform technologies for enrichment of proteins and value added components. Funded by Teagasc (2016-2021).
  10. BIOPROTEIN - Protein quality: Digestibility, bioaccessibility and bioavailability. Funded by Teagasc (2019-2023).

Education

  • B.Sc. University College Dublin, Ireland. 2002
  • Ph.D. University College Cork, Ireland. 2007
  • Leadership Development Diploma, UCC/IMI. 2016

Career

October 2010-present: Senior Research Officer, Teagasc Food Research Centre, Ashtown, Dublin 15.

October 2008–2019: Research Officer, Natural Products Chemist, Teagasc Food Research Centre, Ashtown, Dublin 15.

October 2008–Present: Guest lecturer Technical University of Dublin (formerly DIT) module TFFP3055 Nutraceutical Product development.

June 2007–October 2008: Researcher at the Centre of Applied Marine Biotechnology, Letterkenny Institute of Technology, Donegal, Ireland.

December 2006–June 2007: Researcher at Teagasc Moorepark Biotechnology Centre and University College Cork.

Lafarga, T., & Hayes, M. (2016), Meat-derived bioactive protein hydrolysates and peptides as food ingredients: overcoming current challenges. Food
Reviews international, DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/8 7559129.2016.1175013.

Dave, L. A., Hayes, M., Mora, L., Montoya, C. A., Moughan, P. J., Rutherfurd, S. M. (2016), Gastrointestinal endogenous protein-derived bioactive peptides: An in vitro study of their gut modulatory potential. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 17, 482; doi:10.3390/ijms17040482.

Dave, L. A., Hayes, M., Montoya, C. A., Rutherfurd, S. M., Moughan, P. (2016), Human gut endogenous proteins as a source of angiotensin-I-converting enzyme (ACE-I), renin inhibitory and antioxidant peptides. Peptides, 76, 30–44. doi:10.1016/j.peptides.2015.11.003.

Dave, L. A., Hayes, M., Moughan, P. J., Rutherfurd, S.M. (2016), Novel Dipeptidyl Peptidase IV inhibitory and antioxidant peptides derived from human
gastrointestinal endogenous proteins. Int. J. Pept. Res. Ther. 1–15. DOI 10.1007/s10989–016–9515-y.

Gangopadhyay, N., Wynne, K., O’Connor, P. Gallagher, E., Brunton, N. and Hayes, M. (2016), In silico and in vitro analysis of the angiotensin-Iconverting enzyme inhibitory activity of hydrolysates generated from crude Barley (Hordeum vulgare) protein concentrates. Food Chemistry, 203, 367–374.

Quinn, L., Scott, K. R., Finn, S. P., Hayes, M., Gray, S. G. (2020). An in vitro study determining the anti-inflammatory activity of sinapinic acid containing extracts generated from Irish Rapeseed meal. Medical Research Archives, 8, 10.

Hayes, M. and Gallagher, M. (2019). Processing and recovery of valuable components from pelagic blood-water waste streams: A review and recommendations. Journal of Cleaner Production, 215, 410-422. (Impact factor 5.19).

Harrysson, H., Hayes, M., Friederike, E., Carllsson, N. G., Toth, G. B., Undeland, I. (2018). Production of protein extracts from Swedish red, green, and brown seaweeds, Porphyra umbilicalis Kützing, Ulva lactuca Linnaeus, and Saccharina latissima (Linnaeus) J. V. Lamouroux using three different methods. Journal of Applied Phycology, https://doi.org/10.1007/s10811-018-1481-7 (Impact factor 5.851).

Minna K. Rahnasto-Rilla, Padraig McLoughlin, Tomasz Kulikowicz, Maire Doyle, Vilhelm A. Bohr, Maija Lahtela-Kakkonen, Luigi Ferrucci, Maria Hayes and Ruin Moaddel (2017), The identification of a SIRT6 activator from Brown Algae Fucus distichus, Marine Drugs, 15, 190; doi:10.3390/md15060190. (Impact factor 4.379).

Dave, L.A., Hayes, M., Moughan, P.J., Rutherfurd, S.M. (2016), Novel Dipeptidyl Peptidase IV inhibitory and antioxidant peptides derived from human gastrointestinal endogenous proteins. Int.J. Pept. Res. Ther. 1–15. DOI 10.1007/s10989–016– 9515–y. (Impact factor: 1.080).

Gangopadhyay, N., Wynne, K., O’Connor, P. Gallagher, E., Brunton, N. and Hayes, M. (2016), In silico and in vitro analysis of the angiotensin-I-converting enzyme inhibitory activity of hydrolysates generated from crude Barley (Hordeum vulgare) protein concentrates. Food Chemistry, 203, 367–374. (Impact factor 5.399).

Egan, A. M., Sweeney, T., Hayes, M., O’ Doherty, J. V. (2015), Prawn Shell chitosan has anti-obesogenic properties influencing both nutrient digestibility and microbial populations in a pig model. PLoS One, 10, 12, e0144127.doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0144127. (Impact factor 2.740).