Kurzprofil Prof. Dr. Katharina Scherf

Leiterin der Arbeitsgruppe Food Biopolymer Chemistry

Lise-Meitner-Str. 34
85354 Freising
Germany

Tel.: +49 8161 71-2719

E-Mail  ORCID  ResearcherID  LinkedIn

My main research interests are the protein composition of food crops and wheat-related disorders, i.e., celiac disease, non-celiac gluten sensitivity and wheat allergy. My mission therefore is to develop new analytical strategies allowing me to study the complex interplay between structure, functionality, immunological and chemosensory activity of food proteins and peptides. I use these fundamental insights to improve food security, food quality and food safety. Our research activities build upon my combined expertise in food chemistry, analytical chemistry, proteomics and immunological assays to study the structure and functionality of proteins.

  • Structure-functionality-bioactivity relationships in plant proteins, especially from cereals
  • Effects of genetic and environmental variability on protein composition related to improved sustainability, biodiversity and end-use quality
  • Development of novel analytical methods for compliance monitoring of gluten-free products
  • Proteomics to assess the immunoreactive potential of proteins
  • Fundamental mechanisms of (wheat) allergies, non-celiac wheat sensitivity and celiac disease
2024 - Associate Professor (W3), Food Biopolymer Systems, Technical University of Munich (TUM) & Head of Research Group Food Biopolymer Chemistry, Leibniz-Institute for Food Systems Biology at the TUM
2023 – 2024 Full Professor (W3), Department of Bioactive and Functional Food Chemistry, Institute of Applied Biosciences, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT)
2019 – 2023 Assistant Professor, KIT
2018 Habilitation and venia legendi in Food Chemistry, TUM School of Life Sciences
2017 – 2019 Head of the Research Unit Functional Biopolymer Chemistry, Leibniz-Institute for Food Systems Biology at the TUM, Germany
2014 PhD (Dr. rer. nat., s. c. l.), TUM School of Life Sciences
2012 – 2017 Research fellow, Leibniz-Institute for Food Systems Biology at the TUM, Germany
2012 PhD student (research stay, two months), Cereal and Beverage Research Group, University College Cork, Ireland
2009 – 2012 PhD student, Chair of Food Chemistry and Molecular Sensory Science, TUM, Germany
2023 Bread senator 2024, Association of German Industrial Bakeries, Germany
2022 ERC Starting Grant: GLUTENOMICS
2022 Harald Perten Prize, Int’l Association for Cereal Science & Technology, Austria
2022 Grant of the Young Investigator Network, KIT, Germany
2020 Grant of the Young Investigator Network, KIT, Germany
2019 Science Award, Heinrich-Stockmeyer-Foundation, Germany
2019 Research Award, German Coeliac Society, Germany
2018 Young Scientist Research Award, Cereals & Grains Association, USA
2017 Bernhard-van-Lengerich Research Award, Germany
2015 Cecil F. Pinney Travel Award, Cereals & Grains Association, USA
2015 Gerhard-Billek-Prize of the German Chemical Society, Germany
2015 Scientific Award of the Association of German Industrial Bakeries, Germany
2014 Research Award, German Coeliac Society, Germany
2013 “Best Oral Student Paper Award”, Cereals & Europe Spring Meeting, Belgium
2012 “Best Student Research Paper Competition, 3rd place”, Cereals & Grains Ass., USA
2009 Jürgen Manchot Prize for an excellent degree in Food Chemistry, Germany
2004 – 2008 Scholarship according to the Bayerisches Begabtenförderungsgesetz (BayBFG, Bavarian law to promote excellent university entrants), Germany
2021 – Associate Editor, Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, USA
2021 – Technical Co-Director, Int’l Association for Cereal Science & Technology, Austria
2020 – 2021 Leader, Working Group on Therapy, S2k-Guideline Celiac Disease, DGVS, Germany
2020 – 2023 Scientific Advisory Board, German Coeliac Society, Germany
2020 – 2023 Representative Speaker of the Young Investigator Network, KIT, Germany
2020 – Member, DIN Standards Committee Food and Agricultural Products, Germany
2019 – 2020 Guest Editor, Research Topic “Gluten, from plant to plate”, Frontiers in Nutrition and Frontiers in Plant Science, Switzerland
2019 – 2021 Associate Editor, Cereal Chemistry, USA
2019 – Scientific Advisory Board, Association of European Coeliac Societies, Belgium
2019 – Member, American Chemical Society, USA, & German Chemical Society, Germany
2018 – 2021 Editorial Advisory Board Member, Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, USA
2018 – Member, Working Group on Prolamin Analysis and Toxicity, Germany
2017 – Working Committee for Cereal Chemistry, Association of Cereal Research, Germany
2017 – Scientific Advisory Board, Assoc. of the Cereal, Milling & Starch Industry, Germany
2017 – Scientific Advisory Board, Weihenstephan Institute for Cereal Research, Germany
2017 – 2018 Member of the AOAC International Working Group to develop Standard Method Performance Requirements (SMPRs®) for “Quantitation of Gluten in Oats”, USA
2015 – 2022 Chair of the Protein & Enzymes Technical Committee, Cereals & Grains Ass., USA
2013 – 2017 Officer, Protein Division, Cereals & Grains Association, USA
2012 – 2022 Member, Cereals & Grains Association, USA

Please see ORCID for full list

  1. Geisslitz S, Pronin D, Neerukonda M, Curella V, Neufang S, Koch S, Weichert H, Weber H, Börner A, Schuppan D, Scherf KA. Breeding from 1891 to 2010 did not increase the content of amylase/trypsin-inhibitors in wheat (Triticum aestivum). npj Science of Food 2023; 7: 43. doi: 10.1038/s41538-023-00219-w
  2. Schirmer TM, Ludwig C, Scherf KA. Proteomic characterization of wheat protein fractions taken at different baking conditions. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 2023; 71: 12899-12909. doi: 10.1021/acs.jafc.3c02100
  3. Gabler AM, Gebhard J, Norwig M-C, Eberlein B, Biedermann T, Brockow K, Scherf KA. Basophil activation to gluten and non-gluten proteins in wheat-dependent exercise-induced anaphylaxis. Frontiers in Allergy 2022; 3: 822554. doi: 10.3389/falgy.2022.822554
  4. Pronin D, Börner A, Scherf KA. Old and modern wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) cultivars and their potential to elicit celiac disease. Food Chemistry 2021; 339: 127952. doi: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2020.127952
  5. Lexhaller B, Colgrave ML, Scherf KA. Characterization and relative quantitation of wheat, rye and barley gluten protein types by LC-MS/MS. Frontiers in Plant Science 2019; 10: 1530. doi: 10.3389/fpls.2019.01530