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Bragg Institute

Dr Amparo Lopez-Rubio

Lopez_Rubio,_A_150.jpgPostdoctoral Research Fellow

Phone +61 (02) 9717 7273
Email Amparo.Lopez.Rubio@ansto.gov.au

Dr Amparo Lopez-Rubio is involved in the application of scattering techniques for the study of food structures with the aim of correlating these characteristics with the functional properties of the products. Her main interest is introducing these powerful characterization techniques in the food science and technology area, in which their use has been quite limited. The small angle neutron scattering instrument is going to be key in this kind of research, allowing the specific analysis of different phases within the food structures. Complementary techniques like SAXS, XRD, FT-IR, and electron microscopy are also being used.

Amparo's expertise lies in the fields of structural and thermal material characterization tools (DSC, FT-IR, TMA, XRD, small angle scattering techniques) as well as in soft-condensed matter physics

Amparo Lopez-Rubio is an agronomical engineer from the Polytechnic University of Valencia (Spain). In addition she has a Masters as well as a PhD in Food Technology. Her PhD mainly focused on studying the effects of various food preservation processes on the structure and properties of high gas-barrier polymeric food packaging materials. Synchrotron X-ray experiments played an important role in the unravelling of these effects as they allowed her to follow the structural modifications occurring during time-resolved in-situ experiments simulating the preservation processes.

Qualifications and achievements:

  • Technology and Development Poster Prize, Australian Institute for Food Science and Technology Conference, Adelaide, July 2006
  • PhD in Food Science and Technology, Polytechnic University of Valencia, Spain (2006)
  • Master in Food Science and Technology from the University of Gent, Belgium (2002)

Key Publications


A. Lopez-Rubio, A. Htoon & E.P. Gilbert, The influence of extrusion and digestion on the nanostructure of high-amylose maize starch, Biomacromolecules 8, 1564-1572 (2007).

A. Lopez-Rubio, J.M. Lagaron, M. Ankerfors, T. Lindstrom, D. Nordqvist, A. Matozzi & M. Hedenqvist, A novel route based on the addition of micro/nanofibrillated cellulose to enhance film forming and end properties of amylopectin films. Carbohydrate Polymers 68, 718-727 (2007)

A. Lopez-Rubio, R. Gavara & J.M. Lagaron. "Bioactive packaging: turning foods into healthier foods through biomaterials." Trends in Food Science & Technology 17, pp. 567-575 (2006)

A. Lopez-Rubio, E. Gimenez, R. Gavara & J.M. Lagaron. "Gas barrier changes and structural alterations induced by retorting in a high barrier aliphatic polyketone terpolymer." Journal of Applied Polymer Science 101 (5): 3348-3356 (2006)

A. Lopez-Rubio, R. Gavara & J.M. Lagaron. "On the unexpected partial crystallization of an amorphous polyamide as induced by combined temperature and humidity." Journal of Applied Polymer Science 102 (2): 1516-1523 (2006)

A. Lopez-Rubio, J.M. Lagaron, E. Gimenez, P. Hernandez-Muoz, T. Yamamoto & R. Gavara, Gas barrier changes and morphological alterations induced by retorting in ethylene-vinyl alcohol based food packaging structures. Journal of Applied Polymer Science 96(6), pp. 2192-2202 (2005)

A. Lopez-Rubio, P. Hernandez-Mu?oz, E. Almenar, J.M. Lagaron, R. Catal?, R. Gavara & M.A. Pascall, Effects of high pressure treatments on the properties of food packaging materials. Innovative Food Science and Emerging Technologies 6(1), pp. 51-58 (2005)

A. Lopez-Rubio, P. Hernandez-Muoz, R. Gavara, J.M. Lagaron, Improving Packaged Food Quality and Safety (I) by Synchrotron X-ray Analysis. Food Additives and Contaminants 22(10), pp. 988-993 (2005)

A. Lopez-Rubio, E. Almenar, P. Hernndez-Muoz, J.M. Lagaron, R. Catal & R. Gavara, Overview of active polymer-based packaging technologies for food applications. Food Reviews International 20 (4), pp. 357-387 (2004)

A. Lopez-Rubio, J.M. Lagaron, E. Gimenez, D. Cava, P. Hernandez-Muoz, T. Yamamoto and R. Gavara, Morphological alterations induced by temperature and humidity in ethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymers. Macromolecules 36, 9467-9476 (2003).