Professor Dick Fitzgerald

Contact Details

Department of Life Sciences,

University of Limerick

Tel: +353 (0)61 202598

Fax: +353 (0)61 331490

Emai: dick.fitzgerald@ul.ie

Academic Background

Dick FitzGerald holds a BSc in biochemistry, a PhD in protein chemistry/ enzymology and is currently an Associate Professor at the Department of Life Sciences, University of Limerick. His research activities are funded from national and international agencies. He has acted as overall scientific co-ordinator of three EU-funded multidisciplinary projects in the area of food protein-derived bioactive peptides. He is a recipient of the University of Limerick award for research excellence.

Research Interests

His research interests cover fundamental and pre-competitive studies on food protein ingredients and their enzymatic hydrolysates. Specific research interests include:

  • Bioactive peptides - functional food Ingredients/nutraceuticals
  • Food protein chemistry/biochemistry
  • Food enzymology
  • Food protein functionality
  • Enzymatic hydrolysis and cross-linking of food proteins
  • Role of aminopeptidases in food protein hydrolysate debittering

Translational research activities involve direct linkages with national and multinational food companies. His specific involvement in FHI Work Package 1 relates to mining milk proteins for bioactive peptide sequences.

Publications

Recent publications include:

Phelan, M., Aherne-Bruce, S. A., O'Sullivan, D., FitzGerald, R. J. and O'Brien, N. M. (2009) Potential bioactive effects of casein hydrolysates on human cultured cells. Int Dairy J. 19:279-285.

Spellman, D., O' Cuinn, G. and FitzGerald, R. J. (2009). Bitterness in Bacillus proteinase hydrolysates of whey proteins. Food Chem. 114: 440-446.

Ryan, M., McEvoy, E., Duignan, S., Crowley, C., Fenelon, M., O' Callaghan, D.M. and FitzGerald, R.J. (2008). Thermal stability of soy protein isolate and hydrolysate ingredients. Food Chem. 108:503-510.Ryan, M., McEvoy, E., McSweeney, S.L., O' Callaghan, D.M. and FitzGerald, R.J. (2008). Thermal behavior of emulsions manufactured with soy protein ingredients. Food Res. Int. 41:813-818.

Morris, P. E. and FitzGerald, R. J. (2008) 'Whey proteins and peptides in human health'. In: Whey Processing (ed: Onwulata, C.) Woodhead Publishing, UK, pp287-345.

Murray, B. A. and FitzGerald, R. J. (2007) Angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitory peptides derived from food proteins: biochemistry, bioactivity and production. Curr. Phar. Des. 13(8): 773-791.

Teucher, B., Majsak-Newman, G., Dainty, J. R., McDonagh, D., FitzGerald, R. J. and Fairweather-Tait, S. J. (2006) Calcium absorption is not increased by caseino-phosphopeptides. Am J Clin Nutr, 84(1):162-166.

Meisel, H., D. J. Walsh, B. A. Murray, and R. J. FitzGerald. (2006) ACE Inhibitory Peptides. In: Nutraceutical proteins and peptides in health and disease. (eds., Y. Mine and Shahidi, F.), CRC Press, Taylor and Francis Group, New York. pp 269-315.