Institute of Organic Chemistry with Centre of Phytochemistry

Research interests

Chromatographic and spectrometric analyses of lipids are performed, mostly of fatty acids, acylglycerols and sterols in eddible fats and oils, food supplements, pharmaceutical and cosmetic products.

Original studies of the mechanism of the chromatographic process in systems in silver ion or reversed phase modes are conducted with the aim to solve contemporary lipid chemistry problems such as analysis of structured lipids in functional foods, characterisation of the origin of edible fats and oils and assessment of their quality, including detection of adulteration and low quality or illegal edible oils production.

Kinetics and mechanism of lipid oxidation and the effects of different factors are studied. Various combinations of kinetic, spectral, chromatographic and theoretical approaches are applied for studying the structure-activity relationship of natural antioxidants and their synthetic analogues. Simulation of lipid oxidation kinetics in absence and in presence of prooxidants, antioxidants and surfactants are presented. Reactions of antioxidantsпїЅ regeneration during the lipid oxidation process are studied. Role of different lipid micro-components alone and in mixtures are studied aiming to find a synergism as well as of different surface active components, for studying the peculiarities of oxidation process in presence of reverse micelles. Joint research projects with Russia, Poland, India, Italy and Spain.

Oxidative changes in different types of oils at different temperature conditions are investigated. The possibilities for increasing the oxidation stability of lipids by using natural antioxidants and their mixtures, spices and plant extracts are studied.

LABORATORY MEMBERS

Head:

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Svetlana Momchilova

02 9606 135

506

svetlana@orgchm.bas.bg

Name	Room	Phone	e-mail*
Assoc. Prof. Svetlana Momchilova, PhD, Head	506	135	Svetlana.Momchilova
Assoc. Prof. Daniela Antonova, PhD	107	164	Daniela.Antonova
Assist. Prof. Adriana Kazakova, PhD	501	173	Adriana.Kazakova
Kamelia Gechovska, chemist	107	164	Kamelia.Gechovska
Sabina Taneva, chemist	520	159	Sabina.Taneva
Viktor Markuliev, chemist	107	164	Viktor.Markuliev
Snejana.Karapetrova, chemist	501	173	Snejana.Karapetrova
Associated member
Prof. Vessela Kancheva, PhD	502	187	Vessela.Kancheva

Financing organization: BAS and ARISTOTLE University of Thessaloniki - Greece Competition (type of competition and year): Academic exchange program of the Bulgarian Academy of Scinces and ARISTOTLE University of Thessaloniki - Greece Project title: Emulsification and stabilization modes of fish oil Номер на проекта: №IC-ЕL/05/07.2025-06.2028 Duration: 07.2025-06.2028 Coordinator of the research team: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Svetlana Momchilova

Financing organization: BAS and Polish Academy of Sciences (PAS), Poland Competition (type of competition and year): Bilateral scientific cooperation within the framework of the agreement between the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences and the Polish Academy of Sciences under the Grant Scheme Project title: Plant oils as alternative solvents in valorization of fruit by-products Номер на проекта:№ IC-PL/06/2024-2025 Duration: 01.2024-12.2025 Coordinator of the research team: Assist. Prof. Dr. Adriana Slavova-Kazakova

Financing organization: National Science Fund, Bulgarian Ministry of Education and Science Competition (type of competition and year): Competition for financial support of research projects – 2017 Project title: Complex approach for estimation of the changes in biologically active substances and antioxidant potential of irradiated plant foods and herbs. New protectors against gamma-irradiation Duration:12.2017-04.2022 Coordinator of the research team: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Svetlana Momchilova

Publications

2025

Seeds, 4(3), 38

Oxidative Stability of the Oil from Camelina (Camelina sativa L.) Seeds: Effects of Ascorbyl Palmitate Concentrations

Molecules, 30, 15

Volatile Compounds Profiling of Fresh R. alba L. Blossom by Headspace-Solid Phase Microextraction and Gas Chromatography

2024

Discover Food, Vol. 4, 112

Effect of the extraction method on the lipid composition of purslane (Portulaca oleracea L.) seed oil

Processes (2023), 11(11), 3205

Phenolic Profile and Antioxidant Potential of Beverages from Buckwheat and Side Streams after Beverages Production.

Molecules (2023), 28, 3

Comparative Chemical Profiling and Citronellol Enantiomers Distribution of Industrial-Type Rose Oils Produced in China

Symmetry (2022), 14, 247

Regio- and Stereospecific Analysis of Triacylglycerols – A Brief Overview of the Challenges and the Achievements

Plants (2022), 11, 22

Regio- and Stereospecific Analysis of Triacylglycerols – A Brief Overview of the Challenges and the Achievements

Molecules, (2021) , 26, 16

Subcritical Extracts from Major Species of Oil-Bearing Roses-A Comparative Chemical Profiling

Food Chemistry (2021), 360, 129994

Synergistic, additive, and antagonistic antioxidant effects in the mixtures of curcumin with (?)-epicatechin and with a green tea fraction containing (?)-epicatechin

Antioxidants (2021), 10, 624

Natural chain-breaking antioxidants and their synthetic analogs as modulators of oxidative stress

Journal of Food Biochemistry (2020), 45, 1

Antioxidant properties of novel curcumin analogues: a combined experimental and computational study

Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture (2018), 98, 3784–3794

Chemical profiling of Bulgarian rose absolute (Rosa damascena Mill.) using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry and trimethylsilyl derivatives

Industrial Crops and Products (2017), 108, 36