Rate My Professor Anne-Maria Pajari

Anne-Maria Pajari is Professor of Molecular Nutrition in the Department of Food and Nutrition within the Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry at the University of Helsinki. She serves as Group Leader and Principal Investigator of the Viikki Molecular Nutrition group, focusing her research on how diets, nutrients, and diet-derived bioactive compounds influence human health across molecular, cellular, tissue, organ, and whole-body levels. Her work particularly examines gut physiology and the impacts of dietary protein, fiber, and polyphenolic compounds on gut microbiota and metabolism. Pajari investigates mechanisms connecting diet, gut metabolism, and health outcomes, including the potential of diet-gut microbiota interactions to prevent non-communicable diseases. She also explores the bioavailability of plant proteins and the effects of replacing animal-derived foods with plant-based alternatives on nutritional status, health benefits, and sustainability. Her fields of science include nutrition, nutritional physiology, biological sciences such as cell biology and biochemistry, and food science.

Pajari holds the Title of Docent in the Department of Food and Nutrition and supervises doctoral students in the Doctoral Programme in Food Chain and Health as well as the Doctoral Programme in Integrative Life Science. In 2024, she received the Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry Research Award for leading the Leg4Life project on the digestibility and bioavailability of faba bean protein, along with other studies on legumes and nutrition, and for fostering multidisciplinary collaboration in food systems research. She shared the Influence Award with Marjukka Lamminen for public engagement efforts in the Leg4Life project, including scholarly publications, materials for diverse audiences such as children and policymakers, and participation in events promoting sustainable food production and consumption. Key publications include 'The role of red and processed meat in colorectal cancer development: a perspective' (Meat Science, 2014), 'Replacing animal-based proteins with plant-based proteins changes the composition of a whole Nordic diet—a randomised clinical trial in healthy Finnish adults' (Nutrients, 2020), 'Bioactivities of alternative protein sources and their potential health benefits' (Food & Function, 2017), and more recent articles such as 'Dietary climate impact correlates ambiguously with health biomarkers—a randomised controlled trial in healthy Finnish adults' (European Journal of Nutrition, 2025) and 'Berry supplementation in healthy volunteers modulates gut microbiota, increases fecal polyphenol metabolites and reduces viability of colon cancer cells exposed to fecal water—a randomized controlled trial' (Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry, 2025). With 103 research outputs, including 72 peer-reviewed articles, Pajari's contributions significantly advance knowledge in molecular nutrition and sustainable dietary practices.