I was a professor in Food Chemistry at the University of
Turku and Head of the Unit from 1991 until retirement in 2015. After that I
have worked as Professor Emeritus in the Laboratory of Food Chemistry and Food
Development. After my military service (1965-66), I studied Biochemistry (MSc)
and Food Chemistry (PhD) in Turku. Thereafter, in 1975 I was employed in Food
Industry for over six  years (Research
Director in Saarioinen Ltd and Turun Muna/Cultor Ltd) until I returned back to
the University of Turku to work as an Associate Professor in Food Chemistry
until 1990. In 1985-86 I was employed as a Visiting Professor in the Food
Science Department at the University of California Davis and later in the
Australian Wine Research Institute, University of Adelaide, Australia in
1990-91. During the time of my professorship I have also been fixed periods
active as a member of the University Council, Dean of the Faculty of
Mathematics and Natural Sciences and Head of the Department of Biochemistry and
Food Chemistry.

My
research is traditionally focused on chemistry and biochemistry of phenolic
compounds, lipids and other bio-active secondary metabolites of Nordic wild and
cultivated food crops. Aroma and flavor compounds, natural colors and seed oils
have been the main targets in the berry research. Supercritical fluid
extraction (CO₂) is applied to isolation and purification of
lipophilic compounds of berries such as sea buckthorn (Hippophaë rhamnoides) and black currant (Ribes nigrum). In addition, chemistry of
human milk, fish oil, birch sap and other specialties are on the palette, as
well in basic as in applied research. The key-factors of the Nordic crops enhancing
both domestic markets and export are of my special interest. Development and
application of GC-MS and HPLC-MS are the key methods of my expertise. All my
research is based on close co-operation with domestic and international
scientists, including the 31 doctors I’ve supervised since 1980’s