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Robert Hutkins, PhD

Professor Emeritus
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Lincoln, Nebraska, United States

Bob Hutkins is the Khem Shahani Professor Emeritus of Food Microbiology at UNL. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota and was a postdoctoral fellow at Boston University School of Medicine. Prior to joining the University of Nebraska in 1987, he was a research scientist at Sanofi Bio Ingredients, a food biotechnology company.
The Hutkins Lab studies bacteria important in human health and in fermented foods. His group is particularly interested in how probiotics and prebiotics influence the gut microbiota and gut barrier function and improves human health. The lab is also developing metagenome-based models that can be combined with AI and machine learning tools for personalized nutrition.
Professor Hutkins has published widely on probiotics, prebiotics, and fermented foods and is the author of the textbook, Microbiology and Technology of Fermented Foods. He also writes a monthly column, called “Ask the Food Doc” for the Lincoln Journal Star.

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