2010-2015: Postdoctoral researcher at King’s College London on a BBSRC DRINC grant investigating the effects of plant cell walls on the bioaccessibility of starch and lipid from plant foods using a mixture of in vitro, in vivo and in silico methods. For the last two years I was a teaching fellow in the Nutrition and Dietetics department with responsibility for the 1st year nutrition students. 2008-2009: Research assistant at the Institute of Food Research, Norwich in the Metabolomics group. Analysis of small molecule metabolites from botanical and microbial samples by NMR and MS, in particular the metabolic differences between Salmonella bacteria in liquid culture and within a gel. 2004-2008: PhD student at the Institute of Food Research, Norwich, where I was investigating the molecular basis for the unusual textural properties of Chinese water chestnuts (Eleocharis dulcis). The cell wall composition that I found appears to be unique, with a high proportion of xyloglucan polysaccharides and diferulic (and triferulic) acid cross-links, which means the tissue retains its texture when boiled

The behaviour of cell walls during digestion is affected by the type and order of food processing methods used, as well as the composition and structure of the walls. Chewing then produces ruptured or intact cells, where the nutrients are completely accessible to digestive enzymes or naturally encapsulated, respectively. This can result in huge differences in the bioavailability of nutrients.

My research focuses on determining how cell wall composition may be used to predict the cell wall behaviour after food processing and chewing to better understand nutrient availability in the diet.

Lovegrove, A., C. Edwards, I. De Noni, H. Patel, S. El, T. Grassby, C. Zielke, M. Ulmius, L. Nilsson and P. Butterworth (2015). "Role of Polysaccharides in Food, Digestion and Health." Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition (just-accepted) doi:10.1080/10408398.2014.939263 Grundy, M. M., T. Grassby, G. Mandalari, K. W. Waldron, P. J. Butterworth, S. E. Berry and P. R. Ellis (2015). "Effect of mastication on lipid bioaccessibility of almonds in a randomized human study and its implications for digestion kinetics, metabolizable energy, and postprandial lipemia." The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 101(1): 25-33. doi:10.3945/ajcn.114.088328 Edwards, C. H., M. M. Grundy, T. Grassby, D. Vasilopoulou, G. S. Frost, P. J. Butterworth, S. E. Berry, J. Sanderson and P. R. Ellis (2015). "Manipulation of starch bioaccessibility in wheat endosperm to regulate starch digestion, postprandial glycemia, insulinemia, and gut hormone responses: a randomized controlled trial in healthy ileostomy participants." The American journal of clinical nutrition 102(4): 791-800. doi:10.3945/ajcn.114.106203 Mandalari, G., M. M.-L. Grundy, T. Grassby, M. L. Parker, K. L. Cross, S. Chessa, C. Bisignano, D. Barreca, E. Bellocco and G. Laganà (2014). "The effects of processing and mastication on almond lipid bioaccessibility using novel methods of in vitro digestion modelling and micro-structural analysis." British Journal of Nutrition 112(09): 1521-1529. doi:10.1017/S0007114514002414 Grassby, T., D. R. Picout, G. Mandalari, R. M. Faulks, C. W. Kendall, G. T. Rich, M. S. Wickham, K. Lapsley and P. R. Ellis (2014). "Modelling of nutrient bioaccessibility in almond seeds based on the fracture properties of their cell walls." Food & function 5(12): 3096-3106. doi:10.1039/C4FO00659C Grassby, T., A. J. Jay, Z. Merali, M. L. Parker, A. J. Parr, C. B. F. Faulds and K. W. W. Waldron (2013). "Compositional Analysis of Chinese Water Chestnut (Eleocharis dulcis) Cell-Wall Material from Parenchyma, Epidermis and Subepidermal Tissues." Journal of agricultural and food chemistry 61(40): 9680-9688. doi:10.1021/jf401863n