Massimo Iorizzo

Bio

Dr. Massimo Iorizzo is an Associate Professor at NCSU with over 16 years of experience in plant breeding, genetics and genomics. Iorizzo’s research aims to establish genetic and genomic resources to elucidate the genes involved in quality and nutritional characteristics of plants, including the accumulation of health promoting compounds (e.g. anthocyanin, carotenoids, flavanols) in fruits and vegetables, in addition to other economically important plant characteristics, such as disease resistance. Target crops in Iorizzo’s research program include banana, blueberry, carrot, cranberry, pineapple, potato, spinach and sweetpotato.

In 2024, Iorizzo was appointed associate director of Plants for Human Health Institute.

Publications

• BerryPortraits: phenotyping of ripening traits in cranberry (Vaccinium macrocarpon Ait.) With YOLOv8 (vol 20, 172, 2024) , PLANT METHODS (2025)
• Bioavailability and pharmacokinetics of (poly)phenols following consumption of selected blueberries and a blueberry-rich protein bar by adult males and females: a randomized, crossover, controlled trial , AMERICAN JOURNAL OF CLINICAL NUTRITION (2025)
• Combining genome-wide association and genomic prediction to unravel the genetic architecture of carotenoid accumulation in carrot , PLANT GENOME (2025)
• Comprehensive review of sweetpotato flavor compounds: Opportunities for developing consumer-preferred varieties , COMPREHENSIVE REVIEWS IN FOOD SCIENCE AND FOOD SAFETY (2025)
• High throughput assessment of blueberry fruit internal bruising using deep learning models , FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE (2025)
• Identification and functional characterization of BAHD acyltransferases associated with anthocyanin acylation in blueberry , HORTICULTURE RESEARCH (2025)
• Unraveling the genetic architecture of blueberry fruit quality traits: major loci control organic acid content while more complex genetic mechanisms control texture and sugar content , BMC PLANT BIOLOGY (2025)
• Unraveling the genetic architecture of blueberry fruit quality traits: major loci control organic acid content while more complex genetic mechanisms control texture and sugar content ( vol 25, 36, 2025) , BMC PLANT BIOLOGY (2025)
• A Blueberry ( Vaccinium L.) Crop Ontology to Enable Standardized Phenotyping for Blueberry Breeding and Research , HORTSCIENCE (2024)
• Assessing predictability of post-storage texture and appearance characteristics in blueberry at breeding population level , POSTHARVEST BIOLOGY AND TECHNOLOGY (2024)