1. Home
  2. Dragan R. Milicevic, PhD

Dragan R. Milicevic, PhD

Dragan Milicevic, DVM, MSc, PhD

Principal Research Fellow

 

Kaćanskog 13, 11040 Belgrade, Serbia

Мob: +381 63 262 993

Тel: +381 11 26 50 655

E-mail: dragan.milicevic@inmes.rs

 

EDUCATION

  • 2008 – Doctor of Science, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Novi Sad
  • 2006 – Master of Science, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Novi Sad
  • 2004 – Specialist in animal nutrition, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Belgrade
  • 1993 – Graduated veterinarian, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Belgrade

 

RESEARCH EXPERIENCE

  • 2019 – Principal Research Fellow
  • 2014 – Senior research associate
  • 2009 – Research associate
  • 2006 – Research assistant
  • 2004 – 2006 – Specialist
  • 2001 – 2004 –Associate

 

 WORK EXPERIENCE

  • 2015 – 2022 – Advisor to the Director for Scientific-Research Activities,
  • 2014 – 2020 – Chairman of the Scientific Council of the Institute of Meat Hygiene and Technology,
  • 2010 – 2012 – Assistant Director for national and international scientific cooperation,
  • 2008 – 2009 – Head of the Department of Scientific and Technical Cooperation and Deputy Director of the Division of Development and Technology Transfer

 

 OTHER ACTIVITIES

  • introductory lectures at conferences and other invited lectures,
  • active participation in international cooperation,
  • leadership and participation in national projects,

Management of international projects

  • 2019-2023. COST Action “Risk based meat inspection and integrated meat safety assurance” (RIBMINS) CA18105. WG2 – Farm-level controls and risk categorisation of farms. https://ribmins.com
  • 2014-2018. COST Action TD1404, Network for Evaluation of One Health (NEOH), MC Member.
  • 2012 – 2013 “Monitoring of specific contaminants of the environment that are significant for food safety and quality in the food chain” – a project of bilateral scientific and technological cooperation between the Institute of Meat Hygiene and Technology and Veterinary Faculty in Ljubljana, Slovenia, funded by the Ministry of Education and Science, Republic of Serbia for the period 2012-2013.
  • 2011-2012 “Development of methods for the prevention of the negative effects of the presence of moulds and mycotoxins in food on human and animal health” – project of bilateral scientific and technological cooperation between the Institute of Meat Hygiene and Technology and the Institute for Medical Research and Occupational Health, Zagreb, Republic of Croatia, funded by the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Serbia for the period 2011-2012.

 

Leadership and participation in national projects

  • 2011-2014 “Development and application of molecular methods based on polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in a rapid and direct identification of strains of Newcastle disease virus in poultry and research of immunogenicity of the subunit vaccine prepared from their anti-genes” – a project funded by the Ministry of Science and Technological Development of Republic of Serbia, no. TR 031008 Project leader: prof. Dr. Nened Milić, PhD. Position: researcher on the project.
  • 2009-2010 “Development of rapid methods for the determination of ochratoxigenic moulds, their metabolites and risk analysis of ochratoxin in the food chain of people – a project funded by the Ministry of Science and Technological Development of Republic of Serbia, no. 20207A, Position: Project Leader.
  • 2008-2010. “Improving the quality of stillage as animal feed after bioethanol production” No. 451-01-000-65/2008-01/26. Innovation Project, Project Leader: doc. Dr Marica Rakin. Faculty of Technology and Metallurgy, Belgrade. Position: researcher on the project.

 

Organisation of scientific meetings

  • Member of the Scientific Committee of the 15th International Symposium “Modern Trends in Animal Husbandry”, 29–31 October 2025, Belgrade, Serbia. https://istocar.bg.ac.rs/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Book-Abstracts.pdf
  • Member of the Organizing Committee of the 15th Scientific Committee. Food, Nutrition and Health in the Context of Sustainable Development. BELGRADE 20-22nd November, 2024. Hotel M https://conu2024.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/PROGRAM.pdf
  • Member of the Organizing Committee of the 3rd Black Sea Association of Food Science and Technology Congress. 13th -15th December 2023 Belgrade. Hotel Mona Plaza, Belgrade, Serbia. https://www.bfost2023.com/en/
  • Member of the Scientific Committee of the 14th European Nutrition Conference (ENC) FENS 2023, 14-17th November 2023 Belgrade, Sava Center, https://fens2023.org/
  • Member of the Program Committee of the 60th International Meat Industry Conference-meatcon2019 – September 22-25, 2019, Kopaonik, Serbia.
  • Member of the Program Committee of the 59th International Meat Industry Conference MeatCon 2017. held in the period from 01 to 04 October 2017. on Zlatobor, Serbia.
  • Member of the Program Committee of the 58th International Meat Industry Conference MeatCon 2015. held in the period from 04 to 07 October 2015. on Zlatobor, Serbia.
    • Member of the Program Committee of the International 57th Conference on the Meat Industry, held from 12 to 15 June 2013. in Belgrade, Serbia
    • Chairman of the Program Committee of the International 56th Conference on the Meat Industry, held in the period from 12 to 15 June 2011. on Tara, Serbia
    •  

Memberships and Professional Service

  • Guest Editor, Special Issue “Sustainable Food Systems: Innovations in Production and Waste Management for a Greener Future”, Section: Sustainable Food, Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050).
  • Guest Editor, Special Issue “Sustainable Food Systems: From Processing to Marketing and Policy-Making”, Section: Global Health, International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (ISSN 1660-4601).
  • Technological expert, and mentor at the Raising Stars program of the Belgrade Science and Technology Park.
  • Business advisor of the Science Fund – Proof of Concept Program –
  • Reviewer of scientific manuscripts and international research projects.
  • Member, World Veterinary Association.
  • Member, Serbian Society of Toxicologists.
  • Member of the Executive Board, Serbian Nutrition Society.

 

Research Areas

  • Mycotoxicology; food safety of foods of animal origin.

 

Publications and Citation Metrics

The author has published 159 scientific papers and conference contributions. Of these, 36 papers were published in international peer-reviewed scientific journals (M20 category), including 17 papers as first author and 29 papers as co-author. The author is also the author of a nationally significant scientific monograph (M41), as well as chapters in internationally significant monographs (M13) and chapters in nationally significant monographs (M45).

According to the Scopus database, the author has received a total of 1,093 citations (excluding self-citations), with an h-index of 15. According to the Web of Science database, the total number of citations is 1,007 (excluding self-citations), with an h-index of 17.

 

Abstract and citation database

Citation data and h-index information are available in indexing databases such as Web of Science and Scopus. Scopus Author ID: 35103092000

ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9001-058

Web of Science Researcher ID O-7727-2017

 

SELECTED SCIENTIFIC PAPERS

  • Milićević, D. R., Udovički, B., Šuša, A., Rajković, A., & Pleadin, J. (2025). Risk ranking and risk-based prioritisation of aflatoxin M1 in milk and dairy products supporting risk-based monitoring and food safety governance. Food Additives & Contaminants: Part A, 1–14. https://doi.org/10.1080/19440049.2025.2577291
  • Dragan Milićević and Jelka Pleadin. 2023. Mycotoxins incidence in Southeastern Europe countries: implication on the food supply chain. In FAO publication: SUSTAINABLE AND NUTRITION-SENSITIVE FOOD SYSTEMS FOR HEALTHY DIETS AND PREVENTION OF MALNUTRITION IN EUROPE AND CENTRAL ASIA, Edited by Fang, C. & Gurinović, M. Budapest, FAO. https://doi.org/10.4060/cc3907en
  • Vranić, D.; Milešević, J.; Trbović, D.; Gurinović, M.; Korićanac, V.; Zeković, M.; Petrović, Z.; Ranković, S.; Milićević, D. Exposure to Phosphates and Nitrites through Meat Products: Estimation of the Potential Risk to Pregnant Women. Nutrients 2023, 15, 2777. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu15122777
  • Jelena Milešević, Lilić Slobodan, Vranić Danijela, Zeković Milica, Borović Branka, Glibetić Marija, Gurinović Mirjana, and Milićević Dragan. 2023. “Dietary Intake of Salt from Meat Products in Serbian Population. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 20, no. 5: 4192. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20054192
  • Dragan Milićević and Jelka Pleadin. 2023. Mycotoxins incidence in Southeastern Europe countries: implication on the food supply chain. In FAO publication: SUSTAINABLE AND NUTRITION-SENSITIVE FOOD SYSTEMS FOR HEALTHY DIETS AND PREVENTION OF MALNUTRITION IN EUROPE AND CENTRAL ASIA, Edited by Fang, C. & Gurinović, M. Budapest, FAO. https://doi.org/10.4060/cc3907en
  • Mileševic, J.; Vranic, D.; Gurinovic, M.; Koricanac, V.; Borovic, B.; Zekovic, M.; Šarac, I.; Milicevic, D.R.; Glibetic, M. The Intake of Phosphorus and Nitrites through Meat Products: A Health Risk Assessment of Children Aged 1 to 9 Years Old in Serbia. Nutrients 2022, 14, 242. https://doi.org/10.3390/ nu14020242
  • Udovicki B., Stankovic S., Tomic N., Djekic I., Smigic N., Trifunovic B.S., Milicevic D. & Rajkovic A., Evaluation of ultraviolet irradiation effects on Aspergillus flavus and Aflatoxin B1 in maize and peanut using innovative vibrating decontamination equipment, Food Control 2021, doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodcont.2021.108691.
  • Milićević, D.R.; Milešević, J.; Gurinović, M.; Janković, S.; Đinović-Stojanović, J.; Zeković, M.; Glibetić, M. Dietary Exposure and Risk Assessment of Aflatoxin M1 for Children Aged 1 to 9 Years Old in Serbia. Nutrients 2021, 13, 4450. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu13124450
  • Borjana Vranješ, Dragan Milićević, Dragan Šefer, Srđan Stefanović, Jelena Ajtić, Branislava M. Mitrović. Presence of natural radionuclides and toxic elements in monocalcium phosphate, complete feed and pig manure. Science of the Total Environment 720 (2020) 137578. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.137578. impakt factor: Environmental Sciences (22/265), IF 6,551.
  • Vasiljević, M.; Marinković, D.; Milićević, D.; Pleadin, J.; Stefanović, S.; Trialović, S.; Raj, J.; Petrujkić, B.; Trialović, J.N. Efficacy of a Modified Clinoptilolite Based Adsorbent in Reducing Detrimental Effects of Ochratoxin A in Laying Hens. Toxins 2021, 13, 469. https://doi.org/10.3390/toxins13070469
  • Milicevic D., Petronijevic R., Petrovic Z., Djinovic-Stojanovic J., Jovanovic J., Baltic T., Jankovic S. Impact of climate change on aflatoxin M1 contamination of raw milk with special focus on climate conditions in Serbia. (2019) Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture, 99 (11) , pp. 5202-5210.
  • Milicevic D.R., Spiric D., Radicevic T., Velebit B., Stefanovic S., Milojevic L., Jankovic S. A review of the current situation of aflatoxin M1 in cow’s milk in Serbia: risk assessment and regulatory aspects. (2017) Food Additives and Contaminants – Part A Chemistry, Analysis, Control, Exposure and Risk Assessment, 34 (9) , pp. 1617-1631.
  • Milićević, I. Nastasijevic, Z. Petrovic. Mycotoxin in the food supply chain – implications for public health program. (2016) Journal of Environmental Science and Health – Part C Environmental Carcinogenesis and Ecotoxicology Reviews, 34 (4), pp. 293-319.
  • Nastasijevic I., Tomasevic I., Smigic N., Milicevic D., Petrovic Z. & Djekic I. Hygiene assessment of Serbian meat establishments using different scoring systems, Food Control, 2016, 62, 193–200.
  • Jelena Nedeljković-Trailović, Saša Trailović, Radmila Resanović, Dragan Milićević, Milijan    Jovanovic and Marko Vasiljevic. Comparative Investigation of the Efficacy of Three Different Adsorbents against OTA-Induced Toxicity in Broiler Chickens. Toxins, 2015, 7(4), 1174-1191;
  • Jovanović, D. Trailović, V. Kukolj, S. Nešić, D. Marinković, J. Nedeljković-Trailović, B. Jakovac Strajn and Milićević. An outbreak of fumonisin toxicosis in horses in Serbia. World Mycotoxin Journal, 2015, 8(4), 387-391.
  • Zoran Petrović, Vlado Teodorović, Spomenka Djurić, Dragan Milićević, Danijela Vranić, Mirjana Lukić. Cadmium and mercury accumulation in European hare (Lepus europaeus): age-dependent relationships in renal and hepatic tissue. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 2014, 21(24), 14058-14068.
  • Dragan Milićević, Danijela Vranić, Zoran Mašić, Nenad Parunović, Dejana Trbović, Jelena Nedeljković-Trailović and Zoran Petrović. The role of total fats, saturated/unsaturated fatty acids and cholesterol content in Chicken meat as cardiovascular risk factors. Lipids in Health and Disease, 2014, 13 (1).
  • Petrović, Z., Teodorović, V., Dimitrijević, M., Borozan, S., Beuković, M., Milićević, D. Environmental Cd and Zn concentrations in liver and kidney of European hare from different Serbian regions: Age and tissue differences. Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology, 2013, 90 (2), 203-207.
  • MILICEVIC DRAGAN, JOVANOVIC MILIJAN, MATEKALO-SVERAK VESNA, RADICEVIC TATJANA, PETROVIC MILAN M, LILIC, SLOBODAN. A Survey of Spontaneous Occurrence of Ochratoxin A Residues in Chicken Tissues and Concurrence With Histopathological Changes in Liver and Kidneys. Journal of Environmental Science & Health, Part C — Environmental Carcinogenesis & Ecotoxicology Reviews, 2011, 29 (2), 159-175, 17p.
  • Milićević Dragan, Jurić, Verica, Stefanović, S., Tatjana Baltić, Janković, S. Evaluation and Validation of Two Chromatographic Methods (HPLC-Fluorescence and LC–MS/MS) for the Determination and Confirmation of Ochratoxin A in Pig Tissues. Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology, 2010, 58 (4), 1074-1081.
  • Dragan Milićević, Miomir Nikšić, Tatjana Baltić, Danijela Vranić. Isolation, characterization and evaluation of significant mycoflora and mycotoxins in pig feed from Serbian farms. World Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology, 2010, 26 (9), 1715-1720.
  • Dragan R. Milićević, Marija Škrinjar and Tatjana Baltić. Real and Perceived Risks for Mycotoxin Contamination in Foods and Feeds: Challenges for Food Safety Control. Toxins, 2010, 2(4), 572.
  • Dragan Milićević, Milijan Jovanović, Verica Jurić, Zoran Petrović and Srđan Stefanović. Toxicological Assessment of Toxic Element Residues in Swine Kidney and Its Role in Public Health Risk Assessment. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 2009, 6, 3127-3142.
  • Milićević, D., Verica Jurić, Jovanović, Stefanović, S., Dubravka Vuković, Petrović, Z. Occurrence of ochratoxin A and heavy metals in tissues associated with porcine nephropathy in Serbia. World Mycotoxin Journal, 2009, 2, 347-356.
  • Dragan Milićević, Verica Jurić, Srđan Stefanović, Milijan Jovanović, Saša Janković. Survey of slaughtered pigs for occurrence of ochratoxin A and porcine nephropathy in Serbia. International Journal of  Molecular Sciences, 2008, 9, 2169-2183.