Sara Ricardo-Rodrigues is an agricultural engineer with a Master’s degree in agricultural engineering from the University of Évora, having presented her work on the conservation of table grapes "Crimson" with edible coatings based on chitosan and aloe vera. She is currently developing her thesis with the title “Increased safety of high consumption fresh foods with reduced food waste”. Since 2013, she has been working in technology, post-harvest, and quality of fruits and other food products such as meat and meat products. Her main research issues are the storage of different fruits (for example sweet cherry, table grapes, and strawberry) by using a modified atmosphere, edible coatings, and a new approach to the use of aromatic and medicinal plant oils. She is initiating new studies on the prospect of reducing food waste and increasing the safety of high-consumption fresh foods, such as fruits and meat. She will study smart packaging and biodegradable films during the shelf life of food products to determine quality and safety indices and quantify waste associated with the value chain.
Maria Inês Rouxinol holds a Bachelor's degree, a Master's degree, and a Ph.D. in Biochemistry, all of which have shaped her passion for scientific research. Currently, she is working as a researcher at the Mediterranean Institute for Agriculture, Environment and Development (MED). Her research interests lie in exploring innovative approaches to ensure food safety, enhance grape and wine quality, and advanced analytical techniques such as HPLC and spectroscopy.
Ana Cristina Agulheiro-Santos received a Ph.D. in Agrarian Sciences (2002) from the University of Évora, a Master's in Plant Production (1990) from the University of Lisbon, and Graduation in Agronomy (1985) from the University of Évora. Her most relevant areas of research are quality evaluation, mainly texture, and sensory evaluation of fruits and other food products, and post-harvest methodologies (such as edible coating, and packaging) related to food loss and waste. She was the founder of the Laboratory of Technology and Post-harvest of the University of Évora. She is a researcher and integrated member of “MED – Mediterranean Institute for Agriculture, Environment and Development”. She has participated in several research projects, national and international. Committed to the community and regional development, she has several publications in scientific journals and technical journals dedicated to dissemination and knowledge transfer to producers and stakeholders. In parallel with her scientific career, she has always played an active role as a professor in agronomy. She has been the supervisor of numerous Master's and Ph.D. theses in Portugal and Spain.
Maria Eduarda Potes is an Associate Professor at the University of Évora and a researcher at MED - Mediterranean Institute for Agriculture, Environment and Development. She has published several articles in specialized journals. She works in the area(s) of Veterinary Sciences with an emphasis on Food Science.
Marta Laranjo is a Microbiologist
and Molecular Biologist, assistant professor and senior researcher,
Universidade de Évora, Portugal. She holds a Ph.D. in Biology, and is a senior
researcher at MED-Mediterranean Institute for Agriculture, Environment and
Development (Food Science and Technology Group) CHANGE-Global Change and
Sustainability Institute (Associate Laboratory), IIFA-Institute for Research
and Advanced Training, and a professor at the Department of Veterinary
Medicine, Sciences and Technology School, both at the University of Évora,
Portugal. She is also the President of the UNIMED Subnetwork on Food &
Water (UNIMED Office at the University of Évora). Her main interests include
food microbiology, with a special emphasis on starter cultures and the dynamics
of food microbiota. She has published more than 50 papers in international
peer-reviewed journals. She has supervised 3 Ph.D., 5 Master's, and more than 30
undergraduate students.
