Research

I have been working on research topics concerning Bioscience Engineering and Food Science and Technology:

Supercritical fluid and pressurized liquids applied to

• Extraction of vegetable oils.
• Extraction and fractionation of bioactive compounds and by-products of native Brazilian flora.
• Application in functional foods, drugs, and biomaterials.

Oils and Fats

• Enzymatic Degumming of vegetable oils.
• Physical Refining of palm oil.
• Characterization of exotic oils (coriander seed, buriti): extraction and application.
• Optimization of the refining process for exotic oils (buriti).
• Deacidification / Deodorization of vegetable oils.
• Nutraceutical compounds: tocopherols, tocotrienols, carotenoids, phytosterols.
• Impact on the nutritional quality of vegetable oils.
• Analysis of minor components losses.

Food contaminants and MCPD-esters

• Synthesis, purification, and analysis of MCPD-esters and glycidyl-ester in oils.
• Formation of MCPD-esters (di-ester and mono-ester) in oils.

Phase Equilibria

• Vapor-liquid equilibrium.

Renewable Fuels and Biorefinery

• Production of ethyl esters using lipases.
• Biodiesel production through biocatalysis.
• Optimization of enzymatic biodiesel synthesis.

Thermal energy storage and process control system

• Refrigeration and air conditioning.
• Programmable Logic Controllers (PLCs) and control systems (PID controller and On-off control).