Hiléia Souza

I am a senior researcher at Centre for Biotechnology and Fine Chemistry (CBQF),Faculty of Biotechnology, Universidade Católica Portuguesa developing my skill and competencies in the field of Eco-innovation material for different industrial applications. My expertise is centred in food science, involving interdisciplinary areas in the agro-industry field namely green chemistry, food materials (traditional foods, food supplements and food packaging), Smart Sensors for Food Packaging, microencapsulation of bioactive macromolecules, extraction of polysaccharides from biomass and renewable energy. As a soft matter scientist, my focus is on understanding the interplay between material properties (viscoelastic, structural, optical, mechanical, thermal, etc.) and process parameters (e.g. thermo-compression) that induce such properties. Also, my activity is focused on fundamental research in cutting-edge themes, in line with the most recent international guidelines, and also in offering its scientific know-how to the national food industry, supporting its needs in R&D+i. My objective is to create a new class of biodegradable materials (biofilms, Smart/Active Sensors for Food Packaging, ultrathin fibre and 3D objects) using, principally, biopolymers and solvents/additives that comply with the Green Chemistry principles.