Joana graduated in Chemistry (2007) and obtained her master's degree (2008) and recently completed her PhD in Chemistry (2023) from the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Porto (FCUP).

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She began research work at the Food Chemistry Laboratory at REQUIMTE/LAQV QUINOA under the supervision of Doctor Nuno Mateus and Doctor Victor Freitas.

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The internship began in 2006 with the isolation and antioxidant characterization of anthocyanins and their derivatives, a work that I deepened in the master's degree and that was financed by IBeSa (Institute of Beverages and Health - belonging to Unicer®), having been distinguished with award by the same Institute. After completing the master’s degree, several scholarships were created that allowed me to gain experience in the laboratory with several techniques including chromatographic separation and purification techniques (HPLC, semi-preparative HPLC, C18 columns and Toyopearl®) and identification (LC / MS, NMR).

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This experience and total field of laboratorial work led to the beginning of a collaboration, as a scholarship, with Amorim & Irmãos in 2011 (Project Biocork) that remains to this day (Project CorkPlus) focusing on the work on the impact of the cork stopper to the wine, with special focus of the phenolic fraction that migrates from the cork to the alcoholic beverage.

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During PhD focus the knowledge on the possible impact that the phenolic fraction has on wine, more specifically on the reactivity of these compounds with the main compounds in wine and their sensorial impact (changes in Color and Flavor parameters). Acquired knowledge in the area of ​​astringency (Flavor) and copigmentation (Color) in addition to the chemical characterization of more than 600 commercial wines (Whites, Reds, Ports and Sparkling Wines). I was also awarded a scholarship (IACOBUS Program, of cultural, scientific and pedagogical cooperation between Universities and Higher Education Centers in the Euroregion of Galicia-North of Portugal) to travel to the University of Vigo, where I explored the phenolic fraction that migrates from cork for wine, using different extraction techniques.

These fifteen years of experience resulted in 25 scientific articles in the area of ​​Food Science, published in journals in the first quartile, of which 10 as main author and 1 as Corresponding author.

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Currently belong to the VIIAFOOD Project work team (Plataforma de Valorização, Industrialização e Inovação comercial para o Agroalimentar, Referencia: PRR - C644929456-00000040 – VIIAFOOD) that focus the research and development of new products in the food sector to improve production processes through new technologies with a view to promoting a healthier and more sustainable diet (reduction of salt, sugar and fat) in line with global nutrition and sustainability trends.