Tiago Nazareth de Melo

The fungi present in food can alter its quality and, in many cases, produce mycotoxins, toxic compounds that pose a risk to human and animal health. Its incidence is influenced by environmental, agricultural and processing factors, and it represents one of the main challenges in food safety worldwide. My research focuses on the identification and mitigation of mycotoxins in food matrices. To achieve this, I develop biocontrol strategies and apply advanced chromatographic and spectroscopy techniques, such as NIR-HSI, with the aim of improving food safety and reducing the impact of these toxic substances throughout the food chain.