Elsa Margarida nunes Leal Goncalves

@iniav.pt

Unidade de Tecnologia e Inovação
Instituto Nacional de Investigação Agrária e Veterinária

Elsa Margarida nunes Leal Goncalves


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https://researchid.co/elsa.goncalves
Dr. Elsa M. Gonçalves received a “Licenciatura” (5 years BEng degree) in Food Engineering in 1991 from the College of Biotechnology, Catholic University of Portugal. She obtained her Ph.D. degree in 2011, in Biotechnology with specialisation in Science and Food Engineering at the College of Biotechnology, Catholic University of Portugal.
From 1992 to 2013, Dr. Elsa M. Gonçalves worked as a Researcher at the Department “Ciencias e Tecnologia dos Alimentos” of the “Instituto Nacional de Investigação Agrária e Veterinária”. Areas of research interest included enhancing nutritive contents of foods, innovative and traditional preservation techniques, packaging and shelf life estimation, modelling of physic & biochemical proprieties, quality systems, risk assessment, food safety and quality. She has published extensively in these fields. Dr. Elsa M. Gonçalves’s research work involved collaborative projects with the Food Industry, Universities and other organizations.
Since September 2013 unt

EDUCATION

“Licenciatura” (5 years BEng degree) in Food Engineering in 1991 from the College of Biotechnology, Catholic University of Portugal. She obtained her Ph.D. degree in 2011, in Biotechnology with specialisation in Science and Food Engineering at the College of Biotechnology, Catholic University of Portugal.

RESEARCH INTERESTS

Food Science; Food Technology, Health; Quality, Sensorial analysis; waste; Sustentability

FUTURE PROJECTS

Reuse foods


Applications Invited

Novel thermal tehnology


Applications Invited
54

Scopus Publications

Scopus Publications

  • Nutritional Composition of Commercially Sourced Meat from Two Anatomical Locations Under Regenerative and Intensive Production Systems
    Irene C. Antunes, Luísa Cristina Roseiro, Helena Gonçalves, Elsa M. Gonçalves, Andreia Soares, et al.
    Foods, 2026
    Regenerative agriculture approaches in livestock production may help produce animal protein that aligns with increasingly demanding sustainability criteria. This study compared commercially sourced beef from regenerative farming systems (RFS; n = 10; Longissimus lumborum, n = 5; Splenius capitis, n = 5) and intensive systems (IS; n = 6; Longissimus lumborum, n = 3; Splenius capitis, n = 3), evaluating the effects of production system (PS), muscle type (MT), and their interaction (MT × PS) on nutritional traits. IS chuck had higher polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) and n-6 PUFA family (n-6 PUFA) contents (p < 0.05; 10.24 and 9.15 g fatty acids (FA)/100 g total FA, respectively), driven by C18:2 cis-9, trans-11, C20:4 n-6, and C18:2 n-6 contents. Consequently, IS chuck had a higher polyunsaturated FA and saturated FA ratio (P/S), peroxidability index (PI), n-6 PUFA family and n-3 PUFA family ratio (n-6/n-3), and hypocholesterolemic/hypercholesterolemic ratio (h/H) values (p < 0.05; 0.13, 23.87, 9.33 and 0.32, respectively). By comparison, RFS chuck had the highest n-3 PUFA content (p < 0.05; 1.28 g FA/100 g total FA), primarily due to its higher C18:3 n-3 content, resulting in a lower n-6/n-3 ratio (3.95). RFS meat showed higher vitamin E and α-tocopherol (0.58 and 0.56 mg/100 g of meat, respectively), exceeding the ≥0.30 mg/100 g threshold proposed to limit lipid oxidation, unlike IS meat.
  • Fermenting the Unused: Microbial Biotransformation of Food Industry By-Products for Circular Bioeconomy Valorisation
    Elsa M. Gonçalves, José M. Pestana, Nuno Alvarenga
    Fermentation, 2026
    The food industry generates large volumes of nutrient-rich by-products that remain underutilised despite their considerable biochemical potential. These materials originate predominantly from the fruit and vegetable, dairy, meat, and fish and seafood sectors and represent a substantial opportunity for sustainable valorisation. Fermentation has emerged as a powerful platform for converting such by-products into high-value ingredients, including bioactive compounds, functional metabolites, enzymes, antimicrobials, and nutritionally enriched fractions. This review synthesises recent advances in microbial fermentation strategies—spanning lactic acid bacteria, filamentous fungi, yeasts, and mixed microbial consortia—and highlights their capacity to enhance the bioavailability, stability, and functionality of recovered compounds across diverse substrate streams. Key technological enablers, including substrate pre-treatments, precision fermentation, omics-guided strain selection and improvement, and bioprocess optimisation, are examined within the broader framework of circular bioeconomy integration. Despite significant scientific progress, major challenges remain, particularly related to substrate heterogeneity, process scalability, regulatory alignment, safety assessment, and consumer acceptance. The review identifies critical research gaps and future directions, emphasising the need for standardised analytical frameworks, harmonised compositional databases, AI-driven fermentation control, integrated biorefinery concepts, and pilot-scale validation. Overall, the evidence indicates that integrated fermentation-based approaches—especially those combining complementary by-product streams, tailored microbial consortia, and system-level process integration—represent the most promising pathway toward the scalable, sustainable, and economically viable valorisation of food industry by-products.
  • Pre- and Postharvest Determinants, Technological Innovations and By-Product Valorization in Berry Crops: A Comprehensive and Critical Review
    Elsa M. Gonçalves, Rui Ganhão, Joaquina Pinheiro
    Horticulturae, 2026
    Berries—including strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, cranberries, and several less commonly cultivated berry species—are highly valued for their sensory quality and rich content of bioactive compounds, yet they are among the most perishable horticultural products. Their soft texture, high respiration rate, and susceptibility to fungal pathogens lead to rapid postharvest deterioration and significant economic losses. This review synthesizes advances in berry postharvest management reported between 2010 and 2025. Conventional strategies such as rapid precooling, cold-chain optimization, controlled and modified atmospheres, and edible coatings are discussed alongside emerging non-thermal technologies, including UV-C light, ozone, cold plasma, ultrasound, biocontrol agents, and intelligent packaging systems. Particular emphasis is placed on the instability of anthocyanins and other phenolic compounds, microbial spoilage dynamics, and the influence of cultivar genetics and preharvest factors on postharvest performance. The review also highlights opportunities for circular-economy applications, as berry pomace, seeds, and skins represent valuable sources of polyphenols, dietary fiber, and seed oils for use in food, nutraceutical, cosmetic, and bio-based packaging sectors. Looking ahead, future research should prioritize integrated, multi-hurdle, low-residue postharvest strategies, the scale-up of non-thermal technologies, and data-driven cold-chain management. Overall, coordinated physiological, technological, and sustainability-oriented approaches are essential to maintain berry quality, reduce postharvest losses, and strengthen the resilience of berry value chains.
  • Application of fruit and vegetable processing by-products as ingredients in aquafeed
    Sílvia Lourenço, Marta Neves, Elsa M. Gonçalves, Cristina Roseiro, Ana Pombo, et al.
    Discover Food, 2025
  • Preserving Agricultural Diversity: Comprehensive Characterisation of the Local Reineta de Fontanelas Apple Cultivar
    Elsa M. Gonçalves, Mafalda Silva, Manuela Lageiro, Luísa Cristina Roseiro, Andreia Soares, et al.
    Horticulturae, 2025
    The conservation and characterisation of traditional apple cultivars are essential for safeguarding agrobiodiversity and supporting regional economies. Reineta de Fontanelas, a long-established cultivar from the Saloia region of Sintra, Portugal, remains insufficiently described despite its cultural relevance. This study provides the first integrated characterisation of Reineta de Fontanelas apples collected from six local producers, evaluating biometric traits, physicochemical and nutritional composition, free sugars, organic acids, phenolic compounds, antioxidant capacity, colour, texture, and sensory attributes. The multi-site sampling design enabled the assessment of intra-cultivar qualitative variability across different local environments and traditional low-input practices, which constituted the primary objective. A commercial Reineta sample was included solely as a contextual retail benchmark, acknowledging that differences in origin, orchard management, and storage conditions do not allow for strict cultivar-level comparisons. Reineta de Fontanelas apples consistently exhibited high soluble solids (SS), lower titratable acidity (TA), and enriched levels of key phenolic compounds, together with stronger antioxidant activity. Sensory evaluation indicated a sweeter and more aromatic profile for the local apples. Multivariate analysis revealed a coherent compositional fingerprint and identified the main sources of intra-cultivar variability. Overall, the findings show that Reineta de Fontanelas maintains distinctive nutritional, bioactive, and sensory attributes across local environments, supporting ongoing efforts for its conservation and valorization.
  • Energy Sustainability in the Ripening of Traditional Cheese: Renewable Energy Sources and Internet of Things Based Energy Monitoring
    João M. Santos, João M. Garcia, João Dias, João C. Martins, Nuno Alvarenga, et al.
    Dairy, 2025
    Improving the energy efficiency of traditional production methods while preserving their cultural and economic value is a challenge aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals of the 2030 agenda. Refrigeration during cheese maturation is particularly energy-intensive, contributing significantly to greenhouse gas emissions and operating costs. An approach to make traditional cheese production more sustainable, through the development of a prototype ripening chamber with a natural refrigerant-based refrigeration system powered by renewable energy was studied. A dedicated system based on an Internet of Things architecture was developed using low-cost sensors, microcontroller units, and single-board computers to enable real-time measurement and monitoring of environmental variables and energy consumption throughout the ripening process. A comparative analysis was conducted using ewe’s milk cheese, produced and ripened with Protected Designation of Origin conditions, in both the prototype and the conventional chambers over four weeks, quantifying energy consumption and evaluating product quality. Results demonstrate the technical feasibility of energy efficient and sustainable refrigeration systems, as well as the possibility of retrofitting installed cheese ripening chambers with affordable IoT monitoring systems, while maintaining traditional cheese quality standards.
  • Biopreservation of Hericium erinaceus By-Products via Lactic Acid Fermentation: Effects on Functional and Technological Properties
    Mafalda Silva, Manuela Vida, Ana Cristina Ramos, Luísa Cristina Roseiro, Nuno Alvarenga, et al.
    Foods, 2025
    Lactic acid fermentation is an effective strategy for food preservation and functional enhancement. This study evaluated the fermentation of Hericium erinaceus by-products using Lactoplantibacillus plantarum and Lactocaseibacillus rhamnosus, assessing microbial stability, physicochemical parameters, phenolic content, antioxidant activity, rheology, and biogenic amine formation over 240 h. Lp. plantarum promoted rapid acidification, reducing the pH from 6.0 to 4.65 within 72 h, while Ls. rhamnosus reached its lowest value of 3.8 at 144 h. Both strains effectively inhibited spoilage organisms: Lp. plantarum suppressed yeasts, molds, and Pseudomonas spp. by 144 h, whereas the control reached >6.0 log CFU/g of Pseudomonas at 240 h. Fermentation altered the texture, with the storage modulus (G′) decreasing from ~17 kPa to <3 kPa. Functional enrichment was also observed, with total phenolic content increasing from 32 to 48 mg GAE/100 g and antioxidant activity (DPPH) reaching 2562 µmol TE/100 g compared with 1954 µmol TE/100 g in the control. Importantly, cadaverine accumulated to 70.3 mg/kg in the control but remained below 15 mg/kg in inoculated samples, while spermidine was consistently higher in Lp. plantarum-treated mushrooms (~45 mg/kg). These results demonstrate that lactic acid fermentation can transform perishable H. erinaceus by-products into safe, stable, and bioactive ingredients, supporting their application in functional foods, nutraceuticals, and clean-label products while contributing to circular bioeconomy goals.
  • Process Development for GMP-Grade Full Extract Cannabis Oil: Towards Standardized Medicinal Use
    Maria do Céu Costa, Ana Patrícia Gomes, Iva Vinhas, Joana Rosa, Filipe Pereira, et al.
    Pharmaceutics, 2025
    Background/Objectives: The industrial extraction and purification processes of Cannabis sativa L. compounds are critical steps in creating formulations with reliable and reproducible therapeutic and sensorial attributes. Methods: For this study, standardized preparations of chemotype I were chemically analyzed, and the sensory attributes were studied to characterize the extraction and purification processes, ensuring the maximum retention of cannabinoids and minimization of other secondary metabolites. The industrial process used deep-cooled ethanol for selective extraction. Results: Taking into consideration that decarboxylation occurs in the process, the cannabinoid profile composition was preserved from the herbal substance to the herbal preparations, with wiped-film distillation under deep vacuum conditions below 0.2 mbar, as a final purification step. The profiles of the terpenes and cannabinoids in crude and purified Full-spectrum Extract Cannabis Oil (FECO) were analyzed at different stages to evaluate compositional changes that occurred throughout processing. Subjective intensity and acceptance ratings were received for taste, color, overall appearance, smell, and mouthfeel of FECO preparations. Conclusions: According to sensory analysis, purified FECO was more accepted than crude FECO, which had a stronger and more polarizing taste, and received higher ratings for color and overall acceptance. In contrast, a full cannabis extract in the market resulted in lower acceptance due to taste imbalance. The purification process effectively removed non-cannabinoids, improving sensory quality while maintaining therapeutic potency. Terpene markers of the flower were remarkably preserved in SOMAÍ’s preparations’ fingerprint, highlighting a major qualitative profile reproducibility and the opportunity for their previous separation and/or controlled reintroduction. The study underscores the importance of monitoring the extraction and purification processes to optimize the cannabinoid content and sensory characteristics in cannabis preparations.
  • Storage Temperature Effect on Quality and Shelf-Life of Hericium erinaceus Mushroom
    Mafalda Silva, Manuela Vida, Ana Cristina Ramos, Fernando J. Lidon, Fernando H. Reboredo, et al.
    Horticulturae, 2025
    Hericium erinaceus, commonly known as Lion’s Mane mushroom, presents a challenge for maintaining quality and shelf-life during post-harvest storage. This study investigates the impact of different temperatures (5 °C, 13 °C, and 21 °C) during 14 days of storage, on the physicochemical, microbiological, and bioactive characteristics of H. erinaceus. Respiration was measured as an indicator of physiological aging, showing that higher temperatures increased CO2 production as well as O2 depletion. Physicochemical assessments, including moisture content, pH, titratable acidity, weight loss, browning index, and firmness, demonstrated that refrigeration at 5 °C best preserved the mushrooms’ quality. Storage at 5 °C effectively minimized microbial proliferation, maintaining acceptable levels until day 7 but showing increased contamination by day 14. However, higher temperatures promoted antioxidant activity and total phenolic content, likely due to moisture loss and oxidative stress. These findings highlight the critical role of low-temperature storage in preserving both the physicochemical integrity and functional bioactivity of H. erinaceus, and suggest further research into packaging solutions and preservation strategies to optimize the post-harvest handling of H. erinaceus.
  • Development and Characterization of Biodegradable Films Based on Pectin and Galega Kale By-Products
    Leopoldina Carlos, Nelson Pereira, Margarida Moldão Martins, Vítor D. Alves, Elsa M. Gonçalves
    Lecture Notes on Multidisciplinary Industrial Engineering, 2025
  • Nutritional Composition and Bioactive Content in Various Traditional Portuguese Vegetable Soups
    Elsa M. Gonçalves, Ana Bagulho, David Azedo, Marta Tomás, Isabel Duarte, et al.
    Lecture Notes on Multidisciplinary Industrial Engineering, 2025
  • Assessing the Potential of Brewer’s Spent Grain to Enhance Cookie Physicochemical and Nutritional Profiles
    Marisa Nicolai, Maria Lídia Palma, Ricardo Reis, Rúben Amaro, Jaime Fernandes, et al.
    Foods, 2025
  • Pre- and Postharvest Strategies for Pleurotus ostreatus Mushroom in a Circular Economy Approach
    Mafalda Silva, Ana Cristina Ramos, Fernando J. Lidon, Fernando H. Reboredo, Elsa M. Gonçalves
    Foods, 2024
  • From Fields to Films: Exploring Starch from Agriculture Raw Materials for Biopolymers in Sustainable Food Packaging
    Elsa M. Gonçalves, Mafalda Silva, Luiza Andrade, Joaquina Pinheiro
    Agriculture Switzerland, 2024
  • Effect of calcium on quality parameters in three varieties of tubers of Solanum tuberosum L. at harvest and after four and eight months of cold storage conservation
    Ana Rita F. Coelho, Fernando Cebola Lidon, Diana Daccak, Inês Carmo Luís, Ana Coelho Marques, et al.
    Emirates Journal of Food and Agriculture, 2024
  • Valorisation of Wasted Immature Tomato to Innovative Fermented Functional Foods
    Nelson Pereira, Mahsa Farrokhi, Manuela Vida, Manuela Lageiro, Ana Cristina Ramos, et al.
    Foods, 2023
  • Influence of Air-Drying Conditions on Quality, Bioactive Composition and Sensorial Attributes of Sweet Potato Chips
    Elsa M. Gonçalves, Nelson Pereira, Mafalda Silva, Nuno Alvarenga, Ana Cristina Ramos, et al.
    Foods, 2023
  • Zinc Biofortification in Vitis vinifera: Implications for Quality and Wine Production
    Diana Daccak, Fernando C. Lidon, Inês Carmo Luís, Ana Coelho Marques, Ana Rita F. Coelho, et al.
    Plants, 2022
  • Multi-Target Alternative Approaches to Promoting Fresh-Cut Carrots’ Bioactive and Fresh-like Quality
    Carla Alegria, Elsa M. Gonçalves, Margarida Moldão-Martins, Marta Abreu
    Foods, 2022
  • Influence of a heat-shock pre-treatment on wound-induced phenolic biosynthesis as an alternative strategy towards fresh-cut carrot processing
    Carla Alegria, Elsa M Gonçalves, Margarida Moldão-Martins, Marta Abreu
    Food Science and Technology International, 2022
  • Selection of autochthonous lab strains of unripe green tomato towards the production of highly nutritious lacto-fermented ingredients
    Nelson Pereira, Carla Alegria, Cristina Aleixo, Paula Martins, Elsa M. Gonçalves, et al.
    Foods, 2021
  • Impact of environmental conditions on the ripening of Queijo de Évora PDO cheese
    João Mestre Dias, Patricia Lage, Nuno Alvarenga, João Garcia, Joana Borrega, et al.
    Journal of Food Science and Technology, 2021
  • Calcium biofortification of Rocha pears, tissues accumulation and physicochemical implications in fresh and heat-treated fruits
    Cláudia Campos Pessoa, Fernando Cebola Lidon, Ana Rita F. Coelho, João Cravidão Caleiro, Ana Coelho Marques, et al.
    Scientia Horticulturae, 2021
  • Potential Use of Aqueous Extracts of Kombu Seaweed in Cream Cracker Formulation
    Joaquina Pinheiro, Elsa M. Gonçalves, Rui Ganhão
    Food Engineering Series, 2021
  • Quality changes of carrots under different frozen storage conditions: A kinetic study
    Elsa M. Gonçalves, Marta Abreu, Joaquina Pinheiro, Teresa R. S. Brandão, Cristina L. M. Silva
    Journal of Food Processing and Preservation, 2020