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Alexandre Fonseca obtained his BSc and MSc degrees in 2012 and 2014, respectively, both in Biotechnology at the University of Aveiro (UA), Portugal. During his master’s thesis, he worked on the selection of mixed microbial cultures and optimization of bioreactor conditions to produce bioplastics from industrial residues. From these work, 2 scientific papers were published in peer-reviewed journals. In 2018, he started a master's grant in the ReStoragePear project focused on the development of strategies of quality assurance and prevention of physiological disorders in the long-term storage of Rocha pear. In 2019, he was awarded an FCT Ph.D. grant and is currently attending the Food science and technology and nutrition doctoral program at the University of Aveiro (UA). He aims to develop a functional food based on the integral use of purple passion fruit to increase the well-being of asthmatic patients. He published 4 scientific articles in peer-reviewed journal (h-index of 2, 15 citations, Researchgate), He also author/co-author 10 communications in international and national congresses (oral and poster communications).
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Identification

Personal identification

Full name
Alexandre Fonseca

Citation names

  • Alexandre M. A. Fonseca

Author identifiers

Ciência ID
E518-0CD6-F883
ORCID iD
0000-0001-5978-9307
Google Scholar ID
https://scholar.google.pt/citations?user=BVrrKeQAAAAJ&hl=pt-PT

Addresses

  • Departamento de Química, Campus Universitário de Santiago, 3810-193, Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal (Professional)

Knowledge fields

  • Natural sciences - Biological Sciences - Biochemistry
  • Agrarian Sciences - Agrarian and Food Biotechnology
  • Engineering and Technology - Industrial Biotechnology - Bioplastics

Languages

Language Speaking Reading Writing Listening Peer-review
Portuguese (Mother tongue)
English Intermediate (B1) Upper intermediate (B2) Upper intermediate (B2) Upper intermediate (B2) Upper intermediate (B2)
Education
Degree Classification
2025/04 - 2025/05
Concluded
 3D Printing Technologies for Food and Medical Applications (Outros)
Kauno Technologijos Universitetas Vadybos katedra, Lithuania
2019/12/01 - 2023/11/30
Ongoing
 Food science and technology and nutrition (Doutoramento)
Universidade de Aveiro, Portugal

Universidade Católica Portuguesa Escola Superior de Biotecnologia, Portugal

Universidade do Minho, Portugal
2014/07/24
Concluded
 Biotecnologia (Mestrado integrado)
Major in Biotecnologia Industrial e Ambiental
Universidade de Aveiro, Portugal
"Produção de PHAs por Culturas Mistas a partir de Resíduos Industriais" (THESIS/DISSERTATION)
 17
2012/07/20
Concluded
 Biotecnologia (Licenciatura)
Universidade de Aveiro, Portugal
"Estudo do efeito da pressão na produção de celulose bacteriana" (THESIS/DISSERTATION)
 15
Projects

Contract

Designation Funders
2018/10/15 - Current ReStoragePear - Desenvolvimento de estratégias na prevenção do escaldão superficial e acastanhamento interno na pêra Rocha e garantia da qualidade no armazenamento de longo prazo
POCI-01-0247-FEDER-017777
Research Fellow
Universidade de Aveiro, Portugal

Universidade Católica Portuguesa Escola Superior de Biotecnologia, Portugal
Concluded
Outputs

Publications

Conference poster
  1. Rocha, S. M.; SILVESTRE, ARMANDO; Pinto, Carlos Alberto Cruz; SARAIVA, JORGE. Corresponding author: Rocha, S. M.. "Impact of different pasteurization methods on the purple passion fruit (Passiflora edulis Sims edulis) juice potential aroma: on the route of natural characteristics". Paper presented in 13º Encontro Nacional de Cromatografia, 2023.
  2. Fonseca, Alexandre. "Unraveled purple passion fruit volatile profile: from fresh fruit to thermal and high-pressure pasteurized juice". Paper presented in 3rd Food Chemistry Conference, 2023.
  3. Fonseca, Alexandre. "Exploring the volatile profile of purple passion fruit: from consumer perception of fruit to thermal and high-pressure pasteurized juice.". Paper presented in Encontro Nacional da SPQ, 2023.
  4. Alexandre M.A. Fonseca. "Integral use of purple passion fruit as a source of nutrients and bioactive compounds for health promoting food". Paper presented in 14° Simpósio Latino Americano de Ciência de Alimentos, 2021.
  5. Fonseca, Alexandre. "Screening of plant-based extracts as potential mitigators of physiological storage disorders in 'Rocha' pear". Paper presented in Jornadas CICECO 2019, 2019.
  6. Fonseca, Alexandre. "Valorisation of apple byproduct as an additive to preserve fruit quality and physiological features". Paper presented in 33 EFFOST International Conference, 2019.
  7. Fonseca, Alexandre. "Valorization of natural extracts as potential enzymatic browning inhibitors in processed fruits". Paper presented in CIBIA-Congresso Iberoamericano de Engenharia Alimentar, 2019.
  8. Fonseca, Alexandre. "Use of Hardwood Sulphite Spent Liquor For Polyhydroxyalkanoate Production By Mixed Microbial Culture". Paper presented in ChemPor 2014, 2014.
  9. Fonseca, Alexandre. "PHA production from wastes of pulp industry". Paper presented in Portuguese Congress of Microbiology and Biotechnology (MicroBiotec’13), 2013.
    10.13031/aim.20152190937
Journal article
  1. Alexandre M. A. Fonseca; Armando J. D. Silvestre; Sílvia M. Rocha. "From physicochemical characteristics variability to purple passion fruit (Passiflora edulis f. edulis) powders nutritional value: on the path of zero-waste". Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture (2024): https://doi.org/10.1002/jsfa.14087.
    10.1002/jsfa.14087
  2. Fonseca, Alexandre M.A.; Geraldi, Marina V.; Junior, Mário R. Maróstica; Silvestre, Armando J.D.; Rocha, Sílvia M.. "Purple passion fruit (Passiflora edulis f. edulis): A comprehensive review on the nutritional value, phytochemical profile and associated health effects". Food Research International 160 (2022): 111665. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.foodres.2022.111665.
    Published • 10.1016/j.foodres.2022.111665
  3. Dias, Cindy; Amaro, Ana; Fonseca, Alexandre; Ferrante, António; Silvestre, Armando; Rocha, Sílvia M.; Isidoro, Nélson; Pintado, Manuela. "ß-Farnesene Exogenous Application as a Novel Damage Induction Model to Fast Explore the Effectiveness of Postharvest Strategies: The Case Study of the "Rocha" Pear DOP". Horticulturae 8 2 (2022): 93. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae8020093.
    10.3390/horticulturae8020093
  4. Fonseca, Alexandre M. A.; Dias, Cindy; Amaro, Ana L.; Isidoro, Nélson; Pintado, Manuela; Silvestre, Armando J. D.; Rocha, Sílvia M.. "The Impact of Plant-Based Coatings in 'ROCHA' Pear Preservation during Cold Storage: A Metabolomic Approach". Foods 9 9 (2020): 1299. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/foods9091299.
    10.3390/foods9091299
  5. Dias, Cindy; Fonseca, Alexandre M. A.; Amaro, Ana L.; Vilas-Boas, Ana A.; Oliveira, Ana; Santos, Sonia A. O.; Silvestre, Armando J. D.; et al. "Natural-Based Antioxidant Extracts as Potential Mitigators of Fruit Browning". Antioxidants 9 8 (2020): 715. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/antiox9080715.
    10.3390/antiox9080715
  6. Queirós, Diogo; Fonseca, Alexandre; Rossetti, Simona; Serafim, Luísa S.; Lemos, Paulo C.. "Highly complex substrates lead to dynamic bacterial community for polyhydroxyalkanoates production". Journal of Industrial Microbiology & Biotechnology 44 8 (2017): 1215-1224. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10295-017-1951-y.
    10.1007/s10295-017-1951-y
  7. Queirós, Diogo; Fonseca, Alexandre; Lemos, Paulo C; Serafim, Luísa S. "Long-term operation of a two-stage polyhydroxyalkanoates production process from hardwood sulphite spent liquor". Journal of Chemical Technology & Biotechnology 91 9 (2015): 2480-2487. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/jctb.4841.
    10.1002/jctb.4841
Magazine article
  1. Alexandre M. A. Fonseca. "MUITO PARA ALÉM DA POLPA: O POTENCIAL INEXPLORADO DO MARACUJÁ ROXO", iAlimentar, 2025, https://www.interempresas.net/FlipBooks/BF/18/.

Intellectual property

Patent
  1. Fonseca, Alexandre. 2024. "Compact natural aroma composites".
Activities

Oral presentation

Presentation title Event name
Host (Event location)
2025/10 Purple passion fruit (Passiflora edulis f. edulis): supporting sustainable and innovative food proposals with nutritional claims 5th International Conference on Natural Products and Human Health
(China)
2024/09/20 Integral valorization of purple passion fruit (Passiflora edulis f. edulis): from physicochemical characteristics variability to fruit powders nutritional value 4th International Conference on Natural Products and Human Health
SPQ (Aveiro, Portugal)
2022/12 In-depth characterization of purple passion fruit volatile profile and its impact in consumer aroma perception using HS-SPME/GC×GC-ToFMS 12 Encontro Nacional de Cromatografia
(Aveiro, Portugal)
2021/07/07 HealthyPassion: from Purple Passion Fruit bioprospection to development of a functional food for asthmatics Research Summit 2021
University of Aveiro (Aveiro, Portugal)
2020/06/25 Integral valorization of Purple Passion Fruit (Passiflora edulis Sims f. edulis): from bioprospection to the development of a health-promoting Research Summit 2020
Universidade de Aveiro
2019/12/11 Use of GC×GC-ToFMS to evaluate the impact of plant-based coatings in the preservation of "Rocha" pears during long-term storage 11 Encontro Nacional de Cromatografia
(Caparica, Portugal)
2019 Antioxidant Extracts from Natural Sources as Potential Enzymatic Browning Inhibitors in Fruits 3rd International Conference on Food Science and Nutrition
2014/09 Use of hardwood sulphite spent liquor for acclimating a mixed microbial culture with polyhydroxyalkanoates storage capacity 5th Workshop on PHA production by microbial consortia
(Toulouse, France)
2014/09 Crude glycerol as substrate for PHA production by MMC 5th Workshop on PHA production by microbial consortia
(Toulouse, France)

Event organisation

Event name
Type of event (Role) 		Institution / Organization
2022/12 - 2022/12 12 Encontro Nacional de Cromatografia (2022/12 - 2022/12)
Conference (Member of the Organising Committee)
 Universidade de Aveiro, Portugal

Event participation

Activity description
Type of event 		Event name
Institution / Organization
2025/05/09 - Current Cultivar Resiliência: O futuro da agricultura com a PAC
Seminar
 Cultivar Resiliência: O futuro da agricultura com a PAC
Innovation Services SA, Portugal
2008/03/22 - Current Apresentação de trabalho "Projeto Drosophila"
Call
 "Jovens Cientistas e Investigadores 2008"
Fundação da Juventude, Portugal
2024/09/27 - 2024/09/27 Noite Europeia dos Investigadores
Other
 Noite Europeia dos Investigadores
Fábrica Centro Ciência Viva de Aveiro, Portugal

Course / Discipline taught

Academic session Degree Subject (Type) Institution / Organization
2024/08 - Current Curso de Especialização em Inovação e Sustentabilidade nas Cadeias Alimentares Curso de Especialização em Inovação e Sustentabilidade nas Cadeias Alimentares (Outros)
2025/05/12 - 2025/05/16 3D Printing Technologies for Food and Medical Applications 3D Printing Technologies for Food and Medical Applications Kauno Technologijos Universitetas Dizaino ir technologiju fakultetas, Lithuania
2023/06 - 2023/06 BIOACTIVE COMPOUNDS IN FOOD – CHARACTERIZATION AND PROPERTIES Blended Intensive Program Erasmus+ (Outros) Universidade de Aveiro, Portugal