Poliana Mendes de Souza completed her academic journey with a Bachelor of Science in Food Engineering from Pontifícia Católica do Paraná, Brazil (February 2002 – February 2007). She then pursued a Master’s in Food Engineering at Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Brazil (February 2006 – September 2007), where she conducted a thesis titled “Comparative study of milk pasteurization using conventional and microwave methods,” under the guidance of Prof. Dr. Antonio Marsaioli Jr. and Prof. Dr. Mirna Lucia Gigante. Following her master’s, Poliana earned her Ph.D. in Food Technology from Universidad Politécnica de Valencia, Spain (October 2007 – July 2012), with a dissertation focusing on “Study of short-wave ultraviolet treatments (UV-C) as a non-thermal preservation process for liquid egg products,” supervised by Dr. Avelina Fernandéz Garcia. She further advanced her expertise by completing a Postdoctoral degree in Food Science at Universidade Federal de Lavras, Brazil (December 2016 – July 2018), concentrating on the reduction of nitrates in processed meat products, guided by Prof. Dr. Eduardo Mendes Ramos and Prof. Dr. Alcnéia de Lemos Souza Ramos.

Poliana Mendes de Souza is currently an Associate Professor of Food Science and Technology at Universidade Federal dos Vales do Jequitinhonha e Mucuri (UFVJM), Brazil, a position she has held since April 2013. In this role, she teaches various courses in Food Science and Technology at both undergraduate and graduate levels and serves as the principal investigator on research projects focused on emerging technologies in food and animal food technology. Throughout her tenure, Poliana has undertaken multiple administrative responsibilities, including Coordinator of International Relations (December 2021 – September 2022), Strategic Planning Director (September 2017 – October 2019), Coordinator of the Master Program in Food Science and Technology (January 2016 – September 2017), and Coordinator of the Bachelor in Food Engineering (August 2014 – August 2016). She currently coordinates the Master Program in Nutrition Science since January 2023. In addition to her role at UFVJM, she has gained international experience as a Visiting Researcher at Tecnológico de Monterrey, Mexico (January – April 2023) and as a Visiting Professor and Researcher at Universidade de Cordoba, Spain (January – March 2019). Earlier in her career, she served as a Postdoctoral Researcher at Universidade Federal de Lavras, Brazil (December 2016 – December 2018), and as a Doctoral Researcher at both Max-Rubner Institut, Germany (March – August 2011) and Instituto de Agroquímica y Tecnología de Alimentos, Spain (October 2007 – July 2012).

Poliana Mendes de Souza has been recognized for her academic excellence through multiple scholarships during her studies at Universidade Estadual de Campinas and Universidad Politécnica de Valencia. She was honored as an Excellent Graduate of UFVJM, placing in the top 10% of her class. Additionally, she received the First Prize at the Youth Forum of the First “Financial China” Academic Summit for her outstanding research contributions. Poliana also earned a First-Class Academic Scholarship at Wuhan University, where she ranked in the top 5% for two consecutive years, along with other scholarships that reflect her exceptional academic performance throughout her career.

Publication Top Notes:

• Title: Modified sodium caseinate films as releasing carriers of lysozyme

  Citations: 114

• Title: Effects of the decontamination of a fresh tiger nuts’ milk beverage (horchata) with short wave ultraviolet treatments (UV-C) on quality attributes

  Citations: 76

• Title: Effects of UV-C on physicochemical quality attributes and Salmonella enteritidis inactivation in liquid egg products

  Citations: 75

• Title: Effects of radiation technologies on food nutritional quality

  Citations: 55

• Title: Rheological properties and protein quality of UV-C processed liquid egg products

  Citations: 50