Ricardo is an expert in quality and research at BY Foods, and his passion lies in honey. He is dedicated to detail and driven by curiosity. Besides his work with us, he has made significant academic contributions. For example, he wrote a thesis on Portuguese monofloral honeys. With precision and passion, Ricardo explores lesser-known types of honey and maintains high scientific standards. Below, he shares his story and explains what inspired him to pursue this fascinating research.
Ricardo’s story in his own words
I am always searching for something new and unknown. As a child, I was curious about everything. A simple toy would often become more than what it was designed to be. Because of this curiosity, I decided to become an academic researcher.
In 2016, I contributed to the study of Portuguese monofloral honeys, such as Carob, Arbutus, Squaw Mint, and Thyme. These honeys had not been studied before. I followed EU protocols to evaluate their physical and chemical parameters. These included color, pH, acidity, humidity, electrical conductivity, ash content, HMF, diastase, reducing sugars, and phenol and flavonoid contents.
From 25 samples, I confirmed 21 as monofloral. Using these samples, I compared 13 different protocols. To complete the study, I also tested honey’s microbicidal effects on microorganisms. Finally, I performed multidimensional scaling analyses (MDS) to rank the honeys and evaluate their unique properties.
You can read my thesis here.
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Now that you’ve met Ricardo, why not learn more about the rest of our team? Visit our Meet Our Team page and discover the passionate individuals behind BY Foods.