Sara is agricultural engineer with Master’s degree in agricultural engineering from University of Évora, having presented her work on the conservation of table grapes 'Crimson' with edible coatings based on chitosan and aloe vera. Currently developing her thesis with the title “Increased safety of high consumption fresh foods with reduced food waste”. Since 2013, she has been working in technology, post-harvest and quality of fruits and other food products, like meat and meat products. Her main research issues are the storage of different fruits (for example sweet cherry, table grapes and strawberry) by using modified atmosphere, edible coatings, and new approach of the use of aromatic and medicinal plants oils. Sara is initiating new studies on a prospect of reducing food waste and increasing the safety of high-consumption fresh foods, such us fruits and meat. She will study smart packaging and biodegradable films during the shelf-life of food products in order to determine quality and safety indices and quantify waste associated with the value chain.