BOOKS
My superpower
I master the alchemy of cooking
My research focuses on how food innovation and culinary arts can promote out-of-home consumption of meals with pulses and legumes and in this way contribute to the global transition to healthier and more sustainable diets.
As a trained Food Engineer and Food Scientist with extensive industry expertise, I have been conducting by PhD studies in Food Consumption and Nutrition Sciences at the University of Porto. Seeking to find new recipes that can increase the acceptance of pulse-based dishes among young Portuguese adults, I recently held a contest among students of local hospitality and tourism schools for the selection of the most innovative dishes. Winning recipes were then evaluated and improved upon by a panel of casual and fine dining chefs. The final step in this study will be to prepare these pulse-based novel dishes and have them evaluated by a panel of consumers, to test their acceptance.
Earlier, I conducted means-end chain and laddering interviews with 43 Portuguese adults to uncover the motivations driving or hindering the consumption of pulse-based dishes like soups, salads and main courses. In addition, I investigated whether these motivations differed according to the degree of novelty of dishes and the centrality of meat in the recipe. Results showed that there is potential to partially replace meat with pulses and maintain a similar level of satiation and enjoyment from a meal. Culinary innovations based on novel legume-based ingredients or novel meal contexts for traditional dishes should nevertheless be approached with caution.
I am now in the last year of my PhD program, but, if anything, my passion for promoting healthy and sustainable diets through food innovation just got stronger. Once I complete my dissertation, I want to continue working with hospitality and tourism students in Portugal and abroad to advance the contribution of culinary arts to global sustainability.
My main activity is my work in Higher Education, which I carry out since 2011. Presently, I am Adjunct Professor at the School of Hospitality and Tourism of the Polytechnic Institute of Cávado and Ave, where I teach and coordinate courses in food innovation and culinary arts, and take part in European projects blending research and education, such as the Food Eco-Culture Edu.
BOOKS
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Costa, V., Moura, A., Mira, M. R., Cerdeiras, A., Cruz, I., Pereira, J., Martins, M., Conceição, O., Vilaça, A., Pinheiro, B., Almeida, C., & Carrança, P. (2019). Perfil e tendências do capital humano no setor do turismo (V. Costa & A. Moura, Coord.). Barcelos, Portugal: ETTLAB, Instituto Politécnico do Cávado e Ave. ISBN: 978-989-54489-4-4
PAPERS
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Costa, V., Moura, A., Mira, M.d.R., Cerdeiras, A., Cruz, I.P.d., Pereira, J.F., Martins, I.S., Conceição, O., Vilaça, A., Almeida, C. & Carrança, P. HC Tourism. Profile and Trends of Human Capital in the Tourism Sector (2019). European Journal of Tourism, Hospitality and Recreation, 9(2), 40-51
PRESENTATIONS
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Pereira F., Cunha L.M., Costa A.I. (2024). Less Meat on the Plate: An exploration of culinary and consumer drivers for increasing the consumption of chickpeas in family meals. The Thirteenth International Conference on Culinary Arts & Sciences (ICCAS). Kristianstad University, June 17 - 20, Sweden
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Costa, V., Moura, A., Mira, M. R., Cerdeiras, A., Cruz, I., Pereira, J., Martins, I., Conceição, O., Pinheiro, B., & Almeida, C. (2019). Profile of human resources and skills needs in the Portuguese tourism sector. In Proceedings of the Fifthteenth European Conference in Management Leadership and Governace (ECMLG) (14-15 November), Porto, Portugal DOI:10.34190/MLG.19.111
POSTERS
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Pereira F., Cunha L.M., Costa A.I. (2023). Less meat on the plate: An exploration of culinary and consumer drivers for increasing the consumption of chickpeas in family meals. Inov4Agro 2023 – Scholarship Researcher’s day. Vila Real, November 17.
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Pereira F., Cunha L.M., Costa A.I. (2019). Portuguese female home cook’ perceptions on innovative chickpea-based meals: a mix methods approach. AEPAS 2019 – III Congreso de la Asociación Española de Profesionales del Análisis Sensorial. San Sebastián, June 26-28.
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Pereira F., Cunha L.M., Costa A.I. (2019). Acceptance of traditional and innovative chickpea dishes by Portuguese home cooks influence of eating habits, cooking skills and cooking confidence. Third Cook and Health Conference. Lisbon, October 17-18.
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Pereira F., Cunha L.M., Costa A.I. (2018). Nudging consumer behaviour in a restaurant setting through innovation: increasing legumes consumption by promoting healthier choices. International Conference on Mediterranean Diet and Gastronomy: Linking Innovation, Sustainability and Health. Universidade de Évora, 15-16 October.