My research in food, agriculture and crops focuses on the detection and quantification of natural and artificial radioactivity in various food items and agricultural products. This work is essential for ensuring public health safety, understanding plant physiology, and facilitating international food trade.

Nutritional Safety & Dietary Risk Assessment

• Radiological Benefit-Risk Index for Food (IRBRF): Development of a novel analytical tool that integrates nutritional quality (based on Nutri-Score logic) with radiological risk. This index was applied to traditional biodiversity-sourced flours (açaí, jatobá, Brazil nut, etc.), identifying products like camu-camu as high-benefit/low-risk options (10.1016/j.foodchem.2026.149707). 

• Organic, conventional, and industrialized foods: A comparative assessment of the most consumed foods by Brazilian families. The research investigates how intensive agriculture and the use of fertilizers in conventional farming may increase radionuclide activity concentrations compared to organic production. [In peer review process]

• Coffee and fresh produce radioecology: Evaluation of ²²⁶Ra, ²²⁸Ra, and ⁴⁰K in coffee and produce from southeastern Brazil. The study highlights significant regional variability due to soil geochemistry (e.g., elevated Radium in Itatiaia) and confirms the safety of Brazilian coffee for international markets. [In peer review process]

• Radionuclide transfer in herbal infusions: Determination of transfer factors from raw herbs to liquid infusions, proving that only a fraction of the plant's radioactivity is actually ingested, thus refining risk estimations (10.1590/0001-3765202520240854).

• Intra-plant distribution in cacao and nuts: Research on the heterogeneous accumulation of radionuclides in morphological structures, showing how tissues like the endocarp and peduncle act as primary conduits for nutrient and radionuclide supply (10.1016/j.jfca.2025.108130).

• Infant nutrition safety: Assessment of committed effective dose and lifetime cancer risk from infant milk formula, providing baseline data for pediatric radiological protection (10.1016/j.apradiso.2022.110468).

Animal Science and Environmental Impact

• Pet food safety: A comprehensive study on representative samples of dog, cat, bird, and rabbit food in Brazil, establishing safety limits for both animals and their human handlers (10.1016/j.apradiso.2026.112429).

• Aquatic biota and mining impacts: Monitoring Uranium and Thorium intake in fish species inhabiting reservoirs near decommissioning mining sites (10.1007/s00411-023-01051-2).

• Surface water potability: Impact assessment of Uranium in water resources within semi-arid regions characterized by natural mineral deposits (10.1007/s11356-024-32671-w).

Soil

• Soil Radioactivity: Evaluation of background levels and potential contamination in agro-industrial, fertilizer-related, and crop-production areas to support land-use and safety policies.

Broader food safety and trade

• • Monitoring the safety of agricultural products to meet the standards of food trading, importing, and exporting entities. This involves certifying the presence or absence of specific radioactive elements in items like sugar, meat, and milk.