Roberta Claro Da Silva, Ph.D.

Da Silva is researching oleogel as a potential fat substitute for use in food processing..

Despite the recommendation to consume predominantly unsaturated fats, the way many alternatives behave at room temperature makes them unsuited for industrial applications, Silva said. Oleogel is a relatively new technology that can be applied as a total or partial replacement for conventional fats..

“The development of this technology both helps the consumer and meets industry demands to improve the healthiness of processed food,” she said.