Research

The Center for Food Science and Technology Studies (CECTA) at the University of Santiago (USACH), a recognized leader in yeast production for the wine industry, is expanding its focus to the baking sector through a novel applied research initiative.

The Fondef IDeA R&D project, “Obtaining a strain of yeast that overproduces ergosterol for use in the production of bread supplemented with vitamin D,” is led by Dr. Eduardo Kessi-Pérez, a researcher at Cecta.

A severe ISAV outbreak plunged the Chilean salmon industry into crisis in 2007. With mortality rates up to 90% across hundreds of farms, 60% of operations halted production. This led to widespread layoffs and losses, directly and indirectly affecting more than 100,000 people.

As the world's top copper producer, Chile's output is significant, reaching 5.3 million metric tons in 2024 and accounting for over 20% of global production in 2023, per Statista.

To sustain its leadership, the national mining industry faces the imperative of increasing copper sulfide and oxide concentrate production. This demands optimizing current mineral extraction and processing systems.

A new production matrix for copper concentrates would incur a significant increase in water consumption during flotation, the key mineral separation process.

Since mid-April, Danilo Átila, a master’s student in Food Science and Technology at the Federal University of Goiás (Brazil), has been doing a research internship at the Polymer Laboratory of the Faculty of Chemistry and Biology, under the guidance of Dr. Paula Zapata, thanks to full funding from his university.

As a guest student until September, his time at Usach is part of his master’s program in Chemistry. He chose Usach due to the prestige and proven track record of both the university and the academic overseeing his work in Chile.

The secondary school student movement has been a key player in social mobilization processes in Latin America. However, its historical study has been marked by gaps, especially regarding the role of women. To help bridge this gap, the Dicyt 2025 project, led by academic and director of the History Department, Dr. Rolando Álvarez, in collaboration with historian Dr. Yanny Santa Cruz, proposes a comparative and gender-based look at the experiences of secondary school women’s participation in the Southern Cone between 1957 and 1976.

On Monday, April 14, the results of the Fondef project “Remote monitoring of wear in mining shovel GETs” were presented. The project was led by Dr. Sebastián Allende, a researcher at the Faculty of Science and the Center for the Development of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology (Cedenna).

The initiative involved the companies Foremin and Dipper Parts, and was supported by the Vice-Rector’s Office for Research, Innovation and Creation (Vriic), through its Technology Management Department (DGT).

The Chilean mining industry faces major challenges in improving the efficiency of its processes and optimizing mineral recovery. In this context, U-Sensing, a science and technology-based spin-off founded by academics Dr. Miguel Maldonado and Dr. Alfredo Artigas from the Department of Metallurgical Engineering at the University of Santiago, has positioned itself as a key player thanks to its innovative technology and outstanding position as a technology provider for mining.

The wine industry is currently facing a silent but constant challenge: climate change, which has altered the way wine is produced, as grapes exposed to higher temperatures ripen faster and concentrate more sugar than normal, resulting in high alcohol levels.

Crucial to Chile’s innovation landscape, the Fund for the Promotion of Scientific and Technological Development (Fondef) finances applied research, technological development, and innovation in strategic economic sectors. It actively promotes collaboration among academia, business, and government. In the highly competitive 2025 Fondef competition, Dr. Andrea Mahn Osses’s project stood out and received an award.

The project aims to validate the microencapsulation of sulforaphane, creating a functional ingredient with proven efficacy for the food industry.

In Chile, various bodies of water, such as the Mapocho River, receive agricultural and industrial waste, including organochlorine pesticides, chemical compounds used for pest control but which accumulate in the environment and affect health and biodiversity.