ACTIVITY GROUP’S DESCRIPTION

The Andean Crops Research and Innovation Center (CIINCA) was created within the framework of the IANA (Innovations in Native Foods from the Andes) project. It also includes the Ayni Q’illu Research Circle, which is composed of students from the Faculty of Food Industry (FIAL) at UNALM.

CIINCA is a leading center for research, innovation and development on subjects related to the primary processing and transformation of Andean grains (quinoa, amaranth, Andean lupine, chia). It aims to improve the competitiveness of the food and agricultural industries in Peru.

GOALS:
Making a contribution to research, development and innovation on Andean grains, with an emphasis on sustainable use and processing, thus benefitting the Peruvian agrifood sector.

CIDCA is an Institute constituted by a multidisciplinary group of Scientific-Technological research dependent on the National University of La Plata. Its objectives are focused on research and development in food preservation and processing, technologies adapted to the requirements of the country, especially with regard to equipment and storage conditions, transportation, marketing systems, etc., to elaborate standards and quality criteria that allow improving the marketing of perishable products in the domestic and export markets, the resources used, the transfer of knowledge and technology to the productive sector and the human resources form in Food Science and Technology that, to transfer to the productive environment , improve the technical level of the industry, tending to a faster development in the area. It is also the objective of the Center to train researchers as a means of accelerating the training of personnel involved in projects as well as the activation of new groups in the area.

SPECIFIC
1) Promoting scientific research in key issues such as post-harvest, nutritional value, functional value, characterization and technologies for processing Andean grains
2) Conducting research on the development of new bakery products and snacks, as well as other nutritious Andean grain-derived products
3) Establishing links with other institutions, especially in the private sector, in order to stimulate innovation in the agrifood sector.

LINES OF RESEARCH

1) Post-harvest handling of Andean grains; product development
2) Nutritional and functional value of Andean grains