Faculty of Pharmaceutical and Food Sciences

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Research group

Spanish

Healthy Foods Research Group (GIAS)

Academic Unit: Faculty of Pharmaceutical and Food Sciences

Colombian Ministry of Science

Call

GrupLAC

OECD

Area

Agricultural sciences

Subarea

Agricultural biotechnology

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Strategic Focus

The Healthy Foods Research Group (GIAS) is dedicated to studying the chemical and biological components present in foods that can contribute to consumer health and well-being. To this end, it conducts research into the bioprospecting of probiotic microorganisms and the study of prebiotic substances, bioactive substances, and other food components. GIAS promotes innovation in the design, formulation, and production of functional foods, such as fermented foods and foods enriched with probiotic microorganisms and/or prebiotic compounds (synbiotics). To this end, it uses agri-food resources from the region, recovers ancestral knowledge from the region, and strives for sustainability in production processes. For GIAS, the transfer of scientific knowledge involved in its field of study, i.e., healthy foods, is a strategy that involves a commitment to educating the general public, providing technical and scientific support to producers of healthy foods, and training new researchers in this field of knowledge.

Research Lines and/or Areas

Research in Food Fermentation
Research in Functional Foods

Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

Group Coordinator

Karina Edith Motato Rocha, PhD

PhD in Biotechnology, Universidad de Antiqouia (Colombia)
Master's Degree in Biotechnology, University of Antioquia (Colombia)
Professional Degree in Food Science and Technology, University of Antioquia (Colombia)
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Coordinator's Email

karina.motato@udea.edu.co

Scientific Cooperation

Collaborative Relationships

Instituto de Productos Lácteos de Asturias (Oviedo, España)
Tecno-parque SENA. Línea de Biotecnología (Colombia)
Laboratorio de Café. SENA La Salada, Caldas (Colombia)

Highlighted Projects

Preparation of milk desserts and sweets with added fruit fiber as a source of total dietary fiber. (CIQF-065). 2004.
Development and evaluation of cookies made with a mixture of dietary fiber sources as a functional food. (CIQF-073). 2005-2006.
Evaluation of the effect of osmotic dehydration on the physicochemical properties of orange waste flour (Citrus sinensis variety Valencia). 2009-2011.
Development and industrial production of soft candies made from cape gooseberry (Physalis peruviana L.) with added calcium, vitamin D, and dietary fiber as a functional food (CIQF-112). 2008-2014.
Construction of pilot equipment for the development of functional beverages and non-alcoholic beer (CIQF-220). 2015-2017.
Viable and cultivable microorganisms present in the wet fermentation process of coffee (Coffea arabica catimor and castillo varieties) and their relationship with the coffee profile in the cup at the “La Antigua” farm in the municipality of Jardín, Antioquia. 2019-27352 (SIIU).

Key Research Findings

Francia Elena Valencia G., Misael Cortés R., María Orfilia Román M. Evaluation of the quality of sucrose-free cape gooseberry candies with added calcium. Biotechnology in the Agricultural and Agroindustrial Sector Journal. Vol. 11, No. 1 (47–56), January–June 2013. ISSN 1692-3561.
Alexis López Padilla. Mortiño fruit can be used as an antioxidant in meat preparations. UAM Gazette. Spain. II - 2018. ISSN 2386-82871. http://biotech-spain.com/es/articles/el-fruto-del-morti-o-puede-utilizarse-como-antioxidante-en-preparados-c-rnicos/
Ramírez Botero Claudia María, Román Morales María Orfilia. On foods with lipid-lowering activity. Cuban Journal of Food and Nutrition. Volume 28. Number 2.: 417-456. July – December, 2018. ISSN: 1561-2929. https://www.medigraphic.com/pdfs/revcubalnut/can-2018/can182l.pdf.
Román Morales María Orfilia, Motato Rocha Karina Edith, González Montero Valentina, Garzón Caro Lina María, León Leal Andrés Mauricio. The tiny organisms that give coffee its aroma and flavor. EXPERIMENTA Magazine. Issue 15. Medellín, 2022. ISSN: 2357-3503 (PRINT). https://revistas.udea.edu.co/index.php/experimenta/issue/view/4027

Services and/or Products Portfolio

Specialized consulting for the isolation, purification, and identification of food-grade microorganisms.
Specialized consulting for post-harvest and fermentation processes in specialty coffees.
Technical services in microbiological analysis of fermented foods.
Design of food fermentation processes (craft brewing, fermented dairy products, fermented vegetables).
Physicochemical characterization of healthy foods.
Design and formulation of healthy foods.
Specialized training for the preparation and consumption of healthy foods for the general public.