CIDCA celebrates 50 years

The Center for Research and Development in Food Cryotechnology (CIDCA) was created in 1973 by agreement dated February 10, 1973 between the National University of La Plata (UNLP), the National Council for Scientific and Technical Research (CONICET) and the Scientific Research Commission of the Province of Buenos Aires (CIC), institutions on which it currently depends.

It is an Executing Unit in the area of ​​Food Science, Technology and Engineering linked to the CONICET La Plata Scientific and Technological Center (CCT-La Plata), to the Faculty of Exact Sciences of the UNLP and to the CICPBA. CIDCA carries out scientific and technological research tasks, human resources training, development work, innovation and technology transfer, as well as technical services to the productive sector.

Its directors have been Dr. Alfredo Calvelo (1973-1985), Dr. María Cristina Añón (1985-2002), Dr. Noemí Zaritzky (2002-2016) and Dr. Andrea Gómez-Zavaglia (since 2016).

CIDCA's values ​​are focused on excellence, commitment, learning, creativity, innovation, respect and service vocation, and have been fundamental pillars for its evolution throughout its 50 years of existence.

The general objective of CIDCA is to strengthen capacities in Food Science, Technology and Engineering, promoting basic and applied research of excellence, and strengthening the link with the socio-productive sector and the regional, national and international scientific community and its specific objectives revolve around of 5 central, dynamic and interrelated axes:

a- Research, development and innovation (R+D+i)

b- Linkage and transfer to the socio-productive sector

c- Training of human resources at undergraduate and postgraduate level

d- Diffusion

e- Institutional management

CIDCA addresses issues related to Food Science, Technology and Engineering, which can be grouped into three fundamental interrelated areas:

- Food Science (Biochemistry and Microbiology): the bioactivity of various food components is evaluated, in order to provide the necessary scientific evidence to support their incorporation in the development of functional foods. Other aspects that are addressed are the generation of allergies due to the ingestion of food proteins and the use of plants as economical and safe systems for the production of recombinant proteins with applications in therapy, diagnosis and industry.

- Food Technology: work is being done on the development, improvement of quality, and processing and preservation technologies for fruit and vegetable foods, processed foods based on raw materials and/or by-products derived from cereals, pseudocereals, oilseeds, and other crops. from regional economies, meat and dairy foods. In addition, the development of ingredients for food use from the mentioned products is addressed, as well as containers, coatings, films, active hydrogels and encapsulations from proteins or hydrocolloids. The reuse of agro-industrial by-products rich in proteins, fibers and/or other potentially bioactive components is also evaluated.

- Food Engineering: food preservation and treatment processes (freezing, dehydration, sterilization, cooking, baking, extrusion) are developed and optimized through mathematical modeling and computer simulation of the heat and matter transfers involved. In addition, experimental determinations of transport properties, quality indices, cost calculations are carried out. On the other hand, efficient technological alternatives for wastewater treatment (removal of pollutants through biological and physicochemical methods) are studied.

The development of products and processes arises from the interaction between the three areas mentioned above and includes quality assessment, shelf life studies and product-packaging interaction, with the ultimate goal of transferring it to industry and consumers.

CIDCA is a multidisciplinary institute made up of Biochemists, Chemists, Chemical Engineers, Agronomists, Graduates and Food Engineers, Biologists and Biotechnologists, among other professionals.

Scientific production includes more than 1,600 articles in international journals, 200 book chapters, 179 doctoral theses, 39 master's theses, 25 patents, and dozens of international projects.

Today CIDCA celebrates 50 years of scientific work, of innovative impulse transferred in the area of ​​food and will continue to put science at the service of the community.

On the new website you will find general information about CIDCA, research groups, services and advice it provides, news, members, and contacts: https://cidca.conicet.gov.ar/?lan=en