Emerging Food Technologies and Nutraceuticals

About the Group

This research group promotes innovative technologies through the convergence of different disciplines to develop and consolidate the identification of nutraceutical compounds mainly associated with grains and plants, which can be used to prevent and treat chronic degenerative diseases.

We work on developing foods with health-promoting properties and innovative ingredients obtained using emerging technologies. We also conduct research in Agrobiotechnology, especially in studying entomofauna in stored grains and the detoxification of grain-based foods containing mycotoxins, which are considered the second most important public health problem in the world.

Research lines

• Identification, fractionalization, extraction, and isolation of nutraceuticals and phytochemical compounds with the potential to treat cancer and chronic-degenerative diseases from food matrices, grains, and plants.
• Application of conventional and emerging technologies to generate food with high functional potential and increase the extraction efficiency of targeted compounds and processes in the food industry.
• Development of new-generation proteins and functional ingredients, applying emerging technologies in foods with health-promoting properties.
• Agrobiotechnology involving entomofauna research in stored grains, detoxification of grain-based foods containing mycotoxins, micropropagation, and molecular improvement.

Leader

Johanan del Pino Espinosa Ramírez - johanan_er@tec.mx

Co-leader

Sergio Román Othón Serna Saldívar - sserna@tec.mx

Members

Aurea Karina Ramírez Jiménez
Erick Heredia Olea
Esther Pérez Carrillo
Julián de la Rosa Millán
María Anaberta Cardador Martínez
María del Refugio Rocha Pizaña
Miguel Ángel Ontiveros Torres
Oscar Armando Pérez Méndez
Rebeca García Varela
Ricardo García Gamboa
Silverio García Lara
Tomás García Cayuela
Verónica Rodríguez Martínez
Viridiana Alejandra Tejada Ortigoza
Zamantha Judith Escobedo Avellaneda

Postdoctoral researchers

Ricardo García Gamboa, Professor
Paula Méndez Galarraga, visiting postdoctoral researcher

Most relevant publications

• Hurtado-Romero, A., Del Toro-Barbosa, M., Garcia-Amezquita, L. E., & García-Cayuela, T. (2020). Innovative technologies for the production of food ingredients with prebiotic potential: Modifications, applications, and validation methods. Trends in Food Science & Technology, 104, 117-131.

• Campero-García L., Cantoral-Ceballos J.A., Martínez-Maldonado A., Luna-Muñoz J., Ontiveros-Torres M.*, Gutierrez-Rodriguez A.E.*. 2022. A novel automatic quantification protocol for biomarkers of Tauopathies in the hippocampus and entorhinal cortex of post-mortem samples using an extended semi-siamese U-Net. Biology MDPI. 11:1131-1144. DOI:10.3390/biology11081131.

• Buitimea-Cantúa, G. V., Welti-Chanes, J., & Escobedo-Avellaneda, Z. (2022). Metabolite transformation and β-D-glucosidase activity during the high hydrostatic pressure assisted curing process of vanilla beans (Vanilla planifolia) to improve phenolic compounds formation. Food Chemistry, 384, 132497.

• Díaz-Gómez, J.L., L-M. López-Castillo, S. García-Lara, F. Castorena-Torres, R. Winkler, N. Wielsch, O. Aguilar. 2022. Isolation, purification and obtention of novel and bioactive α-zein peptides in a hepatocarcinoma cell line in vitro. Food and Bioproducts Processing. 135: 48-59, Doi: 10.1016/j.fbp.2022.07.003

• Cardador-Martínez A, Pech-Almeida JL, Allaf K, Palacios-Rojas N, Alonzo-Macías M, Téllez-Pérez C. A Preliminary Study on the Effect of the Instant Controlled Pressure Drop Technology (DIC) on Drying and Rehydration Kinetics of Maize Kernels (Zea mays L.). Foods. 2022 Jul 20;11(14):2151. doi: 10.3390/foods11142151

• Ramírez-Jiménez, A. K., Luzardo-Ocampo, I., Cuellar-Nuñez, M. L., Anaya-Loyola, M. A., León-Galván, M. F., & Loarca-Piña, G. (2022). Daily Intake of a Phaseolus vulgaris L. Snack Bar Attenuates Hypertriglyceridemia and Improves Lipid Metabolism-Associated Plasma Proteins in Mexican Women: A Randomized Clinical Trial. Frontiers in nutrition, 9. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnut.2022.890136

• Maldonado-Rosas R, Tejada-Ortigoza V, Cuan-Urquizo E, Mendoza Cachú D, Morales-de la Peña M, Alvarado-Orozco JM, Campanella OH. 2022. Evaluation of rheology and printability of 3D printing nutritious food with complex formulations. Additive Manufacturing.

• Influence of starch and protein molecular interactions on the in vitro digestion characteristics of biscuits partially substituted with pulse flours. Chávez-Murillo, C.E., Aceves-Flores, M.S., Verástegui-Quevedo, M., de la Rosa-Millán, J. International Journal of Food Science and Technology, 2021, 56(7), pp. 3388–3399

• Espinosa-Ramírez J, Rodríguez A, De la Rosa-Millán J, Heredia-Olea E, Pérez-Carrillo E, Serna-Saldívar SO. 2021. Shear-induced enhancement of technofunctional properties of whole grain flours through extrusion. Food Hydrocolloids 111:106400

Most relevant projects

Extracción mejorada de aceites esenciales de cáscaras de cítricos
Leaders: Jorge Welti Chanes, Viridiana Tejada Ortigoza and Mariana Morales de la Peña
Consorcio UNAM-TEC. Extracción por medio de pulsos eléctricos y extrusión de aceites esenciales de cáscaras de naranja-

Conservación de mango fresco
Leaders: J. Antonio Torres, Viridiana-Tejada, Mariana Morales de la Peña and Jorge Welti
Conservación de mango por medio de luz pulsada y calentamiento óhmico. Financiado por el Mango National Board US.

Fodecijal 9748-2021 (Estudios situacionales de impacto ambiental de cultivos berries y estrategias de valorización de subproductos)
Leader: Tomás García Cayuela
Diagnóstico sobre la cadena de suministro de berries en el estado de Jalisco y la generación de una propuesta para su transición hacia un modelo de gestión integral sustentable basado en esquemas de bioeconomía circular.

BioVen
Leader: César Armando Puente Garza
Estudio del veneno de artrópodos y sus características bioactivas anticancerígenas

MicoBag
Leader: Silverio García Lara
Proyecto Base de evaluación de tecnología prácticas para almacenamiento hermético sustentable de maíz.

Cambios bioquímicos y microestructurales en el proceso de beneficiado de vainilla (Vinilla planifolia) debidos a la aplicación de altas presiones hidrostáticas
Leader: Zamantha Escobedo Avellaneda
Proyecto Ciencia Básica CONACyT

Business relationship

Research Professor: Viridiana Tejada Ortigoza
Company: Griyum, Zofo, Zuustento

Research Professor: Tomás García Cayuela
Company: Arándanos Selectos S.A. de C.V.

Research Professor: Silverio García Lara
Company: AgrinMex, BioImpulsora

Research Professor: César Armando Puente Garza
Company: EscoZul

Research Professor: Zamantha Escobedo Avellaneda
Company: Qualtia (en proceso)

Research Professor: Esther Pérez Carrillo
Company: Kelloggs/ Multiceras