Regional Center for the Study of Healthy Foods (CREAS) Information

CREAS is an institution derived from the association of Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso, Universidad de Valparaíso, Universidad Técnica Federico Santa María and INIA La Cruz. The general objective of the center is to constitute a research, development and innovation platform in sustainable technologies and traceable, innocuous foods which have positive effects on human health. CREAS is organized in 4 units Product Unit: development of technologies aimed to obtain innocuous food that promote health, strengthening their competitivity: it contemplates plague managment (use of biocontrolers, botanical sustances, among others), technologies that improve the quality of products through the incorporation of biomolecular technologies, and the obtention of bioactive ingredients. Process Unit: Processing of raw materials to add value on products. It includes the development, formulation and evaluation of foods and products with functional properties. Certification Unit: development of methods and techniques of certification of traceability, authenticity and healthy properties of bioactive compounds and functional foods and products by using adequate biomarkers Business Development Unit: Technological transference activities of the products and services that the other units offer. It aims to generate clusters of food and products with a positive impact on health in the national market and develop business by using marketing and advertising strategies. CREAS main impacts include: a) increased competitive capacity of Chile, as a world food producer; b) strengthened regional capacity and skills of interdisciplinary work to coordinate the innovation of products, processes and management on alimentary and health areas; c) health promotion and risk reduction of diseases by using enviromentallly friendly technologies, d) improvements in healthy lifestyle of the population, with its consequent social and economic benefits.