The University of Lima articulates efforts of regional and international actors to develop functional foods from by-products of the fishing industry.
Child malnutrition has a negative impact on children's development, diminishing their cognitive abilities and health status(United Nations Children's Fund, 2019). In Peru, 12.2 % of children under 5 years of age suffer from malnutrition. This situation is more acute in the Piura region, where this figure represents 13.1 per cent of the child population(Instituto Nacional de Estadística e Informática, 2019).
The Centro de Estudios e Innovación de Alimentos Funcionales (CEIAF) of the University of Lima seeks to respond to this problem with the project "Revalorisation of bioactive peptides from hydrobiological product waste to contribute to the reduction of child malnutrition and increase the competitiveness of the fishing industry in the bay of Sechura, Piura". This project seeks to develop functional foods based on bioactive peptides obtained from the by-products of fan shells, with the aim of reducing child malnutrition in the country. The global nature of this challenge led CEIAF to incorporate researchers from the Instituto de la Grasa (CSIC) in Seville, Spain, with which it has an institutional agreement, into the project. CEIAF also coordinated the efforts of local actors, both from the public sector through the Ministry of Production (PNIPA), and from the private sector, with the collaboration of the company Gam Corp. S. A. The project is coordinated by Dr. Nancy Chasquibol Silva.
This project is part of a set of research and innovation initiatives linked to guaranteeing food security and nutrition for the population, and which are also committed to the sustainability of bioresources(Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations, 2017). These challenges and objectives have been integrated into the strategic focus Sustainable Food Systems, which is an area of specialisation identified by the University within the framework of the Erasmus+ I2LATAM project. In this way, based on a methodology for analysing R&D&I capacities, the University seeks to respond to global, national and regional needs related to food.
In this sense, I2LATAM will collaborate to articulate projects such as this one with a scientific agenda, which will allow the development of those areas of scientific-technical strength of the institution.
These challenges and objectives have been integrated into the strategic focus Sustainable Food Systems, which is an area of specialisation identified by the University within the framework of the Erasmus+ I2LATAM project.
