FUNCTIONAL UNITS

7 years ago

Center for Advanced Studies in Olive Grove and Olive Oils

University

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Apart from the units mentioned above, our Centre involves other ones. For instance:

1. Genomics Unit. It carries out different lines of research:

  • Study of olive tree genome: stress, development and youthful period.
  • Olive tree response to diseases, olive tree verticillium wilt.
  • Study of genes with agronomic interest.
  • Genetic improvement of olive tree.
  • Varietal identification.

Current projects

- Strategies based on “omicas” approaches for the management of olive tree verticillium wilt: genes involved in olive tree tolerance for Porverticillium dahliae infection.

- HIV-1 infection latency: molecular mechanisms and gene therapy strategies using directed nanoparticles.

 

2. Marketing and Economic Unit. It involves: 

  • Ad hoc market research and assessment.
  • Analysing consumers' behaviour in Spain and international markets, not only in home channels but also in the HORECA channel.
  • Marketing plans.
  • Design of corporate positioning.
  • Study of trademarks, containers and labelling (surveys, experiments and qualitative research).
  • Agrarian cooperativism/ olive-oil cooperativism.
  • Registration, protection of trademarks and distinctive signs of quality.

Current projects:

- Consumer emotional intelligence (CEI): proposal of a measuring instrument and its application in the agri-food sector.

- Alive olive groves. Design and certification of olive grove reconciled to biodiversity.

- Challenges and competition possibilities of traditional olive groves in the province of Jaen facing the challenge of crop globalization: a benchmark in a mediterranean context.

- Challenges of olive oils efficient commercialization: correct labelling and use of advantages associated with a website.

- Analysing the use of ICTs by second-grade cooperativism and corporative groups of commercialization in the olive sector.

- Analysing the demand and perspectives of oleoturism in the province of Jaen.

Future projects:

- Analysis and decomposition of rituals from food products and drinks.

- Study of knowledge about olive oils of agents integrating the agrifood chain.

-Analysing the database "Trujal" and its possibilities to use it on market studies related to segmentation and marketing-mix of olive oils.

 

3. Robotics Unit, with the following lines of research:

  1.  Research and development in the VOO extraction process applying advanced automation (sensors, control and measurement systems, integration of IoT data, )
  2. Control of physical interaction on handler robots.
  3. Computer vision applied to quality control.
  4. Advanced automation of processes: design of new procedures, automatic control of quality applying advanced sensors, distributed systems, sensory integration
  5. Development of microelectronic hardware equipment (embedded systems, new sensors)
  6. Development of software applications (production, MES)

Current projects:

- Development of advanced measurement techniques and control of the virgin olive oil production process for its optimization on the basis of perception and health criteria.

- Development of food supplements from olive orchard products aimed at human cardiovascular protection.

Future projects:

- Study of correlation consumers' taste- organoleptic properties of virgin olive oils according to characterization of electronic nose and tongue.

- Modelling and automatic control of virgin olive oil production process.

- Non-invasive system for automatic measurement of healthy components on intact olives, olive tree leaves and produced oil.

 

4. Ecology Unit. It does research on these areas:

  • Optimization of fertilization in olive groves.
  • Biological control against olive grove plagues and diseases.
  • Renovation, rehabilitation and bioremediation of olive grove soils.
  • Design of olive grove green covers.
  • Ecophysiology of water in olive grove.
  • Pruning management.
  • Ecotoxicology of soils and water in olive groves.
  • Valuation of olive industry byproducts.
  • Carbon footprint assessment.
  • Ecological solutions in olive grove management.
  • Use efficiency of nutrients in olive groves: balance of entries- internal cycle- exits from the agroecosystem.
  • Certification of Ecological Sustainability in olive groves.

Current projects:

- Carbon balance in olive orchard: effect of plant cover presence (CARBOLIVAR).

- Sustainable farms systems: Long-term socio-ecological metabolism in western agriculture.

- Carbon sequestration in olive orchard with plant cover.

- Analysing the effects of fertilizers based on camel, lamb and sheep compost on soil fertility and olive tree productivity in Saudi Arabia.

Future projects:

- SUSTANOLIVO.

 

5. Epidemiology Unit. Lines of research:

  • Design of research in human health: nutrition and environment.
  • Statistical analysis of relevant information for health.
  • Assessment of scientific literature (experience in metaanalysis).

Current projects:

- PREDIMED+DM: Effect of a low-calorie Mediterranean diet and promotion of physical activity on type 2 diabetes prevention in people with metabolic syndrome.

- Fibromyalgia and oxidative stress. Influence of olive oil

 

6. Biochemistry Unit. It includes:

  • Biochemical and molecular characterization of enzymatic antioxidants as indicators of performance and production.
  • NADP-dehydrogenases and nitric oxide synthases characterization in plants.
  • Peroxiredoxins in plants.
  • Oxidative stress in olive tree.
  • Mechanisms of molecular signalling in interaction plant-pathogen.
  • Nitric oxide metabolism.
  • Efficient bioformulations: control of olive tree verticillium wilt as a phytosanitary bioindicator.
  • Cultures in vitro of olive tree (from seed).
  • Nitrated fatty acids/ nitrolipids in olive oil: implications in cardiovascular health processes.
  • Establishment of the optimal moment of harvesting in order to obtain olive oils enriched in nitro-fatty acids (value added of health to EVOO).
  • Early detection of olive grove diseases caused by soil pathogens.

Current projects:

- Molecular characterization of nitro-fatty acids in extra virgin olive oil (AOVE) obtained in different periods of olive tree fruit ripening process.

- Analysing signalling mechanisms by nitrated lipids during development and abiotic stress response in plants.

Future projects:

- Characterization and identification of extra virgin olive oils with a high nitro-fatty acids content as a quality factor.

 

7. Health Unit. Mainly it covers:

  • Immunity, cancer and olive ;
  • Molecular mechanisms of tumour escape.
  • Metastasis.
  • Mechanisms of antitumour defence.
  • Apoptosis.

Current projects:

- METASIN. Research, development and innovation of new multifunctional foods for metabolic syndrome.

- Predimed-Plus study: diseases prevention through Mediterranean diet + EVOO.

Future projects:

- In vivo characterization of the effects of components from a food matrix based on byproducts coming from the olive oil extraction process in the development of metabolic syndrome.

- Studies of citotoxicity and antioxidant capacity of substances.


 Agriculture
 Agrifood
 Biodiversity
 Health Care
 Environmental protection
 IT
 Robotics
 Nutrition
 Research
 Marketing

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