The Food Transformation Component of PERU-Hub, led by Mg.Sc. Rossemary Carpio, carried out a technical assistance program in Chazuta, province of San Martin, with the aim of improving the productive capacity of food beneficiaries. On this occasion, the sessions were given to the Association of Agricultural Producers Mishky Cacao, also located in the same area.
Mishky Cacao is an organization of entrepreneurial women who work in the development of products based on macambo, a tropical crop native to the Peruvian Amazon, rich in nutrients due to its high concentration of fiber and omega 9.
The macambo is a tropical fruit that can produce 200 to 300 coconuts, which Mishky Cacao uses to make chocolates and bonbons at its production facilities. Luz María Saurín, representative of this project’s beneficiary organization, said that they hope to be able to perfect the macambo peeling technique to improve their production, in order to make jellies from this crop and thus expand in the domestic and international markets. For this reason, PERU-Hub is evaluating different tests related to the types of macambo peeling in order to develop sustainable, replicable technologies that are easy to use by the project’s food beneficiaries.
The Food Transformation team was also present at the Allima Cacao Cooperative, where tests were conducted with a coating machine designed to coat nuts such as almonds and hazelnuts in chocolate. Finally, a visit was made to the production center of the APROPAL Cooperative, where the team learned about the work being done with palm tree’s core, identifying opportunities for the reuse of its leftovers.
