The Food Transformation Component of PERU-Hub, led by Mg. Sc Rossemary Carpio, together with Amanda Deering Ph.D, Ximena Yepez Ph.D and Antonio Vela Ph.D, researchers in the area of food science at Purdue University, went to the province of Moyobamba in San Martin to visit enterprises related to the cultivation of vanilla and aguaje; which is part of the technical assistance program of the component. Activity shared with the Entrepreneurship component, who identified the enterprises in these two crops.
During their visit, they toured the Asociación de Conservación Aguajales y Renacales del Alto Mayo (ADECARAM), a cooperative formed by founding members who carry out activities in the cultivation of vanilla and aguaje, where the project seeks to implement a new technology such as solar drying to reduce the curing period of vanilla, as well as a study to quantify the bioactive contents of the vanilla present during the curing process. The project also identified the importance of characterizing aguaje ecotypes to identify their potential and thus provide alternatives to add value to the product according to market needs.
They also visited Wawki, where they learned about their vanilla venture and its development process.
