Investigación

Global demand for functional foods is growing steadily, primarily driven by consumers seeking products that not only fulfill their nutritional requirements but also offer specific health benefits.

According to a report by consulting firm Fortune Business Insights, the global functional food and beverage market is poised for explosive growth, with its value projected to reach USD 793.60 billion in 2032. This represents a near doubling of the estimated USD 398.81 billion for 2025, reflecting a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 10.33% over that period.

Developed in the Faculty of Chemistry and Biology laboratories, a natural, liter-extract based ointment is transforming the veterinary treatment of melanoma—the most aggressive skin cancer—in horses and pets. This innovation is expected to have an international impact.

The innovative treatment was developed by academics Dr. Leonel Rojo and Dr. Claudio Acuña. Beginning in 2026, Kawell—a company dedicated to equine and pet wellness with operations in Chile and the United States—will be responsible for the international marketing and distribution of the product.

Concrete is the most widely used material in construction in Chile and around the world. However, its production involves high environmental and economic costs, which call for innovative solutions to optimize its performance.

Current chemical additives and cement replacement materials offer improved properties and sustainability. However, high industry requirements demand even more advanced alternatives. This has led to the exploration of bio-concrete, which is valued for its ability to self-repair cracks, thereby significantly extending the material's useful life.

Driven by high international demand, Chilean fruit growing has expanded steadily in recent decades. To maintain competitiveness, the sector has adopted intensive practices like higher planting density, aggressive pruning, and heavy fertilizer use.

Unfortunately, these practices have led to an increase in phytopathogenic fungal diseases, especially those affecting fruit tree wood. Such infections weaken the trees’ structure and significantly diminish their productivity.

When we think of galaxies, we often picture them as solitary, spinning disks of stars. However, the reality is far more intricate. Galaxies actually reside in cosmic neighborhoods called galaxy clusters, where hundreds of other galaxies are tightly bound together by gravity. These immense clusters typically feature a dominant central galaxy, which almost always hosts a supermassive black hole at its core.

At a treatment plant inauguration a few weeks ago, Ministers Carlos Montes (Housing and Urban Development) and Álvaro Elizalde (Interior) announced a new public policy: promoting the reuse of water from sinks, washing machines, and showers in new building projects to conserve water resources.

Ciudad Vagón is a replicable initiative from University of Santiago students that transforms unused urban spaces into vibrant, functional areas.

As the winner of the Estación Futuro challenge, the proposal emerged from an open innovation call. This initiative was a collaboration between the Innovation Center (CI) of the Faculty of Engineering (FING) and Metro de Santiago (the commissioning entity), operating within the Sinapsis Usach platform, part of the Directorate of Innovation and Entrepreneurship (Dinem). 

This research was led by Santiago Orcajo, a researcher affiliated with the Institute of Astrophysics of La Plata (Argentina). The study was conducted under the auspices of the Millennium Nucleus for the Study of Young Exoplanets and their Moons (YEMS), an initiative that convenes researchers from four Chilean academic institutions, including the University of Santiago de Chile (Usach).

Globally, Chile is the second-largest producer of Atlantic salmon, a highly nutritious and widely consumed species. Domestically, salmon farming ranks as the nation’s second most important industry after copper. Concentrated primarily in the regions of Puerto Montt, Aysén, and Magallanes, this sector significantly impacts the economy, society, and science, driving employment, technological innovation, and regional development.

During the second half of June, Fernando Carranza, a doctoral student in Anthropology at Tulane University (USA), spent two weeks collaborating with Dr. Javier Echeverría, a professor in the Faculty of Chemistry and Biology at the University of Santiago, Chile.

The visit was driven by Carranza’s interest in learning advanced analytical chemistry techniques to study archaeological artifacts. Specifically, he aimed to examine those that might contain remnants of psychoactive plants used in rituals by ancient Andean Amazonian cultures.