An interdisciplinary and inter-institutional team led from CEDENNA recently won the 2025 ANID Technological Research Competition, with an innovative proposal that developed a portable device for detecting pesticides in post-harvest, a key technology to strengthen the productivity, safety and sustainability of the Chilean agricultural industry.
The project, funded by ANID through the Fund for the Promotion of Scientific and Technological Development (Fondef), was led by Agricultural Research Institute (INIA) and brought together capabilities from the Universidad de Santiago de Chile (USACH), the Universidad Diego Portales (UDP), the Universidad Central (UCEN) and the company DECCO, which specializes in fruit and vegetable treatment. At UDP, the initiative was supported by the Vice-Rectorate for Research, Innovation and Creation, through its Technology Management Directorate.
From CEDENNA, Dr. Álvaro Espejo, UDP academic and Center researcher, led the design and prototyping of the device, while Dr. Dora Altbir, director of CEDENNA, was part of the team driving the project.
The project, titled “Development of a portable device for the detection and identification of pesticides: quality control through the generation of an optical fingerprint” (Fondef ID23I10326), presented its results at a seminar held in the auditorium of INIA La Platina, with broad participation of stakeholders from the academic, public and private sectors.
After two years of work, the team managed to build a prototype unique in Chile, with potential for technology transfer and industrial scale-up. Its portability and ease of use will make it possible to reduce costs, speed up processes and improve safety in the control of pesticide residues, providing a concrete tool to strengthen the traceability and quality of agricultural products.
“The project is fully aligned with CEDENNA’s mission to generate frontier knowledge with real impact on the country,” said Dr. Sebastián Allende, CEDENNA researcher and USACH academic.
