{"id":225063,"date":"2022-03-07T09:14:56","date_gmt":"2022-03-07T08:14:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/cintecx.webs5.uvigo.es\/erdf\/servizos-de-formacion-e-enxenaria\/"},"modified":"2026-02-28T09:43:59","modified_gmt":"2026-02-28T08:43:59","slug":"infrastructure","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/iaa.uvigo.gal\/en\/services\/infrastructure\/","title":{"rendered":"Infrastructure"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Food Industry Pilot Plant<\/a><\/div>\n
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Person in charge: Sidonia Mart\u00ednez Su\u00e1rez<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

The pilot plant will allow the research groups of the Institute, as well as companies requesting its services, to scale up basic research results to an industrial level. With the aim of covering the most important areas of the Galician food sector, four product processing lines have been designed:<\/p>\n

1) Dairy Products Line
\n2) Seafood and Meat Products Line
\n3) Vegetable, Canned, and Bakery & Pastry Products Line
\n4) Beer and Wine Line<\/p>\n

The equipment in these lines allows the processing and control of food under conditions similar to those used in the agri-food industry, aiming to study and optimize food production processes and assess the influence of different parameters on product quality.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Mass Spectrometry Laboratory<\/a><\/div>\n
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Person in charge: Mar\u00eda Rosa P\u00e9rez Gregorio<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

This facility includes two high-resolution, exact-mass mass spectrometry instruments:<\/p>\n

1) Nano LC 425 system and SCIEX Triple TOF 660 mass spectrometer. This equipment is used for proteomics, one of the mass-analysis or \u201comics\u201d techniques aimed at large-scale protein studies, providing information about their biological function.<\/p>\n

2) UPLC Exion LC AD system and SCIEX Triple TOF 660 mass spectrometer. This equipment enables advanced research in environmental and agri-food fields, opening new frontiers in the study of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) or antimicrobials and their metabolites, as well as their interactions with other components of environmental compartments (water, sediments, sludge, etc.) and agri-food samples (proteins, lipids, carbohydrates, etc.).<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Waste Valorization Laboratory<\/a><\/div>\n
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Person in charge: Gil Garrote Velasco<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

This laboratory is equipped with a steam explosion reactor and a fully mixed titanium reactor.<\/p>\n

1) The steam explosion reactor features a 2 L digester and includes a steam boiler capable of reaching 250\u202f\u00b0C at the corresponding saturation pressure. The steam-heating setup allows the reactor to reach operating conditions in seconds (a clear advantage over systems using liquid water, which require 30 minutes to several hours). The reactor is opened via a discharge valve that enables sudden decompression, while pressure and temperature are monitored automatically using multiple sensors.<\/p>\n

2) The fully mixed titanium reactor allows operation under different stirring rates (up to 100\u202frpm), pressure (up to 150\u202fbar), and temperature (up to 200\u202f\u00b0C). Its titanium construction (as far as we know, the only reactor of this type in Galicia) enables work with any type of reaction medium, including strong acids and bases.<\/p>\n

Both reactors allow different types of biomass treatments aimed at valorization through the production of high-value substances, such as biofuels, additives for the agri-food industry, bioplastics, and more.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Mercury and Organo-Mercury Species Analysis Laboratory<\/a><\/div>\n
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Person in charge: Juan Carlos N\u00f3voa Mu\u00f1oz<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

This laboratory is equipped with two instruments for mercury measurement.<\/p>\n

1) Analyzer for organic Hg species (methyl-Hg and ethyl-Hg) using high-performance liquid chromatography with atomic fluorescence detection (HPLC\u2013AFS). The system includes an Hg FS detector, CV generator, software and Hg lamp, autosampler, peristaltic pump, and high-performance liquid chromatograph for measuring Hg species (HPLC\u2013AFS). This equipment allows the determination of organo-mercury species in various environmental matrices (water, soil, sediments, vegetation), food samples, or residues from different sources. In all cases, prior digestion of the samples is required.<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

2) otal Hg analyzer using atomic fluorescence spectroscopy and cold vapor atomic absorption (CV\u2013AFS\u2013AAS). The system includes an autosampler (36\u201389 positions), mixing reaction block, gas purification system, peristaltic pump, atomic fluorescence detector (CV\u2013AFS), and a software interface. This equipment is used to determine total Hg levels in aqueous extracts from environmental matrices (water, soil, sediments, vegetation), food samples, and various types of by-products.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Tomograf\u00eda Computerizada de Raios-X<\/a><\/div>\n
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Person in charge: Jose Eugenio L\u00f3pez Periago<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

X-ray computed tomography (CT) is a technique that allows the study of an object\u2019s internal structure without altering it. Using the Yxlon FF20 CT system, it is possible to analyze samples weighing up to 17\u202fkg, with maximum dimensions of 28\u202fcm in diameter and 70\u202fcm in height. Due to these sample size limits, this CT scanner is not intended for medical use (the most common application of X-ray tomography), but rather for the precise determination of the internal morphological characteristics of smaller samples.<\/p>\n

CT analysis can be applied in various fields: in soil science, it is commonly used to study pore networks, segment different soil components, and model transport processes; in geology, to parameterize the morphological properties of rocks and minerals; in materials science, to characterize the three-dimensional structure of polymers, foams, and ceramics, among others; in metrology, for the measurement of parts in the automotive or aerospace industries; in paleontology, for the study of fossils; and it can even be used to study and preserve cultural heritage, as it allows the analysis of fragile objects (vases, manuscripts, paintings, etc.) without sampling or compromising their integrity.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Third-Category Radioactive Facility<\/a><\/div>\n
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Person in charge: Mar\u00eda Flora Alonso Vega<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

This facility allows work with unsealed radioactive sources of tritium (\u00b3H) and carbon-14 (\u00b9\u2074C). Among the techniques currently in use are the determination of bacterial growth in soils and waters using the \u00b3H-labeled leucine incorporation method, and the assessment of fungal growth in the same matrices using the \u00b9\u2074C-labeled sodium acetate incorporation method in ergosterol. The facility is equipped with an HPLC with DAD detector connected to a fraction collector for ergosterol separation, as well as a liquid scintillation counter.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Phytotron<\/a><\/div>\n
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Person in charge: Adela Mar\u00eda S\u00e1nchez Moreiras<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

A phytotron is a climate-controlled chamber for plant growth and cultivation that allows simultaneous regulation of temperature, humidity, and lighting, creating the optimal conditions required for the species being grown. Three climate chambers with the phytotron system are located at the Faculty of Biology, and one will be operational in the greenhouse by the end of 2022.<\/p>\n

The phytotron can be used for a variety of purposes, including, among others: in vitro cultivation of different plant varieties, studying the chemical profile of plant species under stress conditions and its impact on diet, assessing the invasive potential of non-native species in Galicia, and evaluating the bio-herbicidal capacity of natural compounds on various weeds.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Greenhouse<\/a><\/div>\n
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Person in charge: Andr\u00e9s Rodr\u00edguez Seijo<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

In addition to housing other facilities, the greenhouse allows the cultivation of plants under semi-controlled conditions, providing a larger scale than the phytotron and conditions closer to real-life environments. It enables trials of new fertilizers, biopesticides, and other treatments, as well as phytotoxicity testing of various substances.<\/p>\n

Among the objectives of this facility, besides small-scale plant cultivation for research, are the dissemination of plant production methods and the provision of scientific and technical advice to the community, both within and outside the university.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Instrumental Analysis Laboratory<\/a><\/div>\n
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Person in charge: David Fern\u00e1ndez Calvi\u00f1o<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

This facility includes the following equipment:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. ICP-OES, which allows the analysis of numerous elements of the periodic table (with the exception of C, N, O, H, F, noble gases, some rare earths, and other less common elements) in liquid samples.<\/li>\n
  2. Gas Chromatograph with FID and ECD detectors, allowing the determination of greenhouse gases and fatty acids.<\/li>\n
  3. HPLC with a DAD detector connected online to a fraction collector, allowing the separation and collection of substances of interest..<\/li>\n
  4. Agilent 1200 Series HPLC equipped with IR (Refractive Index) and DAD (Diode Array Detector) detectors. It allows the separation, identification, and quantification of compounds in solution from different matrices (agri-food, environmental, pharmaceutical, etc.).<\/li>\n
  5. Agilent 1260 Infinity II UHPLC equipped with RID (Refractive Index Detector) and MWD (Multiple Wavelength Detector). It enables the separation, identification, and quantification of compounds in solution from different matrices (agri-food, environmental, pharmaceutical, etc.).<\/li>\n
  6. Agilent Cary 60 UV\u2013Vis Spectrophotometer. Its wavelength range spans from 190 to 1100 nm. The Cary 60 is ideal as a routine UV\u2013Vis spectrophotometer in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries (purity and concentration of APIs), as well as in chemistry, biochemistry, and materials science, and for use in teaching laboratories.<\/li>\n
  7. Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy with Attenuated Total Reflectance (FTIR\u2013ATR) is used to identify and characterize materials through the absorption of infrared light. It enables the acquisition of infrared spectra from solids, liquids, and pastes without the need for dissolution. The wavelength range spans from 400 to 5000 cm\u207b\u00b9.<\/li>\n
  8. PCE-RVI 2 Viscometer. It determines viscosity by measuring the mechanical resistance opposing the rotational movement of the spindle (four available: L1, L2, L3, L4). It operates within a range of 20\u2013100,000 cP and features an adjustable speed between 6 and 60 rpm. It is widely used in the food sector and materials science..<\/li>\n
  9. Microwave Plasma\u2013Atomic Emission Spectroscopy (MP-AES) is an instrumental technique used for the quantitative determination of metallic and non-metallic elements in a wide variety of liquid matrices.<\/li>\n
  10. Segmented Flow Analyzer: an automated instrument used in chemical analysis to process liquid samples continuously and efficiently. It enables the determination of bromides, nitrates, nitrites, fluorides, ammonium, phosphates, total alkalinity, sulfates, and chlorides in environmental samples, food and beverages, pharmaceutical quality control, and clinical testing.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

    <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Food Industry Pilot Plant Person in charge: Sidonia Mart\u00ednez Su\u00e1rez The pilot plant will allow the research groups of the Institute, as well as companies … Continued<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":0,"parent":18842,"menu_order":4,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"views\/template-fullwidth.blade.php","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-225063","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"Infrastructure | Instituto de Agroecolox\u00eda e Alimentaci\u00f3n | UVigo<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/iaa.uvigo.gal\/en\/services\/infrastructure\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Infrastructure | Instituto de Agroecolox\u00eda e Alimentaci\u00f3n | UVigo\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Food Industry Pilot Plant Person in charge: Sidonia Mart\u00ednez Su\u00e1rez The pilot plant will allow the research groups of the Institute, as well as companies … Continued\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/iaa.uvigo.gal\/en\/services\/infrastructure\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Instituto de Agroecolox\u00eda e Alimentaci\u00f3n | UVigo\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-02-28T08:43:59+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"9 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/iaa.uvigo.gal\\\/en\\\/services\\\/infrastructure\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/iaa.uvigo.gal\\\/en\\\/services\\\/infrastructure\\\/\",\"name\":\"Infrastructure | Instituto de Agroecolox\u00eda e Alimentaci\u00f3n | UVigo\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/iaa.uvigo.gal\\\/en\\\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2022-03-07T08:14:56+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-02-28T08:43:59+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/iaa.uvigo.gal\\\/en\\\/services\\\/infrastructure\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/iaa.uvigo.gal\\\/en\\\/services\\\/infrastructure\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/iaa.uvigo.gal\\\/en\\\/services\\\/infrastructure\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Services\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/iaa.uvigo.gal\\\/en\\\/servizos\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Infrastructure\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/iaa.uvigo.gal\\\/en\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/iaa.uvigo.gal\\\/en\\\/\",\"name\":\"Instituto de Agroecolox\u00eda e Alimentaci\u00f3n | UVigo\",\"description\":\"\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/iaa.uvigo.gal\\\/en\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/iaa.uvigo.gal\\\/en\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/iaa.uvigo.gal\\\/en\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Instituto de Agroecolox\u00eda e Alimentaci\u00f3n - 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