Technological innovations

Start up Production – Professor Debora Façanha is responsible for the administration of Startup Alelo A2. Alelo A2 is a startup created in the Economic Innovation Clusters Program that works with a value proposition that aims to connect the production sector with consumers who need to ingest A2 milk, due to digestive limitations, mainly allergies and inflammatory reactions. In the 2023 actions, services to livestock farmers of the Gir, Sindi, SRD x Holandes, Curraleiro Pé-Duro and Guzrá breeds were interrupted. The exhibitions were held at the stands of PEC NORDESTE 2023 and at the SEMINÁRIO AGOSETORES – SDE – Government of Ceará.

Production of an application to measure pain – Professor Valéria Veras was part of the team of researchers who created a free application to help calculate the level of pain and discomfort in animals. Developed in the city of Botucatu (SP), VetPain, as it was named, works with scales to assess the suffering of pets and production animals, such as cattle, horses, sheep and pigs. The application can be used both by professionals in the field and by guardians who will be able to assess the animal’s general condition and make a more correct referral. “When calculating the score, the tutor will also be able to identify whether there is a need for treatment with analgesics or whether the case requires a medical consultation” according to the application’s producer.

Ovarian Tissue Cryosystem – OTC – In collaboration with the LAMOFOPA team at the State University of Ceará, through the Artificial Ovary Network, we adapted a closed system for cryopreservation of ovarian tissue from wild animals. In 2021, the effectiveness of the OTC as a device for cryopreservation of ovarian tissue from a wild rodent model, the agouti (Dasyprocta leporina), was demonstrated, as well as its efficiency in controlling the proliferation of aerobic bacterial load during sample processing.

Production of Face-Shields. The new Coronavirus pandemic has led researchers around the world to look for alternatives that can reduce Covid-19 contamination. In this context, Prof. Marcelo Bezerra, from PPGCA, is producing facial shields – Face Shield – from new materials, such as a combination of polymethylmethacrylate and benzoyl peroxide, which generates an acrylic resin. Now, the laboratory has already produced more than 500 Face-Shields, distributed to professors, students and servers from different sectors of UFERSA.

Low cost incubator for in vitro embryo production. Project approved in PROPPG OFFICIAL ANNOUNCEMENT 13/2020 – STARTUP / UFERSA, through the Technological Innovation Center, which aims to provide financial support and structure for students to develop solutions in the form of companies that use innovation, usually of an intense technological nature, and have the capacity to scale, known as startup’s. The aforementioned project was approved and will be developed under the mentorship of Prof. Dr. Marcelo Barbosa Bezerra, from PPGCA, with a total resource of R $ 15,600.00.

Ovarian Tissue Cryosystem – OTC: In partnership with the LAMOFOPA team at the State University of Ceará, through the Artificial Ovary Network, the team from the Animal Germplasm Conservation Laboratory, coordinated by Prof. Dr. Alexandre Rodrigue Silva, has been adapting a closed system for the cryopreservation of ovarian tissue for wild animals.

Testicular Tissue Cryopreservation Bioprocess: In partnership with the Smithsonian Institute, the team from the Animal Germplasm Conservation Laboratory, under the coordination of Prof. Alexandre Rodrigues Silva, has brought to Brazil a methodology for the cryopreservation of testicular tissue, which will effectively contribute to the formation of biobanks of valuable genotypes, whether of wild or domestic origin.

Bioactives extracted from plants in the in vitro production of embryos: In partnership with the Federal Institute of Rio Grande do Norte, professor Alexsandra Fernandes Pereira has generated applications beyond those existing for plants present in the region as a source of bioactive for the production of embryos.

Use of nuclear transfer cloning in the conservation of wild mammals. Professor Alexsandra Fernandes Pereira had in her PhD in 2010 the first thesis of the Northeast region in the area of ​​cloning by nuclear transfer in animals. As a result, after joining UFERSA and PPGCA in 2013 as a professor, it has enabled training of human resources in the area, as well as expanding this technique for the conservation of wild mammals. The aspect is innovative, since the professor and her team have generated data on wild species, such as jaguars, collectors and agoutis, unique in the world. In addition, recently, the professor established a scientific partnership with professor Fabiana Fernandes Bressan from USP in order to produce cells induced to pluripotency in this species.

New preservatives in meat products. Professor Patrícia de Oliveira Lima has developed experiments aimed at new preservatives from natural products in the preservation of meat products. An interesting case was the dissertation by student Allison Ferreira de Lima and entitled ‘Edible coatings based on chitosan and rosemary extract and its applicability in beef, resulted in the development of a technological alternative to increase the shelf life of meat”

Experimental biotechnology of propolis. Professor Jael Batista Soares has developed experiments focused on the use of propolis as herbal medicines applied in Veterinary Medicine. Examples of these innovative aspects can be observed in the works defended under his guidance, such as “Healing activity of red propolis in surgical wounds and cats submitted to ovariosalpingohisterectomy”.

Innovations in the area of ​​Animal Biotechnology. Professor Marcelo Barbosa Bezerra has developed experiments aimed at technological innovation. An interesting case was the dissertation by student Beatriz Dantas Fernandes and entitled “Development of SILPURAN® silicone-based microfluidic system for the selection of bovine sperm.