Conference Agenda

Instant soups are ultra-processed foods due to their high level of industrialization, ease of preparation, and low cost, making them popular among young people and students, who consume them frequently on a daily basis. However, this has led to health problems because instant soups have poor nutritional value. This study focuses on comparing the information on the nutrition labels of instant soup brands with the results of laboratory analyses of these soups. The fat and crude protein content of thirteen brands of instant soups was determined using official AOAC methods, and the experimental values ​​were compared with the information declared on the nutrition labels. The results showed significant discrepancies between the experimental values ​​and those declared on the nutrition labels. Overall, 9 of the 13 samples had a higher fat content than reported by the manufacturer, indicating a trend toward underreporting. The crude protein content showed moderate variability, ranging from 8.53 g to 12.39 g per container, with an average of 9.89 g. Inconsistencies were found in the nutritional labeling of instant soups, particularly regarding fat content.

The price of coffee in the international market is controlled by the interaction of supply and demand. However, purchasing companies impose a series of conditions on producing countries related to the quality of the coffee beans, which in turn affect the quality of the cup of coffee. Certain parameters are evaluated at the receiving ports through random samples taken from containers to assess the quality of the product. However, the beans quality is not only determined by the elimination of defects prior to shipment, but also through a series of cultural practices, many of which are applied on coffee plantations. Finally, although there are market niches where the beans price is quoted at much higher prices (gourmet coffees), the market of most of the world’s production is controlled by the average consumer, who is unwilling to pay the prices of specialty coffees. This essay presents a detailed discussion of the parameters that affect the price of the beans, and which must be considered by both producers and exporters to achieve the best prices and generate the most foreign currency for their countries of origin.

Urban agriculture (UA) represents a critical solution for food security in urban environments; however, its widespread adoption is limited by the lack of specialized and personalized guidance that adapts to residents' space constraints and microclimate conditions. This study presents GROWIA, a web application leveraging Claude Sonnet 4 Large Language Model (LLM) through specialized prompt engineering to democratize agricultural knowledge and facilitate the production of nutritious foods in Metropolitan Lima. Unlike traditional rule-based systems requiring manual rule encoding or fine-tuning approaches demanding significant computational resources, GROWIA employs a carefully crafted prompt engineering methodology that transforms a general-purpose LLM into a domain-specific agricultural advisor. Implemented with a three-tier architecture and specialized prompt engineering, the application processes contextual user information to generate personalized cultivation plans through natural language interaction. Dual validation included technical evaluation by 8 agronomist experts on 19 cultivation plans and usability testing with 14 end users without experience. Results demonstrate a Correct Recommendations Rate of 89.5% (p=0.032), a System Usability Scale score of 85.2, a 55.4% reduction in perceived barriers, and 71.4% effective adoption. GROWIA demonstrates that domain-specialized LLMs through prompt engineering can effectively democratize agricultural expertise, offering a scalable, replicable solution for addressing urban food security challenges across Latin American metropolitan contexts.

This study examines the long- and short-run relationship between the international coffee price, China’s coffee imports (HS 0901), the joint

production of Brazil and Vietnam, and the USD/CNY exchange rate over the period 1995–2023. Annual data from official sources (ICO,

USDA–PSD, UN Comtrade/OEC.World, and FRED) are employed, transformed into natural logarithms, the study implements ARDL–ECM

and VAR models within a cointegration framework. The Bounds Test results indicate the existence of a long-run equilibrium relationship

among the variables, in which the combined production of Brazil and Vietnam exerts a negative and statistically significant effect on prices,

while the USD/CNY exchange rate emerges as a key macrofinancial determinant. China’s imports display the expected sign but are not

statistically significant in the long run, suggesting an emerging role that is still consolidating. The error-correction term indicates that

approximately 40% of deviations from the long-run equilibrium are corrected annually, and the VAR analysis together with impulse

response functions and variance decomposition confirms the central importance of supply shocks and the exchange-rate channel. These

findings have relevant implications for producing countries such as Honduras, highlighting the need for differentiation strategies,

exchange-rate risk management, and the design of trade policies grounded in the joint dynamics of global supply, Chinese demand, and

international financial conditions.

This research evaluated the impact of osmotic dehydration (OD) pretreatment at 40°Brix for 0, 1.5, and 3 min, and convective drying temperatures (40°C, 60°C, and 80°C), on the drying kinetics, color changes, and rehydration kinetics of pear slices. Drying efficiency was found to increase significantly with increasing osmotic pretreatment temperature and time. The most efficient moisture removal condition was drying at 80°C with 3 min of OD, the kinetics of which were described by the Page model (R² ≥ 0.99). However, the application of OD under some conditions intensified browning, although a 3-min OD pretreatment followed by convective drying at 80°C resulted in the least browned sample. Regarding rehydration kinetics, the Peleg model parameters (R² ≥ 0.92) indicated that a shorter osmotic dehydration (OD) time and lower drying temperature favored the rate of water absorption, while a higher drying temperature without OD application favored water retention. Therefore, the application of an osmotic pretreatment at 40 °Brix for 3 min followed by drying at 80 °C is suggested, as it allows for a rapid drying process with less browning and moderate rehydration capacity.

This paper analyzes the evolution of the international competitiveness of Mexican berry exports over the period 2000-2020. Competitiveness is conceptualized as a country’s ability to increase its share in international markets by displacing competitors through revealed and sustainable comparative advantages. The study employs MAGIC Plus software, a tool developed by the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), which combines an ex-post trade competitiveness framework with an interactive software platform and a comprehensive international trade database. The analysis focuses on Mexico’s main berry products, strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, and blueberries, which have exhibited strong export dynamism and increasing integration into global value chains over the last two decades. The results show a significant expansion of exports, a high degree of concentration in the U.S. market, and a progressive diversification of the export basket, consolidating the berry sector as a strategic component of Mexico’s agro-industrial competitiveness.