Bioactive substances are organic molecules of low molecular weight that have a wide chemical diversity and different effects on living organisms, such as changes in their behavior, physiology or metabolism. The Bioactive Substances and Nanomaterials research group is focused on the prospection, characterization, and elucidation of mechanisms of action and development of analytical methods for natural substances with biological activity that can add value to agricultural products. The areas of study include organic chemistry, analytical chemistry, biochemistry, chemical ecology, entomology, ecology, botany, phytopathology, nematology, molecular biology and biophysics. The generated products can be applied for biological control, pest management, plant breeding, conservation and use of genetic resources, generation of genetically modified organisms (GMOs), production of functional foods, phytotherapeutics, biopesticides and biosensors.

 

Nanotechnology is a term that covers well-founded science and technology, such as colloidal physical chemistry, materials science and the structure and function of biomolecules. A nanostructured material is defined as one that has at least one dimension in the range of 1 to 100 nm. It is important to point out that special physicochemical properties (e.g., significant increases in surface area and different optical and electronic phenomena that occur at a "visible" scale) can arise at this scale. The technological advances of the last 20 years were the direct result of basic research in these and related areas, and they stimulated scientific interest into new fields such as the environmental impact of nanomaterials, research for more sustainable and cleaner methods of obtaining materials, the development of specific applications such as biosensors, the study of analytical methods with nanostructured materials, the investigation of nanosystems and nanodevices for sustained release of active principles, among others. In nanotechnology, the science is inseparable from the application because materials are essentially products.