Academic institutions participate in Chocolate Xingu and unite science with flavor
One of the universities present is Ufra, which presents to the public its space "Chocolate with Science", where innovations in the segment for the Xingu region are showcased.
The International Chocolate and Cocoa Festival, which runs until next Sunday (26) in the municipality of Altamira, is an opportunity not only to learn about and taste the best products mainly produced in the Transamazon region, but also a space for presenting initiatives and innovations developed by academic institutions.
Researchers, professors, and students teach and learn about the varieties and aspects that cocoa and its derivatives offer and how to better utilize what the culture can provide, as well as advising on measures that can be taken to prevent pests that affect the fruit or how to identify them.
Agronomy student Alana Victoria from the Federal University of Pará (UFPA), who is participating in the festival at the joint booth with the Rural University of the Amazon (Ufra), said that in her course she learns about the pests that attack cocoa and what she has learned, she shares with visitors who seek out the space, as guided by the faculty.
One of the pieces of information she shares with the public is about "brown rot", a fungal disease that can affect cocoa production. "It causes damage and it is very important to study it. It turns very brown and completely spoils the fruit and the cocoa beans," she explained.
According to the student, what has attracted the most attention from the public is the opportunity to observe microorganisms through the microscope.
9-year-old student David Blosfeld Oliveira could not contain his curiosity. While passing through the corridor where the scientific booth is set up, he asked his mother Letícia to access the equipment. He said he enjoyed the experience.
“I saw some fungi under the microscope and thought it was interesting for us to learn. Very cool.” The mother appreciated the initiative of the academic institutions. “I find it very interesting. It is not common for children to have easy access to a microscope, and this encourages children to have knowledge and curiosity to seek to know more,” she observed.
Chocolate and Science- Ufra's participation will occur throughout the program through the Scientific Exhibition, at the Chocolate with Science Xingu booth, which is being coordinated and organized by the institution's Extension Pro-Rectory and the Chocolate with Science Xingu Conversation Circle, mediated by Prof. Dr. Antônia Bronze, where various themes involving cocoa cultivation will be discussed.
During the Cocoa Cultivation Forum held at the festival, one of the initiatives presented was Chocolate with Science, conceived by the Secretary of Agricultural Development and Fisheries (Sedap), with the aim of bringing science into the festival to present cocoa and chocolate within a scientific approach, showcasing the results of research with chocolate from the Xingu region.
“We also aim to bring education and extension into the fair, showing everything we have related to the productive chain of cocoa cultivation in the region. In this Forum, specifically, we have this approach of bringing these research results and also a conversation circle with rural producers and students to showcase the science, what we have in science in cocoa cultivation,” explained the pro-rector.
