CSIC scientists have identified food peptides that induce the secretion of appetite-suppressing (anorexigenic) hormones and hormones involved in glucose metabolism. They are now looking for pharmaceutical or food companies interested in licensing the patent to develop products for the treatment of obesity and diabetes. Very recent experiments show that peptides prevent blood sugar spikes.

GoPinea, a project to recover the production of the Iberian pine nut, has finished. Among its results, a team from the CSIC's Institute of Advanced Chemistry of Catalonia (IQAC) has obtained compounds that could be used to control the pine seed bug, an invasive insect that is causing major losses in pine nut harvests.

Scientists at the Institute of Molecular and Cellular Biology of Plants (CSIC-UPV) and the Rocasolano Institute of Physical Chemistry (CSIC) have managed to stimulate plant resistance to drought by modifying a molecular plant’s receptor, which is activated by a mimetic molecule. The results have been patented.

DARkWIN will track the preferences of bumblebees (which will be followed by radio frequency) to guide plant natural selection and breeding. The research will be carried out on an experimental crop, exposed to heat and drought, and using Living IoT technology.

A team at CSIC's Institute of Polymer Science and Technology has developed a new packaging adhesive that allows adhesion and separation properties to be reversible at will. It combines the advantages of multilayer packaging with improved recycling.

Teams from the CSIC and the University of Seville have developed a methodology to extract phenolic compounds from ‘alperujo’ using natural and ecological solvents (NADES) with an acidic base. With this method, non-toxic 'in vitro' extracts are obtained which can be used for agri-food and nutraceutical products, and which have anti-inflammatory, neuroprotective and antimicrobial properties.

They are obtained from a liquid vegetable oil and gelling agents, which allow the oil to become and behave as a solid fat, but with processes that do not damage the properties of the oil. Oleogels avoid the use of saturated fats, which are associated with cardiovascular problems and diseases.

The Center for Automation and Robotics, a joint center of the CSIC and the Polytechnic University of Madrid, has developed a prototype robot to help in grape harvest. Developed in the H2020 FlexiGroBots project, the robot has been presented at the Transfiere forum.