Fruto autóctono butiá : innovación y transferencia tecnológica

Abstract

The “butiá” is the fruit of the Butia capitata palm, native of the East of the República Oriental del Uruguay. The idea of developing products based on “butiá” have been roaming in our minds for many years. Products made from butiá are common and home made in the area and their commercialization is still very local and small. Using the local knowhow and providing technology, we are aiming to adequate and/or improve the good quality products of the small artisans. This paper has two objectives. The first is the development of products made from butiá along with designing the adequate equipment to process them. The second is the technological transfer of the knowledge involved to every artisan in this area of our country, so they can finally improve their quality of life. Among the products we can find “butiá pulp” for different uses, for example to fill in chocolates, and products based on the seeds of butiá, for example toasted seeds for fillings. In respect to the equipment for this process, it is necessary to design a mechanism to extract the seeds, another to extract the pulp and a chocolate warmer. We aim to improve and/or develop products based on butiá which are already well known locally, and thus to promote the interaction with other activities (like self sustained tourism) in a setting that will be friendly with the preservation of the local ecosystem and the creation of commercialization channels for the products.