Area
Agricultural science
Sub-Discipline
Other Agricultural Sciences
University of Chile
- City: Santiago,
- Municipality: La Pintana,
- Region: Metropolitan Region
goals
The main objective is to train professional and academic graduates who achieve a high level of preparation in scientific reasoning and creative capacity, in their interest to contribute to the strengthening of academic activities and to innovate in wine production technologies and in those aspects related to viticultural management.
Applicant Profile
Applicants must hold a Bachelor's degree in Agricultural Sciences or a degree in Agricultural Engineering, awarded by national or foreign universities recognized by the relevant State; or a professional degree or university degree in the agricultural field or other related areas—such as biology, chemistry, biochemistry, or agro-industry—whose level, content, and duration of study correspond to training equivalent to a Bachelor's degree from the University of Chile. In addition, applicants must demonstrate prior training relevant to the aims and requirements of the Program, which will be determined by the Academic Committee according to objective criteria.
Graduate profile
Upon completion of their studies, graduates must demonstrate a solid foundation and capacity for scientific reasoning, as well as up-to-date technological knowledge, enabling them to actively contribute from strengthening academic activities to integrating into interdisciplinary teams that innovate in wine production technologies.
Lines of investigation
Areas of development:
1.- Viticulture and Territory
Grapevine physiology, water relations, and secondary berry metabolism. Application of production technologies. Vineyard production systems. Vineyard sustainability, integrated, organic, and biodynamic production systems. Climatic, landscape, geological, and soil property aspects and their relationship to grapevine physiology, productivity, and berry composition in relation to primary and secondary metabolites. Study of grape varieties and heritage wines.
2.- Oenological Chemistry and Technology in Winemaking Processes
Chemical and sensory characterization of grapes and wine. Identification of compounds (organic acids, phenols, polysaccharides, aromas, among others) in grapes and fermented beverages with implications for quality, consumer preference, nutrition, and health. Factors and treatments for wine stability and quality improvement. Aspects related to winemaking and aging processes, such as color stability, regulation of polyphenol, colloid, and protein content in wines, and evaluation of innovative production systems. Chemical and sensory basis of the molecules involved in wine astringency, color, aroma, and flavor. Organization of biological fluids: saliva-polyphenol interaction in grapes and wine and its relationship to the perception of astringency and bitterness. Wine marketing and sales.
3.- Oenological Microbiology and Biotechnology
Oenological and microbial biotechnology. Biodiversity of microorganisms in vineyards and microbial ecology in fermented beverages. Biotechnological applications. Molecular identification of oenological microbiota. Microbiome in the quality of fermented beverages. Oenological microbiology: selection of terroir microbiota (yeasts, lactic acid bacteria, and acetic acid bacteria), management and control of fermentation processes. Functional genomics applied to oenological research.
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