Dr. Loreto Muñoz Hernández is a Food Process Engineer from the University of Santiago de Chile, with a Master’s in Food Sciences from the University of Chile. She holds two doctoral degrees: a PhD in Sciences and Food Engineering from the University of Santiago de Compostela (Spain) and a PhD in Engineering Sciences from the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile. In 2013, she received the BIMBO Pan American Prize for her research on chia seeds. She is currently Full Professor and Researcher at Universidad Central de Chile, where she also serves as Director of the Laboratory of Food Sciences (LabCial). Her research focuses on the extraction and characterization of plant-based food materials (seeds, grains, legumes), exploring their microstructural, physicochemical, and functional properties. She also works on the development of functional foods and investigates their health-related effects through in vitro digestion, fermentation, and in vivo preclinical models.

Ancestral and emerging seeds (quinoa, chia, amaranth, etc.) Dietary fibers, polyphenols, and bioactive peptides Functional food development Gut microbiota and metabolic health In vitro and in vivo preclinical studies