
Still from the official @cirn_unachi account (16 July 2026).
Founder & Director · Researcher, National Research System (SNI) I
Dra. Aracelly Vega Ríos
She founded the laboratory that became CIRN in 1997 and has directed the centre since its institutionalization. She is a member of Panama's National Research System. Her work spans the valorization of natural resources, the cultivation of edible mushrooms on agro-industrial residues, the chemistry and quality of Panamanian coffee, and food safety. She is the lead researcher of the Think Tank UNACHI project on sustainability and biodiversity conservation in western Panama.
Education
- PhD in Project Engineering, Universidad Tecnológica de Panamá
- MSc, Universidad de Costa Rica
- BSc in Chemistry, Universidad de Panamá
Affiliations
- Center for Research in Natural Resources (CIRN), UNACHI
- National Research System (SNI), SENACYT
Projects
- 2020
Think Tank UNACHI-CIRNInvestigación científica al servicio de la empresa y la sociedad
Internships, activities and outputs of the UNACHI-CIRN Think Tank.
- 2021–2025
Aflatoxin M1 in raw cow milk and its determinants in Chiriquí farms
Assessed the occurrence and determinants of aflatoxin M1 (AFM1) in raw milk, and of aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) in cattle feed, on farms in Chiriquí.
- 2014–2024
Coffee chemistry and safety research program
Long-running research line on caffeine, polyphenols, antioxidant activity, mycotoxins, sensory quality and NIR spectroscopy with chemometrics in Panamanian coffee.
- 2019
Centro de Pensamiento Think Tank UNACHI
Think tank devoted to sustainable development, with a particular focus on western Panama.
- 2013
Capacitación del uso sostenible de la biodiversidad fúngica de áreas indígenas: su potencial nutricional y nutracéutico
Technology transfer and community training on the sustainable use of fungal biodiversity and the artisanal cultivation of native Pleurotus djamor in Ngäbe-Buglé communities.
- 2018 · 2020
Sostenibilidad en el Uso de los Recursos Naturales y Conservación de la Biodiversidad de la Región Occidental de Panamá
Think Tank project bringing together academic, government and productive-sector actors around the sustainable use of natural resources and biodiversity.
- 2023–2027
Plan Estratégico de Manejo Sostenible de los Recursos Naturales de la Provincia de Chiriquí 2023–2027
Strategic plan translating the Think Tank's research into regional priorities for the sustainable management of natural resources.
Publications
- 2026
Impact of Altitude and Fermentation Temperature on the Quality of Panamanian Geisha Coffee
Published - 2026
Micotoxinas en alimentos avícolas en Latinoamérica: una revisión bibliográfica de estudios publicados entre 2011 y 2023
Published - 2026
Panamanian Geisha Coffee Exhibits Antioxidant and Vasorelaxant Activities with a Favorable Safety Profile
Published - 2026
Precision Agriculture Management System and Traceability Architecture in Specialty Coffee Farms in Chiriquí, Panama
Published - 2025
Occurrence of aflatoxin M1 and its main determinants in raw cow milk the Chiriquí in Panama farms
Published - 2025
Physicochemical Parameters and Multivariate Analysis to Predict the Sensory Quality in Specialty Coffee from Panama
Published - 2023
Explorando las diferencias entre el café Geisha verde y tostado: Identificación de ácidos fenólicos y actividad antioxidante
Published - 2023
Restauración con Mangle Piñuelo (Pelliciera rhizophorae) de áreas alteradas en el bosque inundable de manglar en una región del Pacífico
Published - 2022
Agro-industrial waste improves the nutritional and antioxidant profile of Pleurotus djamor
Published - 2022
Determination of Mycotoxin Contamination Levels in Rice and Dietary Exposure Assessment
Published - 2021
Modelo matemático para determinar la correlación entre parámetros fisicoquímicos y la calidad sensorial de café Geisha y Pacamara de Panamá
Published - 2019
Control de los niveles de micotoxinas del arroz consumido en Panamá, como parámetro de inocuidad
Published - 2019
Normas sobre el control de la presencia de micotoxinas en la leche producida en Panamá
Published - 2018
Componentes Bioactivos de Diferentes Marcas de Café Comerciales de Panamá. Relación entre Ácidos Clorogénicos y Cafeína
Published - 2017
Determinación del Contenido de Polifenoles Totales, Flavonoides y Actividad Antioxidante de 34 Cafés Comerciales de Panamá
Published - 2014
Efecto de la bio-degradación con cepas nativas de Pleurotus djamor, RN81 y RN82, sobre parámetros químicos y degradabilidad in situ de sustratos lignocelulósicos
Published - 2014
Niveles de Ocratoxina A y Aflatoxinas Totales en Cafés de Exportación de Panamá por un método de ELISA
Published - 2013
Productividad y calidad de los cuerpos fructíferos de los hongos comestibles Pleurotus pulmonarius RN2 y P. djamor RN81 y RN82 cultivados sobre sustratos lignocelulósicos
Published - 2006
Cultivo de cepas nativas de Pleurotus djamor en Panamá, en paja de arroz y pulpa de café
Published - 2005
Bioconversion of agroindustrial residues by Pleurotus ostreatus cultivation
Published
Research in Action


