Dr. Virgilio Julius P. Manzano, Jr.
8th University President
2025 FEBRUARY 25 - PRESENT
Probiotics
Dr. Shirley C. Agrupis is the program leader of
the
CHED-LAKAS funded research program "Advancing Ilocos IFP Food Systems Through Academic-Industry
Collaborative Research and Innovations Toward Healthy Food Security." The project aimed to
contribute the
reduction of malnutrition rate and help promote food security by harnessing the full potential of
probiotics
from the rich Indigenous Food Plants (IFPs) unique in the Ilocos Region through academia-industry
collaboration, and modernizing programs in the field of food science, pharmacy, and food
technology.
The program is comprises of two
phases:
Phase I
Strengthening SUCs` Institutional Science, Technology, And Innovation Capacity For Probiotic Food Systems is dedicated to advancing and strengthening SUCs` institutional science, technology, and innovation (STI) capacity for probiotic food systems. This was implemented from January to December 2023
Phase I
The development of an Integrated Production System of Probiotic Products From IFPs will be implemented from January 2024 to December 2025. This will focus on developing commercially viable probiotic-enhanced food products and establishing new academic programs to ensure the sustainability of the emerging industry. The program involves three (3) SUCs in Region I: MMSU, Don Mariano Marcos Memorial State University, and Ilocos Sur Polytechnic State College.
