Mapeamentos de informações tecnológicas em documentos de patente sobre a palma forrageira (Opuntia ficus-indica).

Abstract

In order to protect innovation, within the concept of intellectual property, patents stand out. This type of document has important information that allows the understanding of technological development in the determined area, and points to future research themes. Biotechnology is one of the most promising areas when it comes to innovation, and several products have been developed from materials that have the potential to generate solutions and added value. Among these materials, considering the semi-arid region of Brazil, it is observed the forage palm (Opuntia fícus-indica), which has been used in the food, cosmetic, pharmaceutical, among others, demonstrating to be a good source of resources. Thus, the objective of the study was to perform the mapping of technological information in patent documents on applications related to the cultivation and use of the palm of the species Opuntia ficus-indica, in addition to indicating the annual evolution of deposits, countries with greater participation in the deposits and indicate the main technological areas in which the palm is being used. In the descriptive and exploratory study, the patent database consulted was Fampat. The treatment of the data was carried out in a spreadsheet in Excel ish format. 428 records were found with the terms Opuntia and ficus. From these, it was possible to observe that the years where there was a greater concentration of patent applications were those from 2016 to 2021, with an annual average of 30 applications. China and Korea stand out among the countries with the most patent registrations, with China’s leading role in scientific and intellectual property publications in the last 5 years. The highest frequency IPC classification is A61, highlighting classes A61K, A61Q and A61P, related to areas of study "food chemistry", "organic fine chemistry", "pharmaceuticals", "basic materials chemistry" and "other special machines", in which food industries, medical, pharmaceutical, cosmetic and scientific pointed to profiles where there are more depositors. Biotechnology is also one of the branches in which palm has been applied as a raw material. There is a need for greater incentives and investments, especially in Brazil, increasing the potential for innovation in the country.