Agricultural processing inevitably goes along with the production of large amounts of agro-residues, which may represent a major waste disposal problem. Legislation regulating the management of waste materials has appeared throughout the European Union and has significantly contributed to the introduction of sustainable waste management procedures. The reuse and recycling of agro-residues has been highly encouraged and new technologies applying environmentally clean processes have been playing a central role within this context. High-value natural compounds can be found in most of these vegetable residues, many of them having health-promoting characteristics (phenolic compounds, carotenoids, …). Phenolic compounds, also known as polyphenols, are a class of plant secondary metabolites characterized by the presence of a hydroxyl group attached to a benzene ring or to more complex aromatic structures. In the last decades, polyphenols have attracted increasing interest from nutritionists and food scientists due to their reported health benefits, including anti-oxidative, anti-inflammatory and anti-carcinogenic effects. Carotenoids are a class of compounds that have coloring power and have been widely used in food industry, leading its market to full development. Carotenoids occur widely in nature and, in general, all fruits and vegetables of color are good sources of these compounds. Our research activity is focused on the development of innovative chemical and biotechnological processes for the recovery of these high value-added compounds from by-products and agro-industrial residues, such as lycopene from tomato waste and phenolic antioxidants from artichoke and bilberries waste, olive pomace and coffee grounds. We also examine the possibility of including the extracts obtained in consumer food products to get new functional foods with high antioxidant activity.

Fields Agrifood, Energy and Sustainable Development, Life Sciences and Well-being

According to the latest statistics, the seafood processing industries recovered about 70% as edible portions and the remaining parts (~30%) were discarded as by-products, generating around 1.5 MT of rest raw materials in Europe, based on a production of 5.1 t of fish caught. Generally, large amounts of these rest raw materials are either wasted or used for low value products like silage and feed. In this regard, utilization of all these seafood and agro-industrial rest raw materials to produce functional ingredients for addition to human food will increase the profitability of the food processing industries and will result in increased availability of valuable ingredients (proteins, lipids, dietary fiber, etc.) and bio-active compounds (polyphenols, carotenoids, vitamins, etc.).

EU projects, Financing, Sales/Distribution

Agri-Food, Energy and Sustainable Development, Life Sciences and Wellbeing

The goal of the project is the development of an environment-friendly method for the production of nanoparticles (NPs). Current protocols include the use of couples of costly and non-sustainable chemicals. Food wastes containing phenolic compounds have shown bioactive and anti-oxidant properties. In this contribution we investigate the feasibility of using commonly-found agro-industrial wastes as a flexible raw material in order to obtain NPs.

Research, Technical, EU projects, Financing

Agri-Food, Energy and Sustainable Development, Life Sciences and Wellbeing

We developed new packaging with full green technologies in order to achieve SUSTAINABILITY and FUNCTIONALITY:  a green and active protection to meet consumer demand.

ConsultingResearch & DevelopmentTesting & AnalysisEducation, Training & Qualifying, Research, Technical, EU projects, Financing, Agri-Food, Energy and Sustainable Development

The need to change the scale of a developed is a general problem in systems modeling. In particular, with the further development of modeling tools to solve problems posed by policy makers, advisers and farmers, modeling systems that can function at a number of different scales are increasingly needed. Such systems should be able to determine the optimum scale of operation, and even to select the most appropriate model to use. The aim of this chapter is to derive some generally applicable methods for up-and down-scaling from the area of modeling nitrogen and carbon behavior in soil/crop systems. This may allow a model to be adopted at the scale at which data are available, and results are needed.

Looking for Research cooperation agreement , SME and LE interested in funded partnership, Consulting, Joint venture, Others

The need to change the scale of a developed is a general problem in systems modeling. In particular, with the further development of modeling tools to solve problems posed by policy makers, advisers and farmers, modeling systems that can function at a number of different scales are increasingly needed. Such systems should be able to determine the optimum scale of operation, and even to select the most appropriate model to use. The aim of this chapter is to derive some generally applicable methods for up-and down-scaling from the area of modeling nitrogen and carbon behavior in soil/crop systems. This may allow a model to be adopted at the scale at which data are available, and results are needed.

Looking for Research cooperation agreement , SME and LE interested in funded partnership, Consulting, Joint venture, Others

The use of biofuels from microalgae does not contribute to an increase in the atmospheric CO2 concentration since the carbon released has previously been taken from the atmosphere by photosynthesis. In this scenario, the utilization of microalgae cultures can contribute to CO2 capture and storage, converting it into a biomass rich in valuable products, such as lipids. High quality biodiesel can be produced, according to the nature of the lipids extracted. We developed an environment-friendly method for the extraction of lipids from microalgae. Current extraction systems, which are efficient on a wide range of species and structures of the cell walls, have many drawbacks. They are solutions with a high energy demand and and/or with the risk that they could damage substances of potential interest. In this project we investigated the feasibility of using commercial enzymatic preparations capable of degrading the cell wall of microalgae, thus promoting the extraction and recovery of lipids and/or bioactive compounds, easily and lowering costs of these operations.

Research, Technical, EU projects, Financing

Agri-Food, Energy and Sustainable Development, Life Sciences and Wellbeing

We work in close contact with cosmetic companies or entrepeneurs interested to obtain natural cosmetics were the formulation have been optimized in order to reduce costs and have an higher functional effect. The combination is aimed to have competitive advantages, where even the "made in collaboration with Sapienza - University of Rome" can be valorized on the market.

The already available portfolio is ready to be exploited even in a common start-up initiative.
The objectives are the recovery of proteins and several other bio-active compounds and the preparation of these as ingredients for food, specialty chemicals and cosmetics markets.

Looking for Research cooperation agreement , EU projects partnership, Consulting, Joint venture, Others

In recent years, the spread of antibiotic resistance and its potential impact on human health have caused a growing concern worldwide. Among the factors contributing to this phenomenon, the extensive and unregulated use of antibiotics in aquaculture seems to play an important role, also because of the difficulty of removing these pollutants by conventional wastewater treatments. Among them, chloramphenicol (CHL) is a broad-spectrum antibiotic effective against many Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, including several anaerobic organisms. Our results demonstrate that CHL can be effectively degraded by the UV/H2O2 treatment.

Technical, EU projects, Financing, Sales/Distribution

Agri-Food, Energy and Sustainable Development

Because of its efficiency, versatility and ease of operation, adsorption is one of the most common methods for the removal of pollutants from industrial effluents. An ideal adsorbent should have high adsorption capacity, good selectivity and easy regenerability. Among adsorbents, activated carbon seems to offer the best compromise on overall performance and is therefore the most widely used material. However, it is quite expensive and its regeneration cost is also high. For these reasons, there is currently great interest in finding low-cost alternatives to activated carbon. A low-cost adsorbent can be defined as one that is abundant in nature, or is a by-product or waste from industry, and requires little or no processing. Industrial by-products and agricultural wastes are some of the materials that have been proposed and tested to date. For example, untreated coffee grounds were found to exhibit good adsorption properties towards heavy metals, such as cadmium and lead and, similarly, and for the removal of diazo dyes from aqueous solution.

Technical, EU projects, Financing

Agri-Food, Energy and Sustainable Development 

The project aims to exploit the convergence between science, chemistry, biology, engineering and biotechnology tools for the creation of new knowledge and innovative applications to develop and validate an integrated process of innovative and highly sustainable extraction, purification and concentration technologies to be applied to biorefineries side streams.
The objectives are the recovery of proteins and several other bio-active compounds and the preparation of these as ingredients for food, specialty chemicals and cosmetics markets.

Looking for Research cooperation agreement , EU projects partnership, Consulting, Joint venture, Others

Synthetic dyes are extensively used in a variety of applications ranging from the manufacture of paints to the coloring of paper, leather, plastics and textiles. These applications generate large volumes of colored effluents that need to be effectively treated because of the presence of substances that may pose a threat to human health and natural ecosystems. Their discharge into aqueous ecosystems can reduce dissolved oxygen concentration and sunlight penetration, with deleterious effects on local flora and fauna. In recent years, the use of electrochemical methods for the removal of pollutants from contaminated water has been the subject of renewed interest, due to their efficiency, versatility and environmental compatibility.

Technical, EU projects, Financing

Agri-Food, Energy and Sustainable Development, Life Sciences and Wellbeing

Agricultural processing inevitably goes along with the production of large amounts of agro-residues, which may represent a major waste disposal problem. Legislation regulating the management of waste materials has appeared throughout the European Union and has significantly contributed to the introduction of sustainable waste management procedures. The reuse and recycling of agro-residues has been highly encouraged and new technologies applying environmentally clean processes have been playing a central role within this context. High-value natural compounds can be found in most of these vegetable residues, many of them having health-promoting characteristics (phenolic compounds, carotenoids, …). Phenolic compounds, also known as polyphenols, are a class of plant secondary metabolites characterized by the presence of a hydroxyl group attached to a benzene ring or to more complex aromatic structures. In the last decades, polyphenols have attracted increasing interest from nutritionists and food scientists due to their reported health benefits, including anti-oxidative, anti-inflammatory and anti-carcinogenic effects. Carotenoids are a class of compounds that have coloring power and have been widely used in food industry, leading its market to full development. Carotenoids occur widely in nature and, in general, all fruits and vegetables of color are good sources of these compounds. Our research activity is focused on the development of innovative chemical and biotechnological processes for the recovery of these high value-added compounds from by-products and agro-industrial residues, such as lycopene from tomato waste and phenolic antioxidants from artichoke and bilberries waste, olive pomace and coffee grounds. We also examine the possibility of including the extracts obtained in consumer food products to get new functional foods with high antioxidant activity.

Looking for Research cooperation agreement , EU projects partnership, Consulting, Joint venture, Others

Our laboratory is looking for partners that may coordinate and/or participate to some H2020 topics in the following fields: - The recovery and the exploitation of waste materials and / or industrial residues for the production of high added value molecules, the production of energy, the manufacture of environmentally friendly materials and biocomposites; - The treatment of liquid effluents and industrial sludge through chemical, biochemical, electrochemical, bioelectrochemical, advanced photo-oxidation.

Looking for Research cooperation agreement , EU projects partnership, Consulting, Joint venture

Our laboratory is looking for partners that may coordinate and/or participate to some H2020 topics in the following fields: - The recovery and the exploitation of waste materials and / or industrial residues for the production of high added value molecules, the production of energy, the manufacture of environmentally friendly materials and biocomposites; - The treatment of liquid effluents and industrial sludge through chemical, biochemical, electrochemical, bioelectrochemical, advanced photo-oxidation.

Looking for Research cooperation agreement , EU projects partnership, Consulting, Joint venture

Date: June 01, 2022 - May 30, 2024

Location: Italy, Greece, Spain, France, Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria and Lebanon

Donor: PRIMA Foundation

Budget: €2,090,150 EURO

Prof. Antonio Zuorro is the Project Manager of SAFE project (“Sustainable Water Reuse Practices Improving Safety in Agriculture, Food and Environment”) focused on providing safe, locally sustainable and accepted ways of water supply for the Mediterranean agricultural sector by exploiting non-conventional water resources, namely treated wastewater and improved methods to support agriculture.

SAFE mainly seeks to develop and improve tools to increase yields through good quality of water for irrigation, soil and pest management, access to better quality of salinity resistance plants, and improved agricultural practices

In addition, it will support Smallholder farmers who are globally the main producer of food and provides from 60 to 80 percent of the food produced in Mediterranean countries. Due to the increase of the world population, these farmers are under growing pressure to enhance their productivity and ensure food security and safety, especially for rural poor. Climate change is one of the most defining concerns of today’s world and has greatly reshaped or in process of altering earth’s ecosystems. Altogether, the impact of climate change is very comprehensive but its far reaching effects are now clearly visible on agricultural sector, on which relies the food production and economy of the world.

It’s a two-year project targeting the PRIMA programme Up-scaling field practices based on agro ecological practices to increase ecosystem services and biodiversity, to adapt the small farming systems to climate change and to increase farmers’ incomes and is closely aligned with the call. The objectives of the project seek to adapt smart agricultural practice to increase local crop yields.

Moreover, this project brings together a multidisciplinary panel of partners including agronomist, analytical chemists, chemical engineering, economist and smallholder farmers to increase the knowledge in water reuse and quality, crop adaptation and agriculture practice in order to investigate the applicability of specific tools under environmental and real conditions

SAFE project will investigate the problem of water reuse in agriculture, its direct and indirect effects in crop yields. In fact, to achieve the objectives, SAFE will deploy a variety of wastewater treatments, multidisciplinary methodologies and tools.

In line with the PRIMA and EU Farm-to-Fork strategy, SAFE will tackle innovation capacities, increase the state of knowledge and develop innovative solutions for sustainable management of agro-food systems, and integrated water provision in the Mediterranean area.

The consortium is composed in an interdisciplinary and international way and consists of twelve partners from eight countries, including four from Europe (Université de Montpellier (UM) - France, The Catalan Institute for Water Research (ICRA) – Spain, Hellenic Agricultural Organization (ELGO-Dimitra) Institute of Plant Breeding and Genetic Resources (IPBGR) – Greece and Università degli Studi della Basilicata (UNIBAS) – Italy, Sapienza Università di Roma (SAPIENZA) – Italy, Istituto Ricerca Sulle Acque - Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche- (IRSA-CNR) – Italy, and four from non-European countries distributed across the south and east Mediterranean basin (Université Djillali Liabes (UDL) - Algeria, Water Researches and Technologies Center (CERTE) - Tunisia, Faculté des Sciences de Sfax (FSS) – Tunisia, Institut Agronomique et Vétérinaire Hassan II (IVA Rabat) - Morocco and Lebanese Development Network (LDN) - Lebanon). 

Cotton stalk, a waste product in agriculture serves as a beneficial, low-cost material as a medium for microbial synthesis of lactic acid as desired for polylactic acid synthesis. Cotton stalk was used as a substrate for microbial lactic acid synthesis, and a novel strain of Lactococcus cremoris was reported to synthesize 51.4 g/L lactic acid using cellulose recovered from the cotton stalk. Only the racemic (50:50) mixture of D-LA and L-LA (i.e., D/L-LA) is produced during the chemical synthesis of lactic acid, which is undesirable for the food, beverage, pharmaceutical, and biomedical industries because only the L-form is digestible and not suitable for biopolymer, i.e., PLA-based industry where high optically purified lactic acid is required. Further, polylactic acid is synthesized through direct polycondensation methods using various catalysts such as chitosan, YSZ, and Sb2O3. PLA is biocompatible and biodegradable in nature (its blends and biocomposites) supporting a low carbon and circular bioeconomy.

Looking for Research cooperation agreement , EU projects partnership, Consulting, Joint venture