POR Campania FESR 2007-2013
Call for Grants for Industrial research and experimental development projects for the establishment of innovation Campuses
Axis 2, Operational Objective 2.2: “System and Value Chain Strengthening Interventions in R&D.”
Campus project
The project “Introduction and Enhancement of Health-Promoting Elements and Production Optimization in Traditional Supply Chains of the Campania Region” was one of the initiatives funded under the Campus Call.
The project aimed to innovate and enhance traditional agri-food supply chains in the Campania Region by improving the nutritional characteristics of products and optimizing production processes.
Activities included:
- Development of new functional and health-promoting food products.
- Optimization of processing, packaging, and management processes through the introduction of innovative technological solutions.
- Reduction of environmental impact through by-product reuse and assessment of production processes on water resources.
- Analysis of consumer preferences and economic sustainability of the new products.
- Definition of advanced methodologies for food safety and traceability.
The project contributed to strengthening the competitiveness of regional productions, promoting a sustainable, quality-oriented development model.
Implementation Objectives
The Campus project is structured around four Implementation Objectives (IOs), which guide innovation, sustainability, and safety activities in the traditional agri-food supply chains of the Campania Region.
IO1 – Product formulation
With growing consumer interest in foods that promote health and well-being, activities under this objective focused on:
- Identifying new market needs in the olive oil, milling, confectionery, and dairy supply chains.
- Selecting bioactive compounds and innovative ingredients.
- Assessing technical feasibility and bioavailability.
- Developing prototypes of new functional products.
IO2 – Technological and organizational innovation
To address increasing competition and improve production efficiency, the project included:
- Developing innovative processes for functional foods.
- Optimizing traditional processes to reduce consumption and enhance quality.
- Testing new materials for production plants.
- Applying technologies to reduce allergenic potential in foods.
- Creating biodegradable films for sustainable packaging.
- Defining new animal diets to improve welfare and the nutritional value of derived products.
IO3 – Sustainability
Sustainability was addressed in three dimensions:
- Technical, by verifying the nutritional and health-promoting properties of new products.
- Environmental, through the valorization of processing by-products, ingredient recovery, and reduced water and energy consumption.
- Economic, by analyzing consumer preferences and defining sustainable pricing for new products.
IO4 – Food Safety and Traceability
To ensure quality and transparency, the project included:
- Verifying the suitability of new packaging for food use.
- Developing molecular traceability methodologies.
- Defining integrated supply chain traceability schemes to guarantee safety at every stage of production.
Activities carried out by ProdAl
The following activities were conducted by ProdAl, also involving several departments from partner institutions: Department of Industrial Engineering and Department of Chemistry, University of Salerno; Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics “F. Cedrangolo” and Department of Life Sciences, Second University of Naples; Department of Economic and Social Systems Analysis and Department of Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences, University of Sannio.
Implementation Objective 1 – Product Formulation
- Nutritional enhancement of traditional products and rationale for new product formulation
- Identification of functional properties in traditional and innovative products
- Determination of the bioavailability of identified components.
- Definition of characteristics for new functional products
- Identification of new products with potential functional activity
- Experimental testing on already defined products.
Implementation Objective 2 – Technological and organizational innovation
- Process Innovation
- Identification of technologies suitable for the production of functional foods
- Scale-up to semi-pilot level of processes previously developed at the laboratory scale
- Testing on pilot-scale equipment
- Use of innovative technologies to produce low-allergenicity foods.
- Packaging and wrapping Innovation
- Selection of materials (polymeric matrices and active phases)
- Production of active films, both single-layer and multilayer
- Verification of the food suitability of the produced films.
- Innovative feeding and quality of animal products
- Study of animal diets
- Evaluation of animal welfare and productive performance
- Assessment of the effects of dietary modifications on the nutritional quality of meat and milk.
Implementation Objective 3 – Sustainability
- Characterization and valorization of raw materials and processed products
- Determination of nutritional properties and nutraceutical/health-promoting compounds of interest
- Analysis of proteins, enzymes, and metabolic profiles
- Evaluation of potential biological activities
- Determination of essential and non-essential chemical elements.
- Valorization of by-products through waste minimization and reuse of valuable residues
- Assessment of processes
- Valorization of secondary products
- Valorization of by-products from pasta production
- Design of new production layouts.
- Water Footprint in the context of Groundwater Resource Management (GWR)
- Definition of the characteristics of water resources interacting with industrial products and potentially affecting consumer health
- Assessment of industrial process impacts on water quantity and quality
- Identification of improvement measures aimed at reusing groundwater resources and supplementing them with alternative sources.
- Economic sustainability analysis of innovation processes
- Description of coordination solutions and information technology tools
- Assessment of a proxy for the price premium consumers are willing to pay for products with added innovative features
- Creation of a consumer panel participating in rounds to determine willingness to pay (WTP).
Implementation Objective 4 – Food Safety and Traceability
- Optimization and innovation of packaging based on mechanical properties and permeability
- Identification of molecules to be incorporated into packaging materials
- Development of coatings for traditional films
- Production of hydrotalcite-based materials.
- Integrated Supply Chain Traceability
- Identification of characteristics to be traced and methodologies for their determination
- Development of new analytical methodologies for traceability.
Partners
The project was carried out by ProdAl Scarl, which provided scientific and administrative coordination, in partnership with:
- Olio Dante S.p.A., (at an initial stage Industria Olearia Biagio Mataluni S.r.l.) the project lead
- Rummo S.p.A.
- Strega Alberti Benevento S.p.A.
