ValICET

The Mediterranean Basin is distinguished by its ecological and agro-ecological diversity and, over time, the agri-food industry has been able to transform the great variety of raw materials in an extraordinary range of food products. Agri-food processing, however, is associated with the production of large quantities of waste or processing by-products that limit its economic, environmental and social sustainability.

In this context, the project “Valorise foods and Improve Competitiveness through Emerging Technologies applied to food by-products within the circular economy framework – ValICET“, lasting 36 months, aims to promote the development of innovative transformation technologies and the dissemination of ICT solutions and business models in order to improve the sustainability and competitiveness of the agri-food supply chains in the Mediterranean and at the same time to meet the demands of consumers looking for healthier food, preferably made locally.

The specific objectives of the project are:

• The development of innovative “green” extraction processes, identified among a combination of unconventional technologies, for the sustainable recovery of high-added value bio-compounds from agri-food by-products of the Mediterranean area.
• The use of bio-compounds in the formulation of typical products of the Mediterranean area in order to develop products with healthy and functional properties and with prolonged shelf life.
• The implementation of new business models and the use of ICT solutions in order to increase the competitiveness of the different actors in the food chain.

The ValICET project will involve ProdAl in all the nine Work Packages (WP) in which it is articulated. In particular, innovative extraction technologies will be used within WP2; in WP5 (where ProdAl is the coordinator) an environmental impact assessment of new processes and products will be carried out.