The National Research Council
Department of Biology, Agriculture and Food Sciences
Francesco Loreto
Global Food Security towards EXPO 2015:
research activities at the Italian Pavilion
Scientific network
−
7 Macro-Areas (Departments):
• Earth system Sciences - Environmental Technologies
• Biology, Agriculture and Food Sciences
• Biomedical Sciences
• Chemistry - Materials Technologies
• Physical Sciences - Technologies of the Matter
• Engineering - ICT - Energy and Transport Technologies
• Human and Social Sciences - Cultural Heritage
−
109 Research Institutes performing research activities
and developing capabilities
−
20 Research Centres
2
Department of Biology, Agriculture and Food Sciences
DiSBA Scientific network
IPSP - Institute for sustainable plant
protection (Torino, Grugliasco, Milano,
Sesto Fiorentino, Portici, Bari)
IBBA - Institute of agricultural biology and biotechnology
(Milano, Pisa, Lodi, Monterotondo Scalo)
ISA - Institute of food sciences
(Avellino)
IVALSA – Trees and Timber Institute
(Sesto Fiorentino, Trento)
ISPA - Institute for the science of food
production (Bari, Grugliasco, Lecce,
Sassari, Milano)
IBIMET - Institute of biometeorology
(Firenze, Sassari, Bologna)
ISPAAM - Institute for animal production
system in Mediterranean environment
(Napoli, Sassari)
IBBR - Institute of biosciences and
bioresources (Bari, Napoli, Perugia,
Sesto Fiorentino, Palermo, Portici)
ISAFoM - Institute for Mediterranean
agriculture and forest systems (Ercolano,
Perugia, Catania, Cosenza)
Staff
731 Research* (90%)
813 Total
*researchers (450), technologists and technicians
Department of Biology, Agriculture and Food Sciences
Department mission
The mission of the Department of Biology, Agriculture
and Food Sciences (DiSBA) is to promote scientific and
technological knowledge for the development and
valorisation of a sustainable and innovative agri-food
system, thereby contributing to the global grand
challenge of "doubling agri-food production halving
resource use".
Sustainable intensification of agriculture
Scientific fields of competence
and main lines of research
Department of Biology, Agriculture and Food Sciences
Three Department Projects
Genomics
Structures, functions and biosystems
Food
Quality, safety and nutrition
Sustainable agricolture
Development, environment and social equity
• Genetic and environmental factors affecting animal and plant production
• New tools for genetic improvement and biotechnology
• Molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying growth processes, environment
interaction and storage of nutrients in plants and animals
• Soil metagenomics
• Diagnosis techniques and new systems and technologies for food quality and
safety along the food chain
• Relationship between diet and health; nutraceuticals and nutrigenomics
• Biochemical and molecular characterisation of food, and valorisation of typical
products
• Characterisation, conservation and valorisation of biodiversity in plants, animals
and microorganisms
• Eco-friendly agricultural techniques, and low environmental impact technologies
• Advanced technologies for agroecosystem monitoring and management
• Climate changes impacts on agri-food production and quality
• Wood technology
One strategic project
Integrate knowledge for sustainability and
innovation of the agri-food ”Made in Italy”
(CISIA)
41 EC projects
On the three thematic
areas highlighted
above
Department of Biology, Agriculture and Food Sciences
Patents
47
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Transferred to enterprises 27
new plant varietes 18
biotechnological products 7
technical devices 1
spin-off 1
Successfull cases
Patent
Use
Treatment of cereal flour and
semolina for consumption by celiac
patients
Detoxification of flour before being
used in the preparation of food for
celiac subjects
Cupressus sempervirens with
narrow, columnar shape resistant
to cypress canker. Denomination:
"Bolgheri"
Protection of ornamental plants
with high environmental and
cultural interest
Primers, procedures and kits for
species-specific detection of Tuber
magnatum pico (white truffle)
Identification and quantification of
white truffle in food;
characterization and genotyping
of economically viable products
Priority 3.
Societal challenges
1. Health, demographic change and wellbeing (7.472 Bln)
2. Food security, sustainable agriculture and forestry, marine and
maritime and inland water research, and the bioeconomy (3.851 Bln)
3. Secure, clean and efficient energy (5.931 Bln)
4. Smart, green and integrated transport (6.339 Bln)
5. Climate action, resource efficiency and raw materials (3.081 Bln)
6. Inclusive, innovative and reflective societies (1.310 Bln)
7. Secure societies (1.695 Bln)
7
Societal Challenge 2: Food Security, Sustainable
Agriculture and Forestry, Marine and Maritime and
Inland Water Research and the Bioeconomy
Objectives:
 Productive and resource-efficient primary production systems
 Sufficient supplies of safe and high quality food and bio-based
products, including bioenergy
 Competitive and low carbon supply chains.
Making the best from our biological resources
accelerating the transition to a sustainable European bioeconomy
EU Bioeconomy Strategy
Societal Challenge 2: Food Security, Sustainable
Agriculture and Forestry, Marine and Maritime
and Inland Water Research and the Bioeconomy
Activities:
Sustainable agricolture
Development, environment and social equity
Agriculture
and forestry
Food
Quality, safety and nutrition
Agri-food
sector for a
safe and
healthy diet
Genomics
Structures, functions and biosystems
Aquatic living
resources
Bio-based
industries and
bioeconomy
Marine and
maritime
research
The Italian agri-business:
(~ 17 % of PIL) - facts and figures
Employment
Annual Turnover
Agriculture:
~ €14.00 Billion
Agriculture,
terrestrial
livestock &
aquaculture:
~ 600.000
Terrestrial
Livestock:
~ € 11.4 Billion
Aquaculture:
~ € 1.18 Billion
After:
Indagine continua sulle forze di lavoro (fdl)
http://siqual.istat.it/SIQual/visualizza.do?id=5000098&refresh=true&language=IT
Produzione, consumi intermedi e valore aggiunto di agricoltura, silvicoltura e pesca
(Nace rev.2)
http://dati.istat.it/Index.aspx?DataSetCode=DCCN_VAAGSIPET
The Italian food industry:
facts and figures
Top 5 Member States in terms of food & drink industry turnover,
2013* (€ billion)
Germany
France
(Export: 26%,€34.5 billion)
Italy
UK
Spain
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
160
180
€ Billion
Over than 6.845 companies and 385.000 employees
11
Source: Data processing and estimates Federalimentare 2013
The Italian non-food sector:
Forestry: facts and figures
Employment
Annual Turnover
Forestry
~ 200.000
Forestry
~ € 0.54 Billion
Wood and
Wood products
Wood and
Wood products
~ 410.000
~ € 28.0 Billion
After:
Indagine continua sulle forze di lavoro (fdl)
http://siqual.istat.it/SIQual/visualizza.do?id=5000098&refresh=true&language=IT
Produzione, consumi intermedi e valore aggiunto di agricoltura, silvicoltura e pesca
(Nace rev.2), http://dati.istat.it/Index.aspx?DataSetCode=DCCN_VAAGSIPET
Repubblica - Affari e Finanza 18 marzo 2013
http://www.repubblica.it/economia/affari-efinanza/2013/03/18/news/legno_e_arredo_persi_in_5_anni_14_miliardi_e_10_mila
_imprese-54795147/
The Italian non-food sector:
Integrated, multipurpose biorefinery
Food
Forestry/
lignocellulosic
biomass
BIOREFINERY
Non food crops
AgriFood byproducts &
waste
GHG emissions reduction in
EU: ~50% (compared to fossil
alternatives) by 2020
http://biconsortium.eu/
Biobased Chemicals
Pharma
Biomaterials
Chemical
Biofuels
Textile
Cosmetics
Energy
Fuels
Water,Feeds,Fertilizers
EU bio-based market:
€200 billion by 2020
Biorefineries in Italy: facts and figures
Private investments: more than €1.0 billion; 1600 people employed
LOMBARDIA
R&D CENTRE GREEN CHEMISTRY PROCESS ENGINEERING
AND BIOLUBRICANTS (MANTOVA)
R&D CENTRE BIOLUBRICANTS (SAN DONATO MILANESE
- MI)
PILOT PLANT FOR BIOBASED BUTADIENE (SAN DONATO
MILANESE - MI)
PIEMONTE
R&D CENTRE BIOPLASTICS AND
BIOCHEMICALS FROM RRM (NOVARA)
R&D CENTRE CHEMISTRY FROM RENEWABLES
(NOVARA)
R&D CENTRE BIOCHEMICALS PROCESSES AND
TECHNOLOGIES (RIVALTA SCRIVIA - AL)
PILOT PLANT FATTY ALCOHOL (RIVALTA SCRIVIA
- AL)
PILOT PLANT BIOMONOMERS (NOVARA)
DEMO PLANT GREEN GLYCOL (RIVALTA SCRIVIA
- AL)
INDUSTRIAL PLANT LIGNOCELLULOSIC
BIOETHANOL (CRESCENTINO - VC)
FLAGSHIP SUCCINIC ACID (CASSANO SPINOLA
- AL)
VENETO
FLAGSHIP 1,4 BDO FROM RRM (ADRIA - RO)
EMILIA ROMAGNA
R&D CENTRE BIOELASTOMERS (RAVENNA)
UMBRIA
R&D CENTRE, PILOT AND DEMO PLANTS ON
OLEAGINOUS CROPS AND BIOLUBRICANTS
FROM LOCAL CROPS (TERNI)
INDUSTRIAL PLANT BIOPLASTICS BASED ON
STARCH AND POLYESTERS FROM VEGETABLE
OILS (TERNI)
SARDEGNA
1 FLAGSHIP AZELAIC ACID AND PELARGONIC
ACID (PORTO TORRES - SS)
1 FLAGSHIP BASIS FOR BIOLUBRICANTS AND
LAZIO
BIOADDITIVES FOR RUBBER
INDUSTRIAL PLANT
R&D CENTRE
BIODEGRADABLE
POLYESTERS (PATRICA - FR)
LOCATION TBD
PUGLIA
CAMPANIA
FLAGSHIP AVIATION FUEL (MODUGNO - BA)
BIOTECHNOLOGICAL R&D CENTRE
(PIANA DI MONTE VERNA - CE)
EXPERIMENTAL CROPS AND DEMO PLANTS FOR EXTRACTION OF NATURAL
RUBBER AND OTHER VALUABLE PRODUCTS (RESINS ETC.)
(courtesy of C. Bastioli)
EXPERIMENTAL FIELDS 8
R&D CENTRES (9)
PILOT PLANTS (4)
DEMO PLANTS (2)
INDUSTRIAL SITES (3)
FLAGSHIPS (5)
Independent academic organization
227 research bodies – 23000 researchers
30 countries
FI
NO SE
EE
DK
IR UK NL
PL
BE DECZ
SK
FR CH AT
SV HU
YU BU
IT
PT ES
GR
Mission:
• Promote plant science and support plant scientists
• Discuss future plant science programmes across Europe
• Provide authoritative source of independent information on plant
science
• Promote training of plant scientists to meet the 21st century
challenges in breeding, agriculture, horticulture, forestry, plant
ecology and sectors related to plant science
Science policy – Research opportunities endorsed by CNR
1- Improved resource use efficiency and resource
stewardship
Objectives
 Improve resource use efficiency of agricultural systems
 Improve yields on marginal and low(er) fertility lands
 Decrease the environmental footprint of agriculture –
greenhouse gases, energy consumption and soil health
 Stimulate the usage of higher bio-diversity in agricultural
systems
 Improve conservation, documentation and usability of plant
genetic resources
G. Neumann
Science policy – Research opportunities endorsed by CNR
2 - Yield and yield stability - increased resilience
towards dynamic and adverse environments
Objectives
 Develop plant varieties with improved matching to
environments: providing a deepened understanding of the
ecological, physiological and genetic requirements for
higher and more stable yields and for product quality
 Diversify plant production: enhance crop plant diversity for
higher yield potential, yield stability and quality
 Support and enhance regionalisation: Develop and apply
an improved understanding of management and of
integrated plant production (agriculture and horticulture) in
different regions of Europe
Science policy – Research opportunities endorsed by CNR
3 - Enriched / enhanced plants for healthy human
nutrition & animal feed including reduction of nonbeneficial compounds
Objectives
 Develop and produce sufficient, nutritious and affordable
high quality plant raw materials for food products
 Provide tailored plant raw materials for specific health
benefits.
 Develop, produce and supply nutritious, sufficient,
affordable and sustainable feed
 Reduce or eliminate potentially harmful compounds to
improve safety of food and feed.
Science policy – Research opportunities endorsed by CNR
4 - Resilient plants – improved plant health
Objectives
 Improved tolerance and resistance of plants
 Characterizing major plant pathogens and their natural
antagonists
 Biologicals and chemicals for plant protection
 Improving methods and management of farming and
production systems
Science policy – Research opportunities endorsed by CNR
5- Improved composition and performance of plants for
non-food products
Objectives
Boosting the yield of non-food crops
Improved yield, composition and processibility of non-food
and multi-use crops
Development of photosynthetic systems for the sustainable
production of bioenergy
Production of chemicals and proteins in plants
Optimise plant-based platforms for commercial recombinant
protein production
Develop plants and plant cells for the production of highvalue molecules
I
The recomendation chart on
future challenges of food
safety (S4F)
II
V
The 24 events
for the Italian
Pavilion
The
communication
strategy
III
The 3 events for
the Lombardy
Region
IV
The International
cooperation
Food safety aims at achieving best protection of consumers’
health, often with remarkable results.
22
….not always though….what else can be done?
23
The S4F project: a recommendation chart to
understand and cope with future risks on food safety
Phase 1: Experts
consulting
August 2014
• 1A) The Institutes of CNR
• 1B) The experts @ ISS, MIPAAF, EFSA, FAO, OOPP……
• 1C) The International experts
Phase 2:
Scientific
community
consulting and
social phase
December 2014
Phase 3: EXPO
Participating country
consulting, and release
of future best practices
24
The 24 CNR events @ the Italian pavilion
I - Comitato Guida CNR
The concept
Food and men
Food and
transformation
technologies
Food and
production
factors
The 24 CNR events @ the Italian pavilion
II - Direzione di Progetto (Dipartimenti CNR)
The subject areas
Education to
food science
Environmental
sustainability
Food and men
Food security,
safety, and
quality
Food and
trasnformation
technologies
International
cooperation and
sustainable
development
Food and
production
factors
Production factors
and new farming
models
Resources and
their sustainable
use
The 24 CNR events @ the Italian pavilion
III - Comitati Scientifici/Operativi
The 24 (weekly) Executive Projects
Education to
food science
Environmental
sustainability
Food and men
Food security,
safety, and
quality
Food and
trasnformation
technologies
International
cooperation and
sustainable
development
Food and
production
factors
Production factors
and new farming
models
Resources and
their sustainable
use
The 24 CNR events @ the Italian pavilion
Ecosystems
conservation and
biodiversity
under climate
change and
anthropic
pressures
Integrated pest
management and
exploitation of
natural defences
against pests and
pathogens
Food print: the
environmental
cost of the food
we eat
Environmental
Sustainability
Impacts and
responses of
agroecosystems to
climate change
The new maps of
desertification:
risk analysis and
tools for
adapting
agriculture to
drought and
aridity.
The energy
famine of the
planet:
biomasses,
bionergies, and
biorefineries
Land use
change and
novel
competing uses
of land and
resources
The 24 CNR events @ the Italian pavilion
Food and men
Food and
trasnformation
technologies
Food and
production
factors
Resources and
their sustainable
use
International Collaborations
Collaborations
Parco Tecnologico Padano
Communication, dissemination, and edutainement
CNR X EXPO WEBSITE
WEB TV CNR
WEB TV OF UNIVERSITIES
SOCIAL NETWORKS
PRESS
Preparatory events
all over Italy from
October 2014 until
May 2015
Creation of
demonstration and
communication tools
for single projects
Thank you…and see you at EXPO!
EPSO members: Academia
Academic Institutional
members:
227 research institutes,
universities, research
departments
FI
NO
SE
EE
DK
with over 28 000
researchers and staff in
plant science
IR
UK
NL
BE
PL
DE
CZ
FR
from 30 countries – 27 in
Europe and 3 beyond
CH
AT
SV
SK
HU
UKR
YU
CY
BU
IT
PT
ES
IL
GR
AUS
JAP
+ around 3 000 Personal
NZ
The Italian agro-food industry: main R&D&I needs
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Improve soil fertility and bioavailability of nutrients, via organic
farming, crop rotation etc;
Crops selection and improvement for nutritional properties,
protection from infections and toxins;
Evaluation, preservation and exploitation of biodiversity;
Precision farming, agro-ecological modeling;
Genetic improvements, functional longevity, resistance to deseases
of terrestrial livestock;
Hormone/antiobiotics reduction/substitution in animals;
Improve productivity, tackling disease related challenges and threats
of farmed aquatic animals and boost the sector
Sustainable management of livestocks effluents/waste (with energy
and fertilizers production), greenhouse efficiency, etc;
New foods with specific nutritional needs;
New products for combating obesity and ageing;
Typical quality products (DOP, IGP,STG, etc.) ;
Develop strategies and tools for authentication of food products and
combating counterfeiting and imitations;
Sostainability of food processing industry (higher efficiency,
explitation of byproducts and waste)