Oil and Legumes: biodynamic and synergic crops for fortified food in a natural way and innovative products for health and fitness
Organic and biodynamic crops are gaining importance in Tuscan agriculture not only for the quality of the cultivated product but also for sustainability and low environmental impact.
Innovation of this project proposal is the combination of biodynamic agriculture and synergistic agriculture.
The cultivation of the olive tree is a fundamental resource for Tuscan agriculture and it is interesting the organization of the olive grove through the grassing of the soil with herbaceous species such as legumes, so as to ensure a continuous supply of organic substance to the soil, reducing the administration of nitrogenous mineral fertilizers, for an excellent production capacity and greater sustainability.
The biodynamic-synergistic cultivation between oil and autochthonous legumes, object of the present project proposal, allows not only to confirm the result of a production oriented to product quality enhancing the territory but also to demonstrate that for each type of reference, oil and legumes, it is possible to obtain innovative products oriented to the wellbeing of man and the environment.
In particular, extra virgin olive oil in biodynamic and synergistic cultivation with legumes can reach high quality standards and be considered a naturally fortified food also according to the EFSA claim concerning the action carried out by polyphenols as protection against oxidative damage and according to literature for the prevention of cardiovascular diseases up to cancer prevention.
With regard to the olive leaves by-product of the olive production chain, used by folk medicine to fight fever and other diseases, in particular to lower blood pressure, are the object of this project for the possibility of obtaining standardized extracts rich in oleuropein and for the formulation of new nutraceuticals with proven biological activities, not only antioxidant activities, but also regulating the mechanism of autophagy involved in Alzheimer's disease.
The aim of the project will therefore be to enhance the nutritional health features of the products and by-products of the supply chain by means of estrogenic, antiproliferative and anti-inflammatory tests and by high sensitivity analytical methods suitable for characterizing and defining the polyphenolic profile of the references in order to develop a system that allows to design products with defined characteristics of quality and sustainability.
The Rene Mediterranean Diet study wants to scientifically demonstrate how the Mediterranean Diet can prevent the onset of kidney diseases related to metabolic, cardiovascular and uro-onco-nephrological disorders, and to reverse the damage when it is still reversible, through changes of our genome and Extra Virgin Olive Oil and fractions standardized in bioactive components from Olea will also be tested for the evaluation of chronic anti-inflammatory activities and correlation between obesity and incidence of renal degenerative diseases. As regards legumes, the quality of the product also leads in this case to the characterization of nutritional and biological properties, in particular estrogenic, related to a preventive action against the development of colon cancer. Innovation result of the project, in addition to the cultivation associated with biodynamics-synergistic, is the possibility of prototyping naturally functional foods and active extracts that can be used for wellness and sports such as: mono-variety oils for sportsmen with a potential health claim for the prevention of pathologies from oxidative and cardiovascular stress; pasta with high antioxidant properties, based on Tuscan autochthonous leguminous flours and olive leaf powders; massage oil for sports enriched in active ingredients.
Costo totale € 359.671,00
Responsabile: Chiara Nediani
Data inizio: 25.09.20
Data conclusione: 28.02.23
CUP n. B59C20003040002
Progetto finanziato dalla Regione Toscana nell’ambito del Programma di sviluppo rurale della Regione Toscana. Bando relativo al Sostegno per l’attuazione dei Piani Strategici e la costituzione e gestione dei Gruppi operativi del Partenariato Europeo per l’innovazione in materia di produttività e sostenibilità dell’agricoltura (PEI AGRI).
Ultimo aggiornamento
29.04.2025