The company from January 2018, in collaboration with partner companies Corsini Bakery Dolci e Biscotti Srl and Italcol S.p.A., is involved in a project that aims to create a sustainable organic supply chain, dedicated to the development of an innovative line of nutraceutical bakery products, made with semi-finished products intended for the natural stabilization of food. The new products will be able to target consumers who are attentive to the naturalness of raw materials, well-being and the enhancement of the Mediterranean diet; therefore, those who wish to lead a correct lifestyle, athletes and people with particular pathologies and/or allergic sensitivities. Thanks to the collaboration of the three SMEs with research organizations (GESAAF-UNIFI and PIN); a new line of naturally “hardened” functional food products is expected to be developed: bakery-functional nutraceuticals and bakery-functional nutraceuticals for sports and wellness. At the end of the project, a commercial partnership between the lead partner Corsini and the partners Italcol S.p.A. and Consulente Enologica S.r.l. may be realized; with the aim of addressing a target of consumers, more and more, aware of the potential of such functional foods. The Corsini sales network will be able to contribute to the successful marketing of the new product line, with positive spin-offs for the project partners.
With the Nat-Backery-Innov project, a new functional-food line with high added value will be developed, made through a sustainable and traced process. Such a line intended for wellness, sports and health will be able to stand out in the market as based on natural active ingredients with nutraceutical and antioxidant character, antimicrobials and natural preservatives, obtained from officinal (and non officinal) species, characteristic of the Mediterranean bush.
As secondary spin-offs, it is reported that the antimicrobial character extracts and semi-finished products obtained from the different processes, could also be used as new prototype products for the sanitization of food processes or become new references, with high added value, for green agriculture; to be exploited, for example, in the wine sector, a sector harmonious to one of the partners, as a valid replacement for traditionally used chemicals.
The project also intervenes in process innovation, both in the production of natural extracts and in the production of bakery products, as a small-scale prototype of an oven equipped with process IOT sensors will be developed by Corsini, which will allow through the monitoring of some process parameters, to preserve the presence of natural active ingredients with antioxidant and antimicrobial character. The Lead Partner will also test the application of Additive Manufacturing to the production of confectionery products.
Lastly, for the Nat-Backery-Innov project, a HW\SW system aimed at integrating a production line with packaging and distribution will be designed and implemented in order to monitor each element of the process and implement product tracking automatically.