WORKPLAN BIOACTIVE-NET

Work package 1: Characterisation of current conditions

The aim is to identify current conditions (requirements) regarding the production of bioactive compounds by extraction of solid residues from the tomato, olive, and wine processing industry by assessing the current situation:

  • amount of tomato, olive, and wine processing companies in the respective countries
  • business data (employees, turnover)
  • quantities of solid residues and the current arrangement of waste utilisation or disposal in the South European countries
  • evaluating research results and the state of the art (Best Available Technology) regarding the extraction and purification of bioactive compounds
  • identifying application fields for natural ingredients (i.e. high-valuable oil, dietary fibre, natural colorants, antioxidants, enzymes)
  • current legislation and potential customers/end-users in Europe

Work package 2: Development of dissemination modules

Different dissemination modules (collection of relevant information in terms of presentations and associated documentation) will be developed, which are addressed to the tomato, olive, and grape processing SMEs in the South European countries, their multipliers (industrial associations), technology providers as well as companies already producing natural ingredients for the food and cosmetic industry.

The modules will present information about:

Valuable bioactive ingredients in tomato, olive, and grape processing residues.

Information will include recent research data on physiological functions and health-promoting effects of bioactive compounds from

  • tomato processing residues (lycopene containing seed oil and waxes, dietary fibre, enzymes)
  • olive processing residues (residual oil, phenolic antioxidants, oligosaccharides, fibre, tannins)
  • grape processing residues (grape seed oil, phenolic antioxidants, proanthocyanids, resveratrol)

Best Available Technology (BAT) for extraction and purification of bioactive plant constituents

  • Drying of plant materials
  • Extraction/fractionation of plant constituents
  • Purification of single compounds like phenolic antioxidants, lycopene, proanthocyanins, concerning the residue of the tomato, olive and grape processing industry.

Application fields for natural ingredients in the food and cosmetic industry

The modules, based on the results of the market survey on natural ingredients on the European market and the assessed legislations and quality and safety standards, will develop the application fields and potential end-users of bioactive compounds extracted from tomato, olive, and grape processing residues, respectively.

Economic feasibility of BAT's implementation

Cost calculations for the implementation of some BATs will be carryed out under consideration of the collected business data of the tomato, olive, and grape processing industry and current market prizes for natural ingredients in Europe identified. These cost calculations are meant to be examples for the economic feasibilities of the production of bioactive compounds from tomato, olive, and grape processing residues.

Work package 3: Implementation of seminars on bioactive compounds for end users

The dissemination modules developed will be introduced to interested relevant stakeholders from the food and cosmetic industry during seminars alongside to the most important international trade fairs in order to discuss and optimise the modules before they are implemented to the final audience on location.

Presentations of the respective topics will mostly be given by invited guest speakers, who are experts in the different fields. The evaluation of the seminars will be the base of optimisation of the modules.

Work package 4: Implementation of dissemination workshops

The dissemination workshops on extraction of bioactive compounds from processing residues will be implemented to the final target audiences in the South European countries:

  • two workshops for tomato processors in Spain and Italy
  • two workshops for olive oil mills in Spain and Greece
  • four workshops for wine producers in Spain, Italy, Greece and France

The dissemination workshops will last one day and will be held in the in the respective native languages (Spanish, Italian, Greek, and French).

Work package 5: Dissemination activities and information campaign of Bioactive-NET

The objective is to build up an information platform and to make a broad interested public familiar with the objective and opportunities BIOACTIVE-NET offers to the European food and cosmetic industry.

The dissemination of the SSA results will be performed via:

  • a multilingual (English, French Greek, Italian and Spanish) project flyer
  • the edition of manual consisting of four different booklets written in English
  • the project website
  • the partners own websites
  • a free of charge, internet learning software (EDUTAINMENT) in which the main areas of the processing industries, arising amounts of residues and available bioactive components will be playfully demonstrated to the users. The software will also provide an insight into possible applications of the compounds. The detailed features will be determined based on the results of previous work packages.

Creating an appropriate business concept is key to successfully continuing to support the BIOACTIVE-Net Information Platform and a potential future congress for bio active's and for later commercial operation. The business concept will be based on four pillars in the future:

  • Industrials sponsorship (e.g. through advertising)
  • Membership fees
  • Fees for downloaded materials
  • Fees for seminar and congress participation

Work package 6: Project management

The aim is to ensure effective project management and coordination over the entire project duration. This includes, amongst others, the development of a monitoring and communication strategy and to develop the plan for using and disseminating the knowledge.

Last updated in November 2008

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