THIRD TRAINING DAY BE^2R PROJECT

On June 9, 2022, at 4:00 p.m., the third training day scheduled by the BE^2R project - "From Field to Mug" will take place. The BE^2R project is funded under the Rural Development Program (PSR) Puglia 2014-2020 - Measure 16.2 "Support for pilot projects and the development of new products, practices, processes, and technologies," for an amount of €392,419.28. The event will be held on Zoom, here is the link for registration.

During the meeting, four topics will be addressed. Dr. Nicola Bellantuono (DAFNE – UNIFG) will give a talk entitled: "Life Cycle Assessment for Short Supply Chain Brewing Production." Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is among the most widespread and versatile methodologies capable of providing a synthetic quantitative assessment of the sustainability of a product and its production process over its entire life cycle, in terms of environmental impact. The peculiarities of the methodology will be illustrated, highlighting the most significant aspects to consider in assessing the sustainability of beer "from field to mug."

Following will be the intervention of Dr. Maurizio Prosperi (DAFNE – UNIFG), who will present a talk entitled: "Key Factors for the Sustainability of Agricultural Breweries." The intervention will provide an overview of the aspects that determine a greater environmental impact related to the consumption of non-renewable resources (water, energy) and CO2 emissions into the environment, present in the main production phases, from barley and other cereals cultivation, to malting and beer production, up to distribution to the final consumer. The improvements subject to experimentation during the project will be highlighted.

The first intervention in the microbiological field will be conducted by Dr. Giuseppe Spano (DAFNE – UNIFG), titled: "Microbial Contaminants in Beer Production: Reducing Production Losses." As in other beverage industries, microbial contaminations and alterations are responsible for significant production losses. These issues can be particularly insidious in the case of fermented beverages, as the process involves desired microbial development phases. The intervention, alongside mentions of the role of microbial resources in brewing, will propose an overview of the main contaminants associated with the supply chain.

The final intervention will be by Dr. Vittorio Capozzi (ISPA - CNR) entitled "Indigenous Biological Resources and Regional Beers: Territory, Biodiversity, and Sustainability." Selected biological resources are important elements of innovation and segmentation in the craft beer market. Local/regional ingredients can present advantages such as strengthening ties with territories, increasing the added value of final products, and reducing environmental impact. The focus of the intervention is on the contribution of biodiversity to beer production, with particular emphasis on the valorization of autochthonous microbial resources, reporting innovative paths already explored and documented in the relevant scientific literature.

The event is sponsored by the Board of Agronomists and Forestry Doctors of the Province and by the Order of Food Technologists, recognizing CFP.

The project aims to promote the development of Puglian agricultural beer production by seizing the growth opportunities in this market. The ongoing work involves creating a protocol for the production of agricultural beer with a strong territorial identity, using traditional Puglian cereals and, for example, locally produced hops and self-produced yeasts in the company, with processes suitable for niche productions of high quality.

The project partners form an Operational Group of the Agricultural European Innovation Partnership (PEI AGRI), a cooperation model based on the "interactive innovation model" that involves collaboration among various actors to make the best use of different complementary types of knowledge, whose main objective is the co-creation and dissemination of solutions/opportunities ready to be implemented in practice.

The BE^2R Operational Group is composed of significant figures from the brewing sector (Birra Salento Società semplice agricola, as the lead partner; Officine Birrai; Soc. Coop. Agricola Valle Verde; Solimando Giuseppe; Birra Salento Srl); the research field (University of Foggia, Council for Agricultural Research and Economics: National Research Council); consulting companies that have been promoting and evaluating innovations in the agri-food sector for years (AretèSrl, Cassandro Srl); from Dare Puglia (Agri-food Technological District) and CIA Puglia.