Since 1980 the evaluation of the quality of oilseed crop productions has been
one of the main activity at ISCI when a big National Research Project to Improve
Quality and Quantity of Oil Seed Production in Italy was financed by the Italian
Ministry of Agriculture. Several quick techniques including NIRS, NMR, TLC,
GG and HPLC, have been set up and new analytical methods have been defined whit
the aim to evaluate the agro-climatic conditions as well as the agro-techniques
influence on the seed quality (Leoni & Palmieri, 1981, Proceedings of
4th F.A.O. on the European Cooperative Network of Sunflower,
pp. 225-233; Conte et al. 1981, Ibidem pp. 235-252; Leoni et al. 1986,
Riv. Agron. XX, 4, 385-390; Conte et al. 1989, J.Plant Breed.102,
158-165; Lazzeri et al. 1990. Agric. Med. 120, 103-109. Lazzeri L. et
al. 1991. Agric. Med. 121, 77-82; Iori et al. J. Agron. Crop Sci.,
167, 91-95; Bigoni et al. 1992. Riv. Agron., 2, 184-191; Forina et al.,1995.
Chem. Int. Lab. Syst. 27, 189-203; Iori et al. 1983. Anal. Biochem.
134, 195-198; Palmieri et al. 1986. J. Agric. Food Chem. 34, 138-140).
In recent years, a special attention has been particularly devoted to Crambe
abyssinica, leading ISCI to coordinate the Task quality control of the FAIR
Programme CT98 4333 Diversification with crambe-DiCRA
(Lazzeri et al., 1993. Agric. Med., 123, 55-64; Lazzeri et al., 1994,
Ind. Crops Prod., 3, 103-112; Leoni et al., 2003, Plant Breeding,
In press).
Contacts:
Dr. Onofrio Leoni, o.leoni@isci.it
- Agro technological evaluation
of some oleaginous crops for the production of industrial lubricant oils (Leto
C. et al 1997. IVthInternational Safflower Conference Bari 2-7 June,
69-73) and in particular on high erucic oils (Fontana et al. 1998. Europ.
J. Agron. 9, 117-126; FAIR Programme CT98 4333 Diversification with crambe
- DiCRA.
- Selection of new high erucic oleaginous varieties for an application on set-aside
soils. Their evaluation in experimental (Lazzeri L. et al. Agr. Med. 125,
251-266) and pre-industrial conditions (Lazzeri L. 2000. 2nd Workshop
on Lubricants and Hydraulic fluids Milano, Italy 10-11 Febbraio).
- Studies on the extraction residual meals for an application in non-food fields
(Patent Cerealtoscana - Lazzeri et al. N° Dep. BO2002 A 0005444).
- Application at an industrial level of high oleic sunflower oil for an application
in textile and leather industry in the ambit of a demonstration Project (BIOVIT).
Contacts:
Dr. Luca Lazzeri, l.lazzeri@isci.it
The most important problem
that an industry involved in high erucic oil extraction has to face is the profitable
exploitation of the residual proteinic meals due to their high fiber and glucosinolate
content that hinders against a direct use as animal feed. To overcome this negative
aspect an alternative extraction technology has been set up. The idea consists
in seeds biorefining using aqueous enzyme cocktails (BOP, EU Project, FAIR CT95-0260)
or reverse micellar system in hydrocarbon solutions (Palmieri et al., 2003. Cruciferous
oilseeds exploitations by reverse micelles dispersed in organic solvent. Italian
Patent application N. BO2003A 0000068).
These techniques should make it possible to increase the fractionation capacity
of the oilseed extraction plants without a strong modification of the extraction
plants (Leser et al., 1989. Biotechnol. Bioeng., 34, 1140-1146; Luisi
et al., 1989 Third International Conference on Separation Technology -
Davos (CH), May 14-19, 1989; Palmieri et al., 1998. Agro-Food Ind. hi-tech
9, 24-27; Daubos et al.,1998. Ind. Crops Prod., 7, 187-193; Palmieri,
1998. 9th International Congress Pescticide Chemistry, London
2-7 August 1998; Palmieri & Venturi, 1999. Agro food Ind. hi-tech
10, 51-54; Leoni et al., 2000. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 68, 660-664; Palmieri,
2001. Proceedings of 3rd International Congress Materials made
from Renewable Natural Resources - Erfurt (D) 5-6 September 2001 - p. 86;
Palmieri, 2002. Proceedings of 5th European Symposium Industrial
Crops and Products - Amsterdam (NL) 24-26 April 2002 - p. 90; Rossi et al.,
2002. Proceedings of 5th European Symposium Industrial Crops and
Products - Amsterdam (NL) 24-26 April 2002 - p. 92; Palmieri, 2002. Biofumigation
Workshop. Busselton (WA) 11-13 September 2002;. Palmieri 2003. IENICA
International South Europe Symposium Non-Food Crops: from Agriculture to Industry.
Bologna 15-16 May 2003; Palmieri, 2003. Chimica e Industria. 85 (4), 47-50.
Contacts:
Dr. Sandro Palmieri, s.palmieri@isci.it
Dr. Roberta Bernardi, r.bernardi@isci.it