A meeting promoted by the Department of Agricultural and Food Sciences and Technologies of the University of Bologna (Agricultural Engineering Team - Structures and Environment), as part of the Spices&Herbs Global Expo to talk about medicinal plants and indoor cultivation with applications in the pharmaceutical field at Macfrut (Rimini Expo Centre 8-10 May) on Wednesday 8 May dedicated to medicinal plants, herbs and spices.
“There is a growing interest in cultivation in a protected and controlled environment – explains Professor Daniele Torreggiani of the Department of Agricultural and Food Sciences and Technologies of the University of Bologna, one of the organizers of the event – as is known, cultivation in greenhouses and vertical farming has several advantages: efficient use of land and resources, the possibility of producing throughout the year, and the potential proximity to consumers and therefore the reduced use of transport.
Obviously, also depending on the various contexts in which they can be used globally, there are different challenges that the world of research is facing in various fields. In particular, the possibility of growing in vertical farming is taking on an increasingly important role in the sector of medicinal and officinal plants. In fact, these are crops with high added value, which require guaranteed, stable and constant supplies and qualitative characteristics, regardless of the time of year and freeing themselves from the changeable and increasingly less predictable weather and climate conditions”.
The event on May 8th at Macfrut focuses precisely on this area of application in relation to the results that research is obtaining, regarding the possibility of increasing yields through ad hoc bio-engineered cultivation systems as in the case of specific light recipes for each crop.
The meeting entitled “Let's shed light on medicinal plants – Experiences of indoor cultivation and applications in the pharmaceutical field” will be moderated by the journalist of La Repubblica, Rosaria Amato. After the introduction by Andrea Primavera President of Fippo (Italian Federation of Medicinal Plant Producers), Daniele Torreggiani will illustrate how the sector of indoor cultivation of medicinal and officinal plants through artificial lighting systems represents an opportunity capable of unlocking powerful synergies at the supply chain level, involving both growers and companies that provide technological solutions, systems and equipment for the sector, up to those of the transformation of personal care products.
Following, Dr. Alessandro Quadri will illustrate the main results obtained by the team of the Laboratory of Agricultural Engineering and Biosystems of the Department of Agricultural and Food Sciences and Technologies of the University of Bologna, in the context of research carried out in collaboration with other colleagues of the department and with other departments of the University of Bologna. The focus will be on the crops used for the extraction of active ingredients of high medicinal value, with particular reference to secondary metabolites used in the formulation of drugs for anti-tumor treatments.
Following this, Dr. Michele Protti, from the Laboratory of Pharmaco-Toxicological Analysis of the Department of Pharmacy and Biotechnology of the University of Bologna, a laboratory that collaborates with the agricultural engineering team in the research mentioned above, will focus on the implications that these innovative cultivation systems can have for pharmaceutical companies and therefore on the opportunities that growers can exploit thanks to synergies with these companies, with particular reference to the added value that crop innovation can offer for the sector compared to the state of the art.
The program will be completed by testimonials from two important companies in the sector: Massimo Lucchini of Idromeccanica Lucchini, who will present his point of view and entrepreneurial approach to innovation in the production of botanicals in a controlled environment; Vincenzo Spaccapeli of Eatour will present a modular indoor cultivation solution for the production of medicinal plants, which can then be seen in operation thanks to a guided tour that will take place at the end of the event.
