Success Stories EUR 18227 EN: Success Stories from the Agro-Industrial Research Programmes

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Success Stories from the Agro-Industrial Research Programmes
Published by the European Commission, DG XII, Agro-Industrial Research Division
EUR 18227 EN, ISBN 92-828-4205-3 (1998)

The book is introduced by Bruno Hansen, Director for Life Sciences and Technologies, as follows:

"The European agro-industrial sector, a leading sector in the EU in terms of industrial value, comprises all major activities ranging from primary agricultural and forestry production, its processing for food and non-food uses and the consumer. In today's era of global markets, the sector's success will depend, to a large extent, on its ability to adapt, innovate and deliver high quality products meeting consumer expectations and responding to societal requirements.

When viewed collectively, the FLAIR, ECLAIR, FOREST, AIR and the currently in progress FAIR specific RTD programmes reflect the European Commission's efforts to support research initiatives in the agro-industrial sector during this decade. In line with the Community's research policy, the overall objective is to strengthen the competitiveness of the European food, non-food and forest products industries by improving, consolidating and harmonising research activities aiming at the development of new processing technologies, new products and, eventually, new markets thus responding to societal needs for better quality of life, improved health and protection of the environment to the sector's efforts to maintain and strengthen its competitive edge worldwide.

In this context, the research projects presented in this publication provide an overview of the issues addressed, the results achieved and, last but not least, their potential to impact future developments in the European agro-industrial sector."

Content of the book

This book contains a selection of short descriptions of 67 projects carried out under the European Agro-industrial Research Programmes . The selected projects are only part of the projects funded by the Programmes and were chosen to be included in this publication based, primarily on their degree of completion and secondly on the impact their results are predicted to have on the life of the citizens of Europe. Special attention was therefore paid to offer a balanced representation of all the research areas covered by the Agro-industrial Research Programmes.

Structure of the book

The included projects' results were thoroughly studied in terms of their application areas and were classified accordingly in 5 book units. Each unit contains a number of projects whose results have a clear-cut or in some cases a more subtle effect on the quality of life of all of us, the citizens of the European Union. This classification is definitely arbitrary and only indicative. The inclusion for instance of a project in the 'human health' category does not preclude the possibility that it will lead or already has led to the creation of new markets or the strengthening of the European Industry. The reader searching for specific information is advised to use the indices included in the book.

The book is divided into the following sections:

1. For a Competitive European Agro-industry

• Control of Malolactic Fermentation
• Cork Agglomerates: Characterisation and New Materials
• Silvicultural Control and Non-Destructive Assessment of Timber Quality in Plantation-Grown Spruces
• Performance and Durability of Wooden Window Joinery Painted with New Types of Paints with Low Volatile Organic Solvents
• Non Destructive Testing of Wood Based Materials
• Influence of Provenance and Silvicultural Practice on Wood Quality of European Broad-Leaved Species
• The Quality of Cork and Cork Stoppers

2. New Markets and New Products

• Crambe abyssinica: A Plant Cultivable Throughout Europe which Meets Industrial Needs
• Mechanical Pulps with Improved Brightness Stability
• Fibre and Pulp Production from Unconventional Biomass Fibre - Plastic Blending Trials and Applications
• Biomass Production System for the Biosynthesis of Carotenoids
• Vegetable Oils for Innovation in Chemical Industries (VOICI)
• Structure, Function and Industrial Applications of Plant Laccases and Peroxidases
• Cultivation and Extraction of Natural Dyes for Industrial use in Natural Textile Production
• Assessment and Improvement of the Recycling Characteristics of Vegetable Based Ink for the use with Newsprint and Sheet Fed Printed Papers
• Optimised Plant Products with Modified Lignin Profiles
• Development of Innovative Biodegradable Polylactic Acid Polymers, Based on Agricultural Raw Materials for New Industrial Applications

3. Strengthening European Science

• Aztec: Innovative Technologies to Produce Environmentally Sound Natural Pesticides from Neem Tree (Azadirachta Sp)
• Agro-Industrial Applications of Antifungal Proteins from Plant Seeds
• Role of The Ectomycorrhizal Symbiosis in the Resistance of Forest Plantations to Water Stress
• Improvement of Plant Breeding Techniques for Willow Coppice
• Biological Inoculants for Seed/Plant Establishment

4. New Processing Technologies

• Study of Eucalyptus Processing for its Utilisation as Solid Wood
• Improving Bleachability of Mechanical Pulp
• Biotechnological Production of 1 ,3-Propanediol
• Fast Pyrolysis of Biomass for Liquid Fuels and Chemicals
• European Network on Biomass Pyrolysis

5. Improving the Quality of Life

Each project presentation is divided into three sections covering the following.

• The 'PROBLEM' which is a brief introduction addressing a problem or problems which may be of general interest (food safety, energy saving, environmental pollution, etc.) or of a more technical one (industrial methodology, application of advanced equipment, etc.). The simple language used in this subdivision aims at offering encyclopaedic justification of the project and the obtained results.
• The 'AIM' paragraph gives a brief but informative outline of the objectives of each project as related to the addressed problem or problems. It also serves as a link to the third paragraph, that of the results, as a tool for appreciating the effectiveness of the project.
• The 'RESULTS' section includes the achievements of each project. It was not possible to include all the results obtained or in their full detail; an attempt therefore was made to present those results that were final, meaning that they have already led to applications, practices or products, or the results that are bound to have a significant effect on the European Union economy, competitiveness and quality of life.

Who is the book addressed at?

The simple language used in the presentation of the projects, allows no doubt that the publication is targeted to EVERY citizen of the European Union: high-school students, people of the industry, politicians, researchers, policy-makers, consumers and all others. For the ease of reading each project is presented on a single page. The limited space offered to each project did not allow the inclusion of every detail, thus the reader interested in more details is encouraged to get in touch with the contact person(s) given in each project presentation.

Additional information

Each project page also includes:

• Full contact details of the person(s) involved in the project and in most cases e-mail addresses are available.
• The participating countries
• The identification code name of each project

The book includes the following indices:

• A list of the project titles by result area
• A list of the project titles in alphabetical order, including the project contract numbers
• A list of contact organisations
• A list of organisations providing photos

Contacts

Contact

• Quality of Life and Management of Living Resources Help Desk BELGIUM

Publisher

• Office for the Official Publications of the European Communities (OOPEC) / LUXEMBOURG