Bio product from grape processing – the Polyphenols practice

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A winery and distillery company, located in the northern-east of Italy, turned to be an excellent example of biorefinery able to use its agricultural residues to produce a varied range of bio-based products.

Thanks to the total usage of biomass generated by grape processing (540,000 tons/year), the wine company has brought waste production close to zero (0.1% of the discarded materials).

In order to obtain the best valorization of organic residues, the owner has equipped the process with modern technologies able to extract natural antioxidants and oils from grapes seeds.

Polyphenols: is a natural antioxidants used in the pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, food and cosmetics industries. The oil obtained by the process, is recommended for its high content of polyunsaturated components, which are higher than all other vegetable oils.

The company counts numerous production partners including 30 wine cooperatives producing wine from 12,500 vine growers over an area of 35,000 hectares, equal to 7 million quintals of grapes produced every year.

A number of factors has contributed to trigger new market opportunities for this company:

  • Consistent and steady availability of biomass

  • Increasing requirements for biodegradability and environmental compatibility of products

  • Activated agreements of partnership with other stakeholders (within the region or other regions and/or inter-sectorial)

Core Innovation