UNIME and Crossing participated in the fourth edition of the international conference “RETASTE: Rethinking Food Resources, Losses, and Waste,” held in Heraklion, Greece, from the 25th to the 27th of the month.

During this significant international event, the two partners presented the LIFE RESTART project and its mid-term results.

The program was extensive, as was the list of speakers, all experts on the subject. Given the importance of the topic, the diversity of perspectives shared, and the large turnout, the conference was spread over three days filled with events.

There were numerous discussion sessions and oral presentations, covering topics ranging from “Low in Food,” “Food Losses,” and “Alternative Water” to “Biological Treatment,” “SIS,” “LCA,” and “Novel Materials.”

On this last important topic, Professor Valentina Beghetto, representing Crossing, gave a presentation on “Bioplastics from Renewable Sources: Physical-Mechanical Characterization and Soil Biodegradation.”

Meanwhile, for UNIME, engineer Salim Brahimi presented a poster on research into bioplastics from renewable sources and their soil biodegradation. The questions raised were diverse and interesting, focusing on CO2 emissions during biodegradation testing, the fermentation of spent brewing grains, product safety in food contact, and additives used in production.

The RETASTE conference was an extraordinary opportunity to promote discussion on innovative solutions to reduce food waste. The chance to engage with experts and researchers provided valuable insights for the development of wheat-based biocomposites derived from spent grain in brewing. During the discussions, the importance of collaboration in tackling sustainability challenges became clear.

Additionally, RETASTE was a valuable opportunity to identify new partners interested in the LIFE RESTART project, such as Bioresearch Laboratories SA, Bioenergy Crete, Pikei, Net Mechanics, Enviroplan, Future Intelligence FINT, and Medical Waste, with whom Crossing is currently discussing potential market applications.