Protected Geographical Indication Research Articles

The comparative analysis of some Hungarian and Moldovan wines: The promise of protected geographical indication

Abstract Hungary and Moldova are excelling in unique wines and alcoholic beverages that could qualify for the protected geographical indication (PGI) by emphasizing parameters attributable to the geographical area, production or processing methods. In this study, we have assessed some parameters of wine and brandy samples looking for specificities. The studied samples were of Moldovan and Hungarian Cabernet Sauvignon red wines, Hungarian Furmint white wines, and Moldovan wine distillate/brandy called Divin. The assessed samples were evaluated for: total polyphenol and flavonoid, ethanol, malic, citric, lactic, tartaric acids, reducing sugar, glycerol, carbon dioxide, total and free SO2 content as well as for total acidity, volatile acidity, pH, and wine density. Our results indicate that despite the relatively close geographical vicinity of Hungary and Moldova, the wines produced in the two countries have specific composition, antioxidant activity, and sensorial properties. Thus, the registration of such wines as PGI is clearly justified, and such a label itself does represent a competitive advantage worth promoting.

Geographical origin traceability of muskmelon from Xinjiang province using stable isotopes and multi-elements with chemometrics

Xinjiang muskmelon is a popular fruit in China that is exported worldwide. In particular, Hami muskmelon is classified as a protected geographical indication (PGI) product, and consequently it is more desirable and sells at a higher market price than products from other regions. Origin mislabeling and fraudulent substitution of Hami PGI muskmelon products by non-PGI products are frequently reported, which damages its reputation and market advantage. In this study, the geographical origin of muskmelon from Xinjiang was investigated using stable isotopes and multi-element analyses with chemometrics. Four stable isotopes (δ13C, δ15N, δ2H, δ18O) and seventeen elemental contents (Na, Al, P, K, Ca, Cr, Mn, Co, Ni, Cu, As, Sr, Mo, Cd, Sb, Ba, Pb) of 239 batches of muskmelon were collected from 13 administrative regions distributed across Xinjiang Province. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to compare these regional differences using stable isotopes and multi-elements, and showed that a single variable could not fully classify all sample origins. A multivariate model was developed using linear discriminant analysis (LDA) based on stable isotope and multi-element data. The discriminant accuracies of 13 localities across Xinjiang Province was unsatisfactory with values as low as 46.2 % for Changji. Muskmelon from Kashi were misclassified as Aksu (20 %) and Bazhou (16.7 %) respectively. Further LDA modeling was undertaken after the 13 administrative regions were reduced to 6 geographical production regions from Xinjiang. Classification accuracies improved significantly; 100 % for Altay, 91.9 % for Hami and more than 79.1 % for other regions. Therefore, this strategy may be a useful and complementary tool to combat origin mislabeling of Hami PGI muskmelons from other Xinjiang regions, effectively ensuring food integrity and promoting origin certainty of PGI Hami muskmelon from Xinjiang.

Sensory analysis of nougat: Methodology, training, and validation of a panel for protected geographical indication Torró d'Agramunt

AbstractNougat‐type confections, made with nuts, honey or sugar, and/or egg whites, are consumed in many countries. Torró d'Agramunt is a nougat produced in northeast Spain that has been awarded the European quality label Protected Geographical Indication (PGI). When sensory descriptors are included in the PGI's operating regulations, the sensory quality of products with the label must be guaranteed. The current study established eight descriptors and reference ranges for Torró d'Agramunt, differentiating between products labeled “supreme category” (containing ≥60% nuts) from those labeled “extra category” (containing ≥46% nuts), and developed a method to train a panel of tasters to evaluate this product. Applying the method also showed that sensory analysis is useful for identifying products that are nearing their expiry date. The work conducted within this study represents a step toward the standardization of the approach to the sensory analysis of nougats and similar products.Practical ApplicationsSensory analysis is a way to objectively characterize the attributes of products. Determining whether products fulfill established criteria for certain attributes is important for quality control and ensuring consumer trust. The present study aimed to devise a standardized method for the sensory analysis of nougats and similar products. The approach developed has enabled the sensory characterization of various PGI Torró d'Agramunt using the selected descriptors, making it possible to establish a sensory profile according to the percentage of nuts included in the product and to evaluate changes in the sensory profile that occur as the product approaches its expiry date. Training the panel and discussing the descriptors underlined the need for feedback between the Regulating Board, the director of the panel, and the tasters. This process resulted in a fast, feasible method that can be applied for quality control of other products or other quality labels.

Protecting provenance, abandoning agriculture? Heritage products, industrial ideals and the uprooting of a Spanish turrón

Protected geographical indications (PGIs) are an increasingly popular strategy for securing price premiums on food products in the interest of preserving associated rural livelihoods, however they often fail to show clear benefits for small or otherwise marginalized farmers. Their environmental record for supporting low-impact farming practices is also mixed. This case study of the PGI for Spanish almond-based desserts Turrón de Jijona and Turrón de Alicante details a yet unstudied form of such failures, where manufacturers seeking to scale production removed the requirement to source their primary ingredient (almonds) from the region's low-input farms and opted for intensively produced ingredients imported from abroad. This uprooting of turrón from its agroecological origins highlights how the GI designation creates tension between the need to legitimate a product as rooted in traditional agrarian lifeways and the incentive to expand exports by industrial means. While previous studies show how such tension can result in agricultural intensification benefitting larger landholders within a given region, I argue this inequity and ecological risk operates at a global scale. Importantly, the turrón case reveals that “quality” of a product is a moving target shaped not only by culinary legacies but also forged by a global political economy of agriculture suffering chronic overproduction. Finally, the role of the state in structuring PGI institutions more inclusively and adjudicating conflicts among actors along the value chain is fundamental to the capacity of these programs to achieve social and environmental goals.

Application of Near Infrared Reflectance (NIR) spectroscopy to predict the moisture, protein, and fat content of beef for gourmet hamburger preparation

Near Infrared Reflectance (NIR) spectroscopy provides a rapid, easy to use, and non-destructive alternative to the methods traditionally employed in the determination of the chemical composition of food stuff, since it does not require reagents, time consuming procedures based on manual labor, and can determine multiple parameters simultaneously. Therefore, the use of NIR spectroscopy was evaluated in the quantification of the moisture, fat, and crude protein content of raw bovine meat, in order to support the development for industrial use of an Azorean Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) beef hamburgers, with a target fat content of 20 g/100 g. Sixty-six meat samples were studied, including the carcass cut of neck, shin, brisket, chuck and blade, flanks (thin flank and forequarter flank), plate ribs, ribs and flanks, mixture of unspecified cuts (minced meat), and commercial hamburgers. The samples were chemically analyzed according to standard methods, for moisture (drying method), total fat (solvent extract), and crude protein content (micro-Kjeldahl method). It was observed that the samples had a high fat content heterogeneity. The spectra of all samples were collected (400–2500 nm) and a calibration was performed using partial least squares regression (PLS) and cross validation. Several spectral pre-treatment techniques were applied, including the standard normal variate (SNV). The best calibration for the chemical properties under evaluation showed coefficient of determination (R2) and standard error of cross validation (SECV) values of 0.93 and 1.25%, respectively, for fat content, 0.89 and 0.99% for crude protein, and 0.72 and 2.18% for moisture. It was concluded that the use of NIR spectroscopy provides a good estimate of the fat and protein content of raw bovine meat.

Geographic Origin Discrimination of Millet Using Vis-NIR Spectroscopy Combined with Machine Learning Techniques.

Millet is a primary food for people living in the dry and semi-dry regions and is dispersed within most parts of Europe, Africa, and Asian countries. As part of the European Union (EU) efforts to establish food originality, there is a global need to create Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) and Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) of crops and agricultural products to ensure the integrity of the food supply. In the present work, Visible and Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (Vis-NIR) combined with machine learning techniques was used to discriminate 16 millet varieties (n = 480) originating from various regions of China. Five different machine learning algorithms, namely, K-nearest neighbor (K-NN), Linear discriminant analysis (LDA), Logistic regression (LR), Random Forest (RF), and Support vector machine (SVM), were used to train the NIR spectra of these millet samples and to assess their discrimination performance. Visible cluster trends were obtained from the Principal Component Analysis (PCA) of the spectral data. Cross-validation was used to optimize the performance of the models. Overall, the F-Score values were as follows: SVM with 99.5%, accompanied by RF with 99.5%, LDA with 99.5%, K-NN with 99.1%, and LR with 98.8%. Both the linear and non-linear algorithms yielded positive results, but the non-linear models appear slightly better. The study revealed that applying Vis-NIR spectroscopy assisted by machine learning technique can be an essential tool for tracing the origins of millet, contributing to a safe authentication method in a quick, relatively cheap, and non-destructive way.

Metabolic profiling of Peperoni di Senise PGI bell peppers with ultra-high resolution absorption mode Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry

Bell peppers (genus Capsicum) are an excellent source of health-related compounds, such as ascorbic acid (vitamin C), carotenoids (provitamin A), tocopherols (vitamin E), flavonoids and capsaicinoids. These compounds are known for their biological activities, including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anticarcinogenic properties. Over the past decade, there has been an increasing number of studies focused on metabolite profiling of bell peppers. However, none of the direct analysis methods exploited in these studies were capable of simultaneously detecting compounds belonging to more than four metabolite classes (and possible derivatives of model compounds) present in bell peppers, i.e. mainly amino acids, sugars, polyphenols and organic acids. We have attempted to profile a higher number of metabolite classes by performing a direct-injection analysis with a Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FT-ICR MS), on Peperoni di Senise bell peppers (Capsicum annuum L.). These bell peppers are a typical food product cultivated in Basilicata (Southern Italy), protected with a protected geographical indication (PGI) quality mark and known for their unique taste. To increase the performance of the FT-ICR MS method, we processed the recorded time-domain ion signals (transients) into the absorption mode FT-ICR mass spectra. The latter was achieved by the use of the dedicated software package, AutoVectis Pro. Mass spectral representation in absorption mode produced a more comprehensive description of the metabolic profile of Peperoni di Senise PGI by improving results reliability via artifacts removal and identifying a higher number of compounds.

Tracing the Geographical Origin of Thai Hom Mali Rice in Three Contiguous Provinces of Thailand Using Stable Isotopic and Elemental Markers Combined with Multivariate Analysis.

Rice is a staple food for more than half of the world’s population. The discrimination of geographical origin of rice has emerged as an important issue to prevent mislabeling and adulteration problems and ensure food quality. Here, the discrimination of Thai Hom Mali rice (THMR), registered as a European Protected Geographical Indication (PGI), was demonstrated. Elemental compositions (Mn, Rb, Co, and Mo) and stable isotope (δ18O) in the rice were analyzed using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) and elemental analyzer isotope ratio mass spectrometry (EA-IRMS), respectively. The recoveries and precisions of all elements were greater than 98% and lower than 9%, respectively. The analytical precision (±standard deviation) was below ±0.2‰ for δ18O measurement. Mean of Mn, Rb, Co, Mo, and δ18O levels was 14.0 mg kg−1, 5.39 mg kg−1, 0.049 mg kg−1, 0.47 mg kg−1, and 25.22‰, respectively. Only five valuable markers combined with radar plots and multivariate analysis, linear discriminant analysis (LDA) could distinguish THMR cultivated from three contiguous provinces with correct classification and cross-validation of 96.4% and 92.9%, respectively. These results offer valuable insight for the sustainable management and regulation of improper labeling regarding geographical origin of rice in Thailand and other countries.

Response of Two Local Common Bean Ecotypes of “Fagioli di Sarconi” PGI (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) to Seed-Borne Pathogens and Environmental Change

Among foods protected by the European Union with the PGI (Protected Geographical Indication) mark, several ecotypes of “Fagioli di Sarconi” common beans, typical legumes of Basilicata Region, are included. This work aimed to conduct a survey of seed-borne pathogens isolated from “Ciuoto” and “Cannellino rosso”, ecotypes of “Fagioli di Sarconi” common beans, in two years and cultivation areas of the National Park of the Agri Valley, for identifying resistant and climatic changes well-adapted genotypes. Three validated methods were used for the seed-borne pathogens screening. Eighteen fungi were differently found for ecotype and year of observation by the washing test. Saprophyte contaminants pathogens isolated and detected by the blotter test were strongly reduced by 1% sodium hypochlorite treatment. Using the between paper test, specific for detecting Colletotrichum lindemuthianum, the presence of this pathogen for both ecotypes, years and cultivation areas, and also some bacteria were individuated. Therefore, area-, environment- and ecotype-dependent differences were revealed, probably also caused by a different polyphenolic content and thickness of integument of two ecotypes. This study represents a baseline information for further studies, development of forecasting models and management of seed-borne diseases associated with common beans.

Climate change in a typical Apulian region for table grape production: spatialisation of bioclimatic indices, classification and Future Scenarios

The present research focused on the characterisation of climate evolution in a typical Apulian region for table grape production under the protected geographical indication, “Uva di Puglia I.G.P.”Two thirty-year time window period (TW) were analysed: 1961-1990 and 1991-2020. Georeferenced maps for both TWs were produced to delimit homogeneous zones and to evaluate the climate variability within the investigated area by means of the two bioclimatic indices, Heliothermal Index (HI) and Winkler Index (WI). Spatial analysis of HI and WI was performed using the regression-kriging (RK) interpolation method and the Digital Elevation Model/DEM (10 x 10 m) as a prediction attribute.An increase in both the minimum and maximum temperatures was observed, and locations above 300 m a.s.l. shifted from HI+1 “temperate warm” to HI+2 “warm” according to the Geoviticulture Multicriteria Climatic Classification System. WI values similarly increased between the periods 1961–1990 and 1991–2020, shifting all the sites grouped in the Elevation Classes defined as being below 300 m a.s.l. from Region IV to Region V of the Winkler Classification.According to HI and WI, presumed maturity was calculated as being reached 9 to 15 (HI) and 12 to 28 days (WI) earlier in 1991–2020 than in 1961–1990, taking into account the heat requirements of cv. Italia table grape (representative of Apulian table grape production), were set at 2200 for both indices on the basis of literature data.Moreover, three table grape vineyards, located in the three main producing provinces of Apulia (Bari, Taranto and Barletta-Andria-Trani (BAT)), were considered for future scenarios analysis on the basis of two different Representative Concentration Pathways (RCPs), 4.5 and 8.5, and classified according to the Geoviticulture Multicriteria Climatic Classification System (MCC). Future scenarios scored WI values that exceeded the threshold of 2700 in the BAT and TA provinces in the 2061–2090 time window period for RCP 8.5. In contrast, RCP 4.5 led to a mitigating effect, which was not noticeable until 2040, with a consequent reclassification of the investigated areas on the basis of HI and Cool Night Index (CI).These findings suggest that in order to prevent or overcome heat stress, it will be necessary to implement strategies, such as vineyard relocation to unexplored elevations or latitudes and/or the exploitation of new table grape varieties able to fulfill the optimal maturity parameters, even when the duration of the phenological phases is shorter.

Marketing strategies to self-sustainability of autochthonous swine breeds from different EU regions: a mixed approach using the World Café technique and the Analytical Hierarchy Process

AbstractExtensive and semi-extensive production based on local swine breeds such as Majorcan Black Pig, Cinta Senese, Gascon, Krškopolje and Turopolje is becoming extremely rare and on the verge of disappearing in Europe. In this context, the main aim of this study was to assess the potential feasibility of marketing strategies to act as guidelines for stakeholders along the supply chain to create and improve added value and match market demands. The sustainability of five production systems was evaluated together with 60 stakeholders representing five local swine breeds, using a World Café (WC) method combined with an Analytical Hierarchical Process (AHP). The results showed that the proposed strategies could differ slightly depending on each system, while the product strategy was a common marketing priority for most of the stakeholders and represented all the systems evaluated. Diversifying production toward quality, innovative products, enhanced standardization, and quality labeling or seals of guarantee, such as the protected geographical indication or the protected designation of origin, would contribute to the sustainability of these chains. Advertising the storytelling of the meat products and emphasizing their healthier properties were also considered as positive strategies. To this effect, promotion should involve improving knowledge of the local systems and raising the profile of the meat products via public relations (networks, web pages, food and gastronomic events, workshops and so on) in the Hotels, Restaurants and Catering (HORECA) sector, stores selling top-quality products and local food shops. Better showcasing of these products and keeping the price in the premium segment would indirectly help the primary sector. By way of conclusion, other more developed local swine systems could be strong competitors, hence it is extremely important to effectively identify and trace all autochthonous swine breed products throughout the production chain. Furthermore, the entire chain must place greater emphasis on grazing (extensive or semi-extensive), the origin of the swine and their meat products. However, of utmost importance is cooperation between farms, firms and institutions.

Consumer preferences associated with the protected geographical indication label in the marketing of lamb meat

• Association of PGI label to other key characteristics of lamb meat is studied. • Findings show consumers association between the PGI label and the origin of meat. • PGI label alone may not be enough to attract all consumers. • Consumers were segmented using the Consumer Ethnocentric Tendency Scale (CETSCALE). • Different strategies are proposed for the two consumer segments. The aim of this work is to analyse the importance consumers attach to the geographical indication (GI) label compared to other key characteristics involved in the marketing of lamb meat. Our findings corroborate the significant association in consumers’ minds between the origin of lamb meat and the protected geographical indication (PGI). Nonetheless, it is worth noting that the consumer segments identified in this work attach greater importance to different characteristics of PGI lamb meat, which may be directly related to socioeconomic factors. In this sense, the less ethnocentric consumers, who have a higher income and higher level of education, show a greater preference for the breed of lamb, while the more ethnocentric consumers present a greater preference for brand name. The existing overlap between the preference for the PGI products and other attributes could mean that consumers would perceive similarly a product without PGI but including specific reference to all those attributes. In this regard, the PGI label may be serving to reduce search efforts and times.

Setting standards in sensory analysis

Setting standards in sensory analysis

Morphometric and Nutritional Characterization of the Main Spanish Lentil Cultivars

Nowadays, there is a growing demand for high-quality vegetal protein food products, such as pulses and lentils in particular. However, there is no scientific evidence on the nutritional and morphometric characterization of the main lentil cultivars in the Western Mediterranean area. For this reason, the aim of this work is to carry out a morphometric and nutritional characterization of the main Spanish lentil cultivars. Nutrient content assessment was performed on dry matter. The results showed that all studied cultivars are large and heavy lentils, except for the cultivar “Pardina”. They have high protein levels, ranging from 21% to 25%, which is higher than those found in any other pulse, as well as a high carbohydrate content, greater than 59% in all cases. Fiber content was higher than expected in “Armuña” and “Rubia Castellana” cultivars, ranging from 6% to 6.6%, and exceptionally high in the case of the cultivar “Pardina”, which reached 7.8%. Conversely, very low values were found for fat content, varying between 0.5% and 0.9%. Ca, Fe and Mg levels were remarkably higher (from 550 ppm to 851 ppm, from 98 ppm to 139 ppm and from 790 ppm to 989 ppm, respectively) than those found for other lentil cultivars, especially the high Mg content in the cultivars “Jaspeada” and “Microjaspeada”, both above 955 ppm. Clear differentiation was found between the cultivars “Rubia Castellana”, “Pardina” and those included in the Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) “Lenteja de la Armuña”. Overall, lentil cultivars included in the PGI “Lenteja de la Armuña” showed better morphometric and nutritional characteristics than cultivars “Pardina” or “Rubia Castellana”.

Geographical Indications for agricultural products and foodstuffs in the EU: to what extent does the protection level match the scope of the subject matter?

To recognize an origin-linked production model and the typicity of the products, the European Union (EU) has introduced the Geographical Indication (GI) protection regime. By requiring that relevant production steps must take place in the defined locale, the regime confers exclusive production rights on the local producers. There are two GI categories in the EU. The first is Protected Designation of Origin (PDO), covering products with a qualitative link to both natural and human factors in the designated region. The second is Protected Geographical Indication (PGI), the scope of which overlaps with PDO and covers products that have a qualitative or reputational link with their regional origin. This article examines whether exclusive rights are necessary and appropriate to fulfil their objectives and argues that these rights, when extended to human factors and reputation, cannot always be justified. It is argued that the overlapping scope of the subject matter undermines the ability of these two GI protection categories to provide transparent and trustworthy information for consumers. Finally, this article proposes to redefine the scope of the subject matter and the protection level for PDO and PGI by approaching the product/origin link from a resource utilization, integration and sustainability perspective. *Corresponding author: Jianmei.Gao@vub.be. The research for this article was partially funded by Vrije Universiteit Brussel/China Scholarship Council Joint Scholarship and the National Social Science Fund of China (Grant No. 16 ZDA236).

Feasibility of Using Carvacrol/Starch Edible Coatings to Improve the Quality of Paipa Cheese.

Paipa cheese is the only Colombian semi-ripened cheese with protected geographical indication. In the current work, the effect of applying starch coatings carrying carvacrol on Paipa cheeses was analyzed. Coatings were prepared based on blends of potato starch (2 g/100 g), carvacrol (0.1 g/100 g), polysorbate 80, glycerol, and water and applied to the cheese’s surface by brushing. Uncoated cheeses were also analyzed for comparison. Moreover, films were prepared and characterized in terms of their moisture content, water vapor permeability, mechanical properties, transparency, water solubility, swelling (%), and antioxidant activity. Carvacrol/starch films showed a slight decrease in their water solubility and Young’s modulus, while not significant changes were observed in water vapor permeability, moisture content, transparency, and swelling behavior, in comparison with the starch films. After application on the Paipa cheeses, the carvacrol/starch coatings enhanced the brightness of the cheeses without causing significant changes in water activity, moisture content, color attributes, and mesophilic aerobic bacteria and molds/yeasts count. Moreover, edible coatings have a significant effect on the hardness, the gumminess, the springiness, and the chewiness of the Paipa cheese. Coated cheeses were better preserved at day 60 of storage because they did not show changes in their lightness, hardness, and springiness.

An investigation into Italian consumers’ awareness, perception, knowledge of European Union quality certifications, and consumption of agri-food products carrying those certifications

The present study investigated Italian consumers’ awareness, perception, knowledge of European Union (EU) quality certifications: Protected Designation of Origin (PDO), Protected Geographical Indication (PGI), Traditional Specialty Guaranteed (TSG), and organic as well as the consumption of agri-food products carrying those certifications. A total of 212 consumers responsible for food purchases took part in a web-based survey between June and December 2019, inclusive. Descriptive statistics were calculated in relation to the data collected, followed by a factor analysis to reduce data dimensionality, and a cluster analysis on the latent variables generated, to identify similarities and differences among respondents. Awareness, perception, knowledge and consumption of agri-food products carrying EU quality labels has increased among consumers in recent years. The results related to the consumer’s knowledge of quality-certified products showed that more than half of respondents were able to spontaneously quote examples of PDO (76%), PGI (56%) and organic food products (73%) while only 33% of participants could name at least one TSG product. The general awareness of the guarantees offered by PDO and PGI certifications was also assessed in relation to production processes, the natural and human factors of a particular environment and the reputation and quality of a particular region. Cluster analysis showed that consumers with the highest education were most likely to value EU quality certifications and support their local economies. The information obtained have practical implications for marketing and communication of European certified food products at national and international level.

Phytochemical and Antioxidant Profile of Pardina Lentil Cultivars from Different Regions of Spain.

Lentils (Lens culinaris spp.) are an important food consumed worldwide given their high protein, fiber, mineral, and phytochemical contents, and can be used as a potential source of good nutrition for many people. With the purpose of valuing the Pardina variety, the quality brand from a protected geographical indication “Lenteja de Tierra de Campos”, a full assessment of the nutritional, chemical, and antioxidant properties of 34 samples from this variety was carried out. Besides its actual rich nutritional profile, three phenolic compounds by high performance liquid chromatography equipped with photodiode array detection-mass (HPLC-DAD-ESI/MS) were identified (kaempferol derivatives) with slight differences between them in all extracts. Sucrose by high-performance liquid chromatography with a refraction index detector (HPLC-RI) and citric acid by ultra-fast liquid chromatography coupled with a photodiode array detector (UFLC-PDA) were the major identified sugar and organic acid components, respectively, as well as α-tocopherol and γ-tocopherol isoforms (HPLC-fluorescence). Additionally, all the extracts presented excellent antioxidant activity by the oxidative hemolysis inhibition assay (OxHLIA/TBARS). Briefly, Pardina lentils from this quality brand are a good source of nutritional and chemical components and should therefore be included in a balanced diet.

LA TRADITION – VECTEUR IMPORTANT DE PROMOTION ET GAGE DE QUALITÉ. LE CAS DES PRODUITS ROUMAINS DU TERROIR (TRADITION – IMPORTANT PROMOTION AND QUALITY GUARANTEE VECTOR. THE CASE OF TRADITIONAL ROMANIAN PRODUCTS)

This paper illustrates some of the ways in which producers and traders of traditional Romanian products in the agri-food sector manage to promote their products on the international market using digital media. They used to be present at international trade fairs and exhibitions or in the traditional media. In recent years and especially during the Covid pandemic19, promotion has moved online, on enterprise websites, on social networks and on eCommerce platforms. Using the concepts of discourse analysis, we will show that the discourse promoting regional specialties contains references to tradition – as a guarantee of authenticity, originality, and value of the product, to health – being genuine products made with natural ingredients, in small factories or even in peasant households, with respect for quality and manufacturing stages – the most well-known Romanian products already having the status of a brand with a protected geographical indication. It is a discourse about exceptional products. Based on recipes that are about 200 years old, perfecting the manufacturing processes and raising the tradition to the rank of art, the producers manage to offer specialties that give any meal refinement, and even luxury. Foreign tourists taste these products for the first time during the holidays spent in the agrotourism pensions in Romania, and then they look for them in the Romanian stores in their countries or on the eCommerce sites.

Characterization of the Volatile Profile of Cultivated and Wild-Type Italian Celery (Apium graveolens L.) Varieties by HS-SPME/GC-MS

Celery (Apium graveolens L.) is a vegetable belonging to the Apiaceae family that is widely used for its distinct flavor and contains a variety of bioactive metabolites with healthy properties. Some celery ecotypes cultivated in specific territories of Italy have recently attracted the attention of consumers and scientists because of their peculiar sensorial and nutritional properties. In this work, the volatile profiles of white celery “Sedano Bianco di Sperlonga” Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) ecotype, black celery “Sedano Nero di Torricella Peligna” and wild-type celery were investigated using head-space solid-phase microextraction combined with gas-chromatography/mass spectrometry (HS-SPME/GC-MS) and compared to that of the common ribbed celery. Exploratory multivariate statistical analyses were conducted using principal component analysis (PCA) on HS-SPME/GC-MS patterns, separately collected from celery leaves and petioles, to assess similarity/dissimilarity in the flavor composition of the investigated varieties. PCA revealed a clear differentiation of wild-type celery from the cultivated varieties. Among the cultivated varieties, black celery “Sedano Nero di Torricella Peligna” exhibited a significantly different composition in volatile profile in both leaves and petioles compared to the white celery and the prevalent commercial variety. The chemical components of aroma, potentially useful for the classification of celery according to the variety/origin, were identified.