The growing interest of Italian consumers towards Ancient grains has allowed the products derived from them to reach the shelves of large-scale retail (GDO) in a few years. A phenomenon to be pleased about, insofar as the identity of cultivars and the sustainability of local agricultural supply chains are effectively preserved. To this end, it is useful to consider the opportunity of resorting to certifications or innovative technologies such as blockchain, to better guarantee the authenticity of the products.
Ancient grains, is the word enough?
Thepeasant farming – in various Regions of Italy, starting from Sicily – has invested in agroecology. Recovering wheat populations with historical origins and distinct identities, not subject to genetic evolutions through crossbreeding but locally adapted, thanks to traditional agricultural systems with an even negative ecological footprint, meaning beneficial for the environment.
The consumers more attentive have followed this path since its inception, amid not few difficulties. Appreciating both the recovery of agronomic traditions, often anchored to the organic method, and the connection with the territories. But also the idea of a virtuous synergy between eco-agriculture, flavors, and health. To the point of considering ancient grains, not without reasons, as true superfoods. And once again, as always, consumers, the true protagonists of the market, have driven demand towards mass market.
One possible critical issue lies however in the uncertainty about the identity and origin of the raw materials from which a growing range of references originates. Especially considering that, in this area of the cereal sector, two risk factors occur food frauds. The rapid development of the market and the lack of detailed rules. The magic word on the label, consequently, may not be enough.
Scientific investigation methods
The investigation on varieties of wheat used, ancient or modern, is particularly complex where the analysis matrices consist of products derived from flours and semolinas. The scientific literature reports that ancient grains have a lower gluten index than modern ones, flours have a lower strength (W). However, these parameters find some exceptions and therefore cannot be considered optimal for a unique and definitive comparison. Some studies offer further analytical insights, which moreover postulate the availability of specificlaboratory equipment.
The study by a group of researchers from the University of Catania, published in 2011 in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, showed the ability to identify the ancient wheat variety ‘Timilia’, analyzing the protein molecules of semolina. (2) The researchers from the University of Bari, in turn, in 2016, managed to measure the quantity of ‘Timilia’ semolina in the black bread of Castelvetrano, thanks to the DHPLC technique (Denaturing High Performance Liquid Chromatography). (3) The Institute of Biology and Agricultural Biotechnology of Milan, in the research just published in Food Chemistry, then realized the possibility of determining differences in food composition, based on the ‘fingerprints’ of the DNA of various cereals. (4)
Traceability and records, controls and guarantees
Traceability Basic – which entails the duty to register one's suppliers and purchasers (excluding final consumers) of individual commodities – has been prescribed to each operator in the supply chain for 14 years now. (1) But documentary verification alone is not enough to prevent frauds that can be carried out by substituting, even partially, the cereals used. And the subsequent verification of their identity, on flours and semolinas, is objectively complex. The aforementioned research indeed highlights the need for scientific methodssophisticated that are not directly available to control authorities.
Variety Registration of ancient grains in the National Register of Species for Conservation, by farmers, represents a first barrier against uncertainty. From the perspective of ensuring complete traceability of final products derived only from certified seeds, subjected to the control of CREA and the Phytosanitary Services. However, this fundamental step is still not sufficient to guarantee the consumer about the actual origin of the raw material. Given the concrete risk of replacing ancient grains with common grains (oflower commercial value and perhaps even superior performance, in industrial food technology).
The main road so far followed is based on trust relationships between producers and consumers, in short supply chains and especially ‘harvested’. But the recent entry of large industrial players and the large-scale retail trade has complicated the scenario. Furthermore, the lack of official data and statistics on agricultural production in this area makes it impossible to compare with the quantities of products on the market.
The guarantee of identity, origin and sustainability of productions therefore deserves to be strengthened. Minimizing the distance between producer and consumer, favoring zero-km purchases even if mediated by reliable web platforms. Possibly also through certifications or other tools such as blockchain, capable of irreversibly ‘notarizing’ the seeds cultivated from which flours and semolina used to produce pasta, biscuits and bakery products come from.
Dario Dongo and Paolo Caruso
Notes
(1) Cf. EC reg. 178/02, article 18 (applicable from 1.1.05)
(2) Muccilli et al. (2011). ‘High Molecular Weight Glutenin Subunits in Some Durum Wheat Cultivars Investigated by Means of Mass Spectrometric Technique’. J Agric Food Chem. 2011 Nov 23;59(22):12226-37. doi: 10.1021/jf203139s
(3) Angelica Giancaspro et al. (2016). ‘Varietal traceability of bread ‘Pane Nero di Castelvetrano’ by denaturing high pressure liquid chromatography analysis of single nucleotide polymorphisms’. Food Control 59, Jan 2016;809-817. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodcont.2015.07.006
(4) Silvia Silletti et al. (2019) ‘Untargeted DNA-based methods for the authentication of wheat species and related cereals in food products’. Food Chemistry, 2019 Jan 15, 271:410-418. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodchem.2018.07.178
Dario Dongo, lawyer and journalist, PhD in international food law, founder of WIISE (FARE - GIFT – Food Times) and Égalité.
Paolo Caruso, agronomist, collaborates with the Department of Agriculture, Food and Environment of the University of Catania, Agronomy and Herbaceous Crops section. Researcher on ancient Sicilian wheat.
